Ayah
Word by Word
إِلَّا
If not
تَنصُرُوهُ
you help him
فَقَدۡ
certainly
نَصَرَهُ
Allah helped him
ٱللَّهُ
Allah helped him
إِذۡ
when
أَخۡرَجَهُ
drove him out
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
كَفَرُواْ
disbelieved
ثَانِيَ
the second
ٱثۡنَيۡنِ
(of) the two
إِذۡ
when
هُمَا
they both
فِي
(were) in
ٱلۡغَارِ
the cave
إِذۡ
when
يَقُولُ
he said
لِصَٰحِبِهِۦ
to his companion
لَا
(Do) not
تَحۡزَنۡ
grieve
إِنَّ
indeed
ٱللَّهَ
Allah
مَعَنَاۖ
(is) with us
فَأَنزَلَ
Then Allah sent down
ٱللَّهُ
Then Allah sent down
سَكِينَتَهُۥ
His tranquility
عَلَيۡهِ
upon him
وَأَيَّدَهُۥ
and supported him
بِجُنُودٖ
with forces
لَّمۡ
which you did not see
تَرَوۡهَا
which you did not see
وَجَعَلَ
and made
كَلِمَةَ
(the) word
ٱلَّذِينَ
(of) those who
كَفَرُواْ
disbelieved
ٱلسُّفۡلَىٰۗ
the lowest
وَكَلِمَةُ
while (the) Word
ٱللَّهِ
(of) Allah
هِيَ
it (is)
ٱلۡعُلۡيَاۗ
the highest
وَٱللَّهُ
And Allah
عَزِيزٌ
(is) All-Mighty
حَكِيمٌ
All-Wise
إِلَّا
If not
تَنصُرُوهُ
you help him
فَقَدۡ
certainly
نَصَرَهُ
Allah helped him
ٱللَّهُ
Allah helped him
إِذۡ
when
أَخۡرَجَهُ
drove him out
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
كَفَرُواْ
disbelieved
ثَانِيَ
the second
ٱثۡنَيۡنِ
(of) the two
إِذۡ
when
هُمَا
they both
فِي
(were) in
ٱلۡغَارِ
the cave
إِذۡ
when
يَقُولُ
he said
لِصَٰحِبِهِۦ
to his companion
لَا
(Do) not
تَحۡزَنۡ
grieve
إِنَّ
indeed
ٱللَّهَ
Allah
مَعَنَاۖ
(is) with us
فَأَنزَلَ
Then Allah sent down
ٱللَّهُ
Then Allah sent down
سَكِينَتَهُۥ
His tranquility
عَلَيۡهِ
upon him
وَأَيَّدَهُۥ
and supported him
بِجُنُودٖ
with forces
لَّمۡ
which you did not see
تَرَوۡهَا
which you did not see
وَجَعَلَ
and made
كَلِمَةَ
(the) word
ٱلَّذِينَ
(of) those who
كَفَرُواْ
disbelieved
ٱلسُّفۡلَىٰۗ
the lowest
وَكَلِمَةُ
while (the) Word
ٱللَّهِ
(of) Allah
هِيَ
it (is)
ٱلۡعُلۡيَاۗ
the highest
وَٱللَّهُ
And Allah
عَزِيزٌ
(is) All-Mighty
حَكِيمٌ
All-Wise
Translation
If ye help not (your leader), (it is no matter): for Allah did indeed help him, when the Unbelievers drove him out: he had no more than one companion; they two were in the cave, and he said to his companion, "Have no fear, for Allah is with us": then Allah sent down His peace upon him, and strengthened him with forces which ye saw not, and humbled to the depths the word of the Unbelievers. But the word of Allah is exalted to the heights: for Allah is Exalted in might, Wise.
Tafsir
If you do not help him, that is, the Prophet may peace and salutation be upon him, [know that] God has already helped him, when the disbelievers drove him forth, from Mecca, that is, they made him resort to leaving, when they desired to kill him or imprison him or banish him at the council assembly - the second of two (thaaniya ithnayn: this is a circumstantial qualifier), that is, one of two, the other being Aboo Bakr: in other words, just as God helped him in such a situation, He will not forsake him in another; when (idh substitutes for the previous idh) the two were in the cave - a breach in the mountain called Thawr - when (idh substituting again), he said to his companion, Aboo Bakr - who, upon perceiving the [sound of the] feet of the idolaters [nearby], had said to him, 'If one of them should merely look below his feet, he will definitely see us!' - 'Do not despair; verily God is with us', assisting [us]. Then God sent down His Spirit of Peace upon him, His reassurance - some say this means upon the Prophet, others, that it means upon Aboo Bakr - and supported him, that is, the Prophet may peace and salutation be upon him, with legions, of angels, you did not see, [both] in the cave and in the locations in which he fought battles; and He made the word of those who disbelieved, that is, the call to idolatry, the nethermost, the one vanquished, and the Word of God, that is, the profession of His Oneness (shahaada), was the uppermost, the one prevailing and triumphant. And God is Mighty, in His Kingdom, Wise, in His actions.
"Allah supports His Prophet
Allah said,
إِلاَّ تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدۡ نَصَرَهُ اللّهُ
If you help him (Muhammad) not (it does not matter), for Allah did indeed help him,
if you do not support His Prophet, then it does not matter, for Allah will help, support, suffice and protect him, just as He did,
إِذۡ أَخۡرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواۡ ثَانِيَ اثۡنَيۡنِ
when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of the two;
During the year of the Hijrah, the idolators tried to kill, imprison or expel the Prophet, who escaped with his friend and Companion, Abu Bakr bin Abi Quhafah, to the cave of Thawr. They remained in the cave for three days so that the pagans who were sent in their pursuit, returned (to Makkah), and they proceed to Al-Madinah.
إِذۡ هُمَا فِي الۡغَارِ إِذۡ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحۡزَنۡ إِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَنَا
when they were both in the cave, he said to his companion:""Be not sad (or afraid), surely, Allah is with us.""
While in the cave, Abu Bakr was afraid the pagans might discover them for fear that some harm might touch the Messenger.
The Prophet kept reassuring him and strengthening his resolve, saying,
يَا أَبَا بَكۡرٍ مَا ظَنُكَ بِاثۡنَينِ اللهُ ثَالِثُهُمَا
O Abu Bakr! What do you think about two, with Allah as their third!
Imam Ahmad recorded from Anas that Abu Bakr said to him,
""I said to the Prophet when we were in the cave, `If any of them looks down at his feet, he will see us.'
He said,
يَا أَبَا بَكۡرٍ مَا ظَنُكَ بِاثۡنَينِ اللهُ ثَالِثُهُمَا
O Abu Bakr! What do you think about two with Allah as their third!""
This is recorded in the Two Sahihs. This is why Allah said,
فَأَنزَلَ اللّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيۡهِ
Then Allah sent down His Sakinah upon him,
sent His aid and triumph to His Messenger,
or they say it refers to Abu Bakr,
وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَا
and strengthened him with forces which you ﷺ not, (the angels),
وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواۡ السُّفۡلَى وَكَلِمَةُ اللّهِ هِيَ الۡعُلۡيَا
and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowermost, while the Word of Allah that became the uppermost;)
Ibn Abbas commented,
""'The word of those who disbelieved', is Shirk, while, `The Word of Allah' is `La ilaha illallah.""
It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that Abu Musa Al-Ashari said,
""The Messenger of Allah was asked about a man who fights because of courage, or out of rage for his honor, or to show off. Whom among them is in the cause of Allah?'
The Prophet said,
مَنۡ قَاتَلَ لِتَكُونَ كَلِمَةُ اللهِ هِيَ الۡعُلۡيَا فَهُوَ فِي سَبِيلِ الله
He who fights so that Allah's Word is superior, then he fights in Allah's cause.""
Allah said next,
وَاللّهُ عَزِيزٌ
and Allah is All-Mighty,
in His revenge and taking retribution, He is the Most Formidable and those who seek refuge with Him and take shelter by adhering to what He instructs are never made to suffer injustice,
حَكِيمٌ
All-Wise,
in His statements and actions"
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