Ayah
Word by Word
إِذۡ
When
يُرِيكَهُمُ
you (where) shown them
ٱللَّهُ
(by) Allah
فِي
in
مَنَامِكَ
your dream
قَلِيلٗاۖ
(as) few
وَلَوۡ
and if
أَرَىٰكَهُمۡ
He had shown them to you
كَثِيرٗا
(as) many
لَّفَشِلۡتُمۡ
surely you would have lost courage
وَلَتَنَٰزَعۡتُمۡ
and surely you would have disputed
فِي
in
ٱلۡأَمۡرِ
the matter
وَلَٰكِنَّ
but
ٱللَّهَ
Allah
سَلَّمَۚ
saved (you)
إِنَّهُۥ
Indeed, He
عَلِيمُۢ
(is) All-Knower
بِذَاتِ
of what is in
ٱلصُّدُورِ
the breasts
إِذۡ
When
يُرِيكَهُمُ
you (where) shown them
ٱللَّهُ
(by) Allah
فِي
in
مَنَامِكَ
your dream
قَلِيلٗاۖ
(as) few
وَلَوۡ
and if
أَرَىٰكَهُمۡ
He had shown them to you
كَثِيرٗا
(as) many
لَّفَشِلۡتُمۡ
surely you would have lost courage
وَلَتَنَٰزَعۡتُمۡ
and surely you would have disputed
فِي
in
ٱلۡأَمۡرِ
the matter
وَلَٰكِنَّ
but
ٱللَّهَ
Allah
سَلَّمَۚ
saved (you)
إِنَّهُۥ
Indeed, He
عَلِيمُۢ
(is) All-Knower
بِذَاتِ
of what is in
ٱلصُّدُورِ
the breasts
Translation
Remember in thy dream Allah showed them to thee as few: if He had shown them to thee as many, ye would surely have been discouraged, and ye would surely have disputed in (your) decision; but Allah saved (you): for He knoweth well the (secrets) of (all) hearts.
Tafsir
Remember, when God showed them to you in your dream, in your sleep, as few, and so you informed your companions of this, and they were delighted, and had He shown them to you as many, you would have faltered, shrunk in cowardice, and quarrelled, fallen into disagreement, over the matter, the matter of fighting; but God saved, you, from faltering and quarrelling. He knows that which is in the breasts, that which is in the hearts.
"Some Details of the Battle of Badr
Allah describes Yawm Al-Furqan, (i.e. the day of Badr),
إِذۡ أَنتُم بِالۡعُدۡوَةِ الدُّنۡيَا
(And remember) when you (the Muslim army) were on the near side of the valley,
camping in the closest entrance of the valley towards Al-Madinah,
وَهُم
and they,
the idolators, who were camped,
بِالۡعُدۡوَةِ الۡقُصۡوَى
on the farther side,
from Al-Madinah, towards Makkah.
وَالرَّكۡبُ
and the caravan,
that was under the command of Abu Sufyan, with the wealth that it contained,
أَسۡفَلَ مِنكُمۡ
on the ground lower than you,
closer to the sea,
وَلَوۡ تَوَاعَدتَّمۡ
even if you had made a mutual appointment to meet,
you and the idolators,
لَاخۡتَلَفۡتُمۡ فِي الۡمِيعَادِ
you would certainly have failed in the appointment,
Muhammad bin Ishaq said, ""Yahya bin Abbad bin Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr narrated to me from his father about this Ayah
""Had there been an appointed meeting set between you and them and you came to know of their superior numbers and your few forces, you would not have met them,
وَلَـكِن لِّيَقۡضِيَ اللّهُ أَمۡراً كَانَ مَفۡعُولاً
but (you met) that Allah might accomplish a matter already ordained,
Allah had decreed that He would bring glory to Islam and its people, while disgracing Shirk and its people. You (the companions) had no knowledge this would happen, but it was out of Allah's compassion that He did that.""
In a Hadith, Ka`b bin Malik said,
""The Messenger of Allah and the Muslims marched to intercept the Quraysh caravan, but Allah made them meet their (armed) enemy without appointment.""
Muhammad bin Ishaq said that Yazid bin Ruwman narrated to him that Urwah bin Az-Zubayr said,
""Upon approaching Badr, the Messenger of Allah sent Ali bin Abi Talib, Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas, Az-Zubayr bin Al-Awwam and several other Companions to spy the pagans.
They captured two boys, a servant of Bani Sa`id bin Al-`As and a servant of Bani Al-Hajjaj, while they were bringing water for Quraysh. So they brought them to the Messenger of Allah, but found him praying.
The Companions started interrogating the boys, asking them to whom they belonged. Both of them said that they were employees bringing water for Quraysh (army). The Companions were upset with that answer, since they thought that the boys belonged to Abu Sufyan (who was commanding the caravan). So they beat the two boys vehemently, who said finally that they belonged to Abu Sufyan. Thereupon companions left them alone.
When the Prophet ended the prayer, he said,
إَذَا صَدَّقَاكُمۡ ضَرَبۡتُمُوهُمَا وَإِذَا كَذَّبَاكُمۡ تَرَكۡتُمُوهُمَا صَدَقَا وَاللهِ إِنَّهُمَا لِقُرَيۡشٍ أَخۡبِرَانِي عَنۡ قُرَيۡش
When they tell you the truth you beat them, but when they lie you let them go They have said the truth, by Allah! They belong to the Quraysh.
addressing to the boys He said:Tell me the news about Quraysh.
The two boys said, `They are behind this hill that you see, on the far side of the valley.'
The Messenger of Allah asked,
كَمِ الۡقَوۡمُ
How many are they?
They said, `They are many.'
He asked,
مَاعُدَّتُهُمۡ
How many?
They said, `We do not know the precise number.'
He asked,
كَمۡ يَنۡحَرُونَ كُلَّ يَوۡمٍ
How many camels do they slaughter every day?
They said, `Nine or ten a day.'
The Messenger of Allah said,
الۡقَوۡمُ مَا بَيۡنَ التِّسۡعمِايَةِ إِلَى الاَۡلۡف
They are between nine-hundred and a thousand.
He asked again,
فَمَنۡ فِيهِمۡ مِنۡ أَشۡرَافِ قُرَيۡشٍ
Which chiefs of Quraysh are accompanying the army?
They said,
Utbah bin Rabiah,
Shaybah bin Rabiah,
Abu Al-Bakhtari bin Hisham,
Hakim bin Hizam,
Nawfal bin Khuwaylid,
Al-Harith bin Amir bin Nawfal,
Tu`aymah bin Adi bin Nawfal,
An-Nadr bin Al-Harith,
Zam`ah bin Al-Aswad,
Abu Jahl bin Hisham,
Umayyah bin Khalaf,
Nabih and Munabbih sons of Al-Hajjaj,
Suhayl bin Amr and
Amr bin Abd Wadd.
The Messenger of Allah said to the people,
هَذِهِ مَكَّةُ قَدۡ أَلۡقَتۡ إِلَيۡكُمۡ أَفَلَذَ كَبِدِهَا
This is Makkah! She has brought you her most precious sons (its chiefs)!""
Allah said,
لِّيَهۡلِكَ مَنۡ هَلَكَ عَن بَيِّنَةٍ وَيَحۡيَى مَنۡ حَيَّ عَن بَيِّنَةٍ
So that those who were to be destroyed might be destroyed after a clear evidence.
Muhammad bin Ishaq commented,
""So that those who disbelieve do so after witnessing clear evidence, proof and lessons, and those who believe do so after witnessing the same.""
This is a sound explanation.
Allah says,
He made you meet your enemy in one area without appointment, so that He gives you victory over them.' This way, `He will raise the word of truth above falsehood, so that the matter is made clear, the proof unequivocal and the evidence plain. Then there will be no more plea or doubt for anyone. Then, those destined to destruction by persisting in disbelief do so with evidence, aware that they are misguided and that proof has been established against them,
وَيَحۡيَى مَنۡ حَيَّ
(and those who were to live might live), those who wish to believe do so,
عَن بَيِّنَةٍ
(after a clear evidence), and proof. Verily, faith is the life of the heart, as Allah said,
أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيۡتًا فَأَحۡيَيۡنَـهُ وَجَعَلۡنَا لَهُ نُورًا يَمۡشِي بِهِ فِى النَّاسِ كَمَن
Is he who was dead (without faith by ignorance and disbelief) and We gave him life (by knowledge and faith) and set for him a light (of belief) whereby he can walk among men (6:122)
Allah said next,
وَإِنَّ اللّهَ لَسَمِيعٌ
And surely, Allah is All-Hearer,
of your invocation, humility and requests for His help,
عَلِيمٌ
All-Knower.
meaning; about you, and you deserve victory over your rebellious, disbelieving enemies
Allah made each Group look few in the Eye of the Other
Allah said,
إِذۡ يُرِيكَهُمُ اللّهُ فِي مَنَامِكَ قَلِيلً
(And remember) when Allah showed them to you as few in your dream;
Mujahid said,
""In a dream, Allah showed the Prophet the enemy as few. The Prophet conveyed this news to his Companions and their resolve strengthened.""
Similar was said by Ibn Ishaq and several others.
Allah said,
وَلَوۡ أَرَاكَهُمۡ كَثِيرًا لَّفَشِلۡتُمۡ وَلَتَنَازَعۡتُمۡ فِي الَامۡرِ
If He had shown them to you as many, you would surely, have been discouraged, and you would surely have disputed in making a decision.
you would have cowardly abstained from meeting them and fell in dispute among yourselves,
وَلَـكِنَّ اللّهَ سَلَّمَ
(But Allah saved), from all this, when He made you see them as few,
إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ
Certainly, He is the All-Knower of that is in the breasts.
Allah knows what the heart and the inner-self conceal,
يَعۡلَمُ خَأيِنَةَ الاٌّعۡيُنِ وَمَا تُخۡفِى الصُّدُورُ
Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal. (40:19)
Allah's statement
وَإِذۡ يُرِيكُمُوهُمۡ إِذِ الۡتَقَيۡتُمۡ فِي أَعۡيُنِكُمۡ قَلِيلً
And (remember) when you met, He showed them to you as few in your eyes,
demonstrates Allah's compassion towards the believers. Allah made them see few disbelievers in their eyes, so that they would be encouraged and feel eager to meet them.
Abu Ishaq As-Subai`i said, that Abu Ubaydah said that Abdullah bin Mas`ud said,
""They were made to seem few in our eyes during Badr, so that I said to a man who was next to me, `Do you think they are seventy?'
He said, `Rather, they are a hundred.'
However, when we captured one of them, we asked him and he said, `We were a thousand.""'
Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir recorded it.
Allah said next,
وَيُقَلِّلُكُمۡ فِي أَعۡيُنِهِمۡ
.
and He made you appear as few in their eyes,
According to Ikrimah, as recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim,
Allah said,
وَإِذۡ يُرِيكُمُوهُمۡ إِذِ الۡتَقَيۡتُمۡ
(And (remember) when you met. He showed them to you...),
He encouraged each of the two groups against the other.
This statement has a Sahih chain of narrators.
..
لِيَقۡضِيَ اللّهُ أَمۡرًا كَانَ مَفۡعُولاً وَإِلَى اللّهِ تُرۡجَعُ الامُورُ
so that Allah might accomplish a matter already ordained, and to Allah return all matters (for decision).
Muhammad bin Ishaq said that Yahya bin Abbad bin Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr narrated to him that his father said about Allah's statement,
لِيَقۡضِيَ اللّهُ أَمۡرًا كَانَ مَفۡعُولاً
(so that Allah might accomplish a matter already ordained),
""In order for the war to start between them, so that He would have revenge against those whom He decided to have revenge (pagans), and grant and complete His favor upon those He decided to grant favor to, His supporters.""
The meaning of this, is that Allah encouraged each group against the other and made them look few in each other's eyes, so that they were eager to meet them. This occurred before the battle started, but when it started and Allah supported the believers with a thousand angels in succession, the disbelieving group ﷺ the believers double their number.
Allah said,
قَدۡ كَانَ لَكُمۡ ءَايَةٌ فِي فِيَتَيۡنِ الۡتَقَتَا فِيَةٌ تُقَـتِلُ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَأُخۡرَى كَافِرَةٌ يَرَوۡنَهُمۡ مِّثۡلَيۡهِمۡ رَأۡىَ الۡعَيۡنِ وَاللَّهُ يُوَيِّدُ بِنَصۡرِهِ مَن يَشَأءُ إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لَعِبۡرَةً لاوۡلِى الاٌّبۡصَـرِ
There has already been a sign for you (O Jews) in the two armies that met (in combat, the battle of Badr). One was fighting in the cause of Allah, and as for the other, (they) were disbelievers. They (disbelievers) ﷺ them (believers) with their own eyes twice their number. And Allah supports with His aid whom He wills. Verily, in this is a lesson for those who understand. (3:13)
This is how we combine these two Ayat, and certainly, each one of them is true, all the thanks are due to Allah and all the favors are from Him."
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