3-121 And when thou didst go forth early in the morning from thy family, to assign to the believers their positions for the battle. And Allah is Hearing, Knowing.
وَإِذ غَدَوتَ مِن أَهلِكَ تُبَوِّئُ المُؤمِنينَ مَقاعِدَ لِلقِتالِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَميعٌ عَليمٌ (۱۲۱)
3-121a: غَدَوتَ – root is غَدَا and غُدۡوَۃ and غَدَاۃ means early morning, and غَدَاء means breakfast (R). So,غَدَوتَ means went forth early in the morning.
Ayesha’s participation in the Battle of Uhad: مِن أَهلِكَ – For the meaning of أَهلِ see 2-105a. This word is used for wife (R). Historical references show that Ayesha Sadiqa was present with the Holy Prophet in the Battle of Uhad. In a Sahih Bukhari narration describing the conditions of the Battle of Uhud, Anas ibn Malik states that he saw Ayesha and his mother Umm Sulaim making repeated trips carrying waterskins on their backs to bring water for the injured. There is also a mention in Bukhari of Umm Salit bringing water and giving drink to the injured, and of Umm Ammarah defending the Holy Prophet from his enemies. The participation of women in battle is a historical fact and their participation in Uhad is proven by records. So, by أَهلِكَ is meant Ayesha Sadiqa and it was from her house that the Holy Prophet left on a Saturday morning to array the believers for the battle.
تُبَوِّئُ – is derived from بواء and بواء means equality in all parts of the house, that is being level. See note 2-61c. And the meaning of بَوّأت له مکانا is سَوَّیتُهٗ (R), that is, levelled the house for it and the purport is that space was given to plant their feet firmly on it. The word is used only for a space or house. Examples from the Quran are: أَن تَبَوَّآ لِقَومِكُما بِمِصرَ بُيوتًا (Take for your people houses to abide in Egypt) (10:87); وَلَقَد بَوَّأنا بَني إِسرائيلَ (And certainly We lodged the Children of Israel…) (10:93) and يَتَبَوَّأُ مِنها حَيثُ يَشاءُ (he had mastery in it wherever he liked) (12:56).
مَقاعِدَ – is the plural of مَقۡعَدۡ which means the place one sits, and مَقاعِدَ لِلقِتالِ means the place one sits for battle or battle stations (R).
The narration from here turns to the Battle of Uhad and the manner of description is: واذ غدوت من اھلك such that it is attached to a previous subject which shows clearly that the same theme is being pursued. Abu Muslim considers the narration to be attached to: قَد كانَ لَكُم آيَةٌ في فِئَتَينِ التَقَتا (Indeed there was a sign for you in the two hosts (which) met together in encounter) (3:13), that is there was a sign in the Battle of Badr and there is a sign in the Battle of Uhad. However, in my assessment the relationship is with the last verse of the previous section, because it states that if evil afflicts you, the Ahle Kitab rejoice, and if good befalls you, they grieve. So, now an event is mentioned in which the Muslims faced an affliction, and that event is the Battle of Uhad. This section narrates the going forth to do battle, the stationing of troops by the Holy Prophet for the battle, and the help of angels.
After suffering a terrible humiliation in the Battle of Badr, the Quraish of Makkah made a gargantuan effort to avenge their humiliation and crush the Muslims. The next year in 3 A.H., they raised a force three thousand strong including two hundred horsemen and marched on Madinah in the month of Shawwal. They encamped at Uhad a mere four miles from Madinah as part of a strategy to draw the Muslims out for the encounter rather than to go inside the city and fight the Muslims where it would be advantageous for the Muslims. They reached Uhud on a Wednesday. The Holy Prophet also prepared for the battle and set out from Madinah on Friday after the congregational prayer. On Saturday morning, he arrayed the believers for the battle and the battle took place the same day. Some state that the date was the eleventh of Shawwal and others believe it was the middle of Shawwal.
Consultations prior to the Battle of Uhad: The Holy Prophet consulted his companions prior to setting forth for battle. There were two options – go out to meet the enemy or to stay and fight within the city. Abdullah bin Ubbay, who later came to be known as the leader of the hypocrites, was also invited for consultation though prior to this, he was not within the consultative circle of the Prophet. Abdullah suggested that they should stay within the city for the confrontation. Some of the Ansaar (Helpers from Madina) also gave the same suggestion. Others however suggested that they should go out to meet the enemy, otherwise the enemy would think that the Muslims were frightened of them and chose to fight from a besieged position. The Holy Prophet’s own suggestion was to fight within the city.
Three dreams of the Holy Prophet: The Holy Prophet had seen three dreams about the coming encounter. The first was that a cow had been slaughtered for him which the Prophet interpreted as a sign that things would be better for them. The second was that he saw the edge of the blade of his sword chipped at several places which he interpreted as their domination would have some elements of defeat. The third dream was that he had put his hand in strong armor and his interpretation was that if they stayed in the city, it would act as a strong armor for them. However, the majority opinion was to go out of the city to fight, and the Holy Prophet complied accordingly. This is a great example of respect for consultation and respect for the decision of a consultative body which the Holy Prophet showed even though he was a recipient of revelation. The consultative decision was against his suggestion and dreams, but he gave precedent to the decision of the consultative body.
The events of the Battle: The Holy Prophet set out for the battle with one thousand men but when they reached a place called Shoot, Abdullah bin Ubbay turned around and went back with a third of the force because his advice had not been heeded. So, the Holy Prophet reached Uhad with between six and seven hundred men. Early the next morning, he took up a position with the mountain at his back and prepared his men for battle. He stationed Abdullah bin Jabbar with fifty archers at a strategic location and commanded that whether they won or lost, the archers were not to leave their position.
When the battle commenced, the Muslim onslaught was so severe that the three thousand enemy soldiers could not stand their ground. Their flag bearers were killed one after another, their fighters were injured and finally they began to flee. The Muslims went far in their pursuit. However, the archers thought that the battle was won and there was no need to guard the strategic point where they were stationed. Against the advice of their commander, they deserted their position. A reserve section of the Quraish under Khalid bin Walid and Akramah saw that the strategic position was left unguarded and they saw an opening to attack. The fleeing force of Quraish steadied and returned to fight. In the heat of pursuit, the Muslims had become disorganized and vulnerable to attacks on both sides. This time was very tenuous as the Muslim force was scattered. The Holy Prophet sensing the shakiness of the situation called out in a loud voice: الی عبد اللّٰه انا رسول اللّٰه (O servants of Allah come to me, I am the Messenger of Allah). The objective of the unbelievers was to kill the Prophet. Though some Companions, on hearing his voice, gathered around him, the unbelievers directed the full force of their attack in his direction. The Holy Prophet sustained injury on his head and on his teeth and he fell, but the companions formed a tight wall around him against the enemy. Slowly, the other Muslims gathered around him, but some ran back to Madinah. When the enemy saw that the scattered Muslim force had joined ranks again, they decided to leave the battlefield and return to Makkah, leaving the Muslims as the force still standing in the battlefield. The Muslims certainly suffered loss, some were martyred, some were injured but they were not defeated. The unbelievers escaped severe loss and humiliation, but they were not victorious. They simply saved themselves from pursuit by the Muslims and made their way home.
The different tasks of the Holy Prophet: This verse shows that the Holy Prophet performed all kinds of tasks of great responsibility himself. The positioning of the troops, as shown by this verse, was done by the Holy Prophet himself. Thus, he performed the task of a commander or a general himself. It is amazing how many different roles were contained in his person. He led the prayers, he imparted religious knowledge, he adjudicated disputes, he legislated laws, he fought in battles and performed the tasks of a general. There is no sphere of human endeavor in which he was not a role model.
3-122 When two parties from among you thought of showing cowardice, and Allah was the Guardian of them both. And in Allah should the believers trust.a
إِذ هَمَّت طائِفَتانِ مِنكُم أَن تَفشَلا وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّهُما ۗ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَليَتَوَكَّلِ المُؤمِنونَ (۱۲۲)
3-122a: هَمَّت – هَمّ is a sorrow that melts a person (R). Hence the meaning of اَھَمَّهُ الۡاَمَرُ is اَتۡلَقَهٗ – احۡزَنَهٗ (LA) that is, the affair put him in sorrow or grief. For this reason, مھمات الامور is spoken of those difficult affairs which cause grief for a person. And the meaning of ھَمَّ بالشئ is made an intention or thought of or decided to (LA). ھِمَّة and ھُمام are derived from it. ھِمَّة means an intention to do something and ھُمام is a عظیم الھِمَّة person. The meaning of هَمَّت here is a mere passing idea in the mind. As is apparent from the context, they did not fall prey to this weakness.
تَفشَلا – is derived from فشل which means a weakness mixed with cowardice (R).
يَتَوَكَّلِ – is derived from وکل and the meaning of وَکلۡتُ امری فلان is he took the affair to another and trusted him with it (LA). تَوَكَّل is used in two ways. One is with the relative pronoun لام as in تَوَكَّلت لفلان which means for his sake became his trustee, and the meaning of تَوَكَّلت علیه is اعتمدت علیه that is, I trusted him (R). The meaning of Allah being a trustee is in the sense that He is the trustee of all affairs (R).
What is the identity of the two parties mentioned in this verse? There is a narration in Bukhari by Jabir bin Abdullah which states: فِیۡنَا نَزَلَتۡ اِذۡ ھَمَّتۡ طَائفتَان منکم ان تفشلا و اللّٰه ولیّھما قال نحن الطَائفتَان بنو حارثة و بنو سَلِمَةَ و ما نُحِبُّ اَنّھا لم تنزل لقول اللّٰه و اللّٰه ولیھما (This verse was revealed about us. We, Banu Haritha and Banu Salamah are those two parties, and we are not averse to this being revealed because Allah states in it that Allah is the guardian and helper of both). Their هَمّ or intention was only an inner voice because if there was a resolve then they would have acted on it. It appears that the Muslim force was so small compared to the unbelievers with a four to one ratio against them that weakness crept into their thinking.
The meaning of trusting in Allah: The literal meaning is to trust or rely in Allah, but does this mean that we should do nothing and leave everything to God? This is the meaning that Muslims have come to associate with trust in God. It is obvious that if the Holy Prophet and his Companions understood this to be the meaning, they would not have come out for battle, nor would they have kept themselves informed about the enemy, nor would they have sent forces to faraway places to punish the enemy, nor would they have worried about expeditions, nor would they have sought donations for the expeditions, nor would they have procured weapons for it, nor would they have kept arms with them day and night. Yet they did all of this. In what sense, then, are instructions given to trust in Allah in the present situation? Two parties thought about deserting before the battle but Allah saved them from taking this action and stated that believers trust in Allah. This shows that participating in the battle was equated to trust, and not fighting would be not trusting. This example of trust shows that trust is the word used for using resources and not abandoning the use of resources. A person who does not use God-given resources does not trust in Allah. The reality of trusting is that even if resources are scarce, whatever resource is available must be put to work. In the present scenario, two parties thought about abandoning the battle because the enemy was very strong. The enemy strength was three thousand against the believers numbering about seven hundred. Under this circumstance, Allah’s command was to do one’s best and not to worry about the result. In other words, trust is to use all available resources and then to leave the result to God. Even if a favorable result seems unlikely, one must still put in one’s best effort with the understanding that one’s duty is to do what one can do while the fruition of that effort is the work of God. So, “trust in Allah” means to put in the best effort with the resources that one has and leave the result to God. This concept of trust gives a person courage and prevents him from losing courage when faced with difficulties. This is the reason why the Quran pairs trust with patience. This is the situation here. In another place, it is stated: وَما لَنا أَلّا نَتَوَكَّلَ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَقَد هَدانا سُبُلَنا ۚ وَلَنَصبِرَنَّ عَلىٰ ما آذَيتُمونا ۚ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَليَتَوَكَّلِ المُتَوَكِّلونَ (And why should we not rely on Allah? And He has indeed guided us in our ways. And we should certainly bear with patience your persecution of us. And on Allah should the reliant rely) (14:12). In another place, effort, patience, and trust have been put together with great finesse: نِعمَ أَجرُ العامِلينَ الَّذينَ صَبَروا وَعَلىٰ رَبِّهِم يَتَوَكَّلونَ (Excellent the reward of the workers. Who are patient and on their Lord they rely!) (29:58-59). So, the manifest teaching of the Quran is that trust means that a person should use the resources to their best, not to get perturbed even if the outcome is not conducive. They should leave the result to God.
The meaning of trust in the light of the Hadith: The Hadith supports the same. People who went for Hajj without sufficient means for the journey and said: نحن المتوکلون were stopped from doing so by the Quran: وتزودوا and thus the Quran let it be known that not using resources is not trust. A person once asked the Holy Prophet if he should, trusting in Allah, leave his camel untied. He replied: اعقلھا و تَوَكَّل (Tie its knees with a rope and trust), that is, use your resource and leave the result to God. Against this, the hadith from which the opposite conclusion is drawn are misinterpreted as, for example, the hadith: لو انکم تتوکلون علی اللّٰه حق توکله لرزقکم کما یرزق الطیر تغد داخما صاد تروح بطانا (If you trust in Allah as He should be trusted, he will provide food for you as he provides food for birds who leave in the morning hungry and return in the evening with a full stomach. It is completely incorrect to conclude from this that there is no need to work for sustenance. That is certainly against the intention of the hadith. The hadith does not state that sustenance is provided to the bird in its nest. The bird goes out in search of sustenance and finds it. The meaning clearly is that if a person searches for sustenance, God will not let him starve to death. This wrong concept of trust is a major factor in the downfall of the Muslims.
3-123 And Allah certainly helped you at Badr when you were weak. So keep your duty to Allah that you may give thanks.
وَلَقَد نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِبَدرٍ وَأَنتُم أَذِلَّةٌ ۖ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُم تَشكُرونَ (۱۲۳)
3-123a: بدر is a place between Makkah and Madinah (three days journey from Madinah and ten days journey from Makkah based on travel speeds at that time) named after a well that was dug by a man of the same name. It is the site of the first battle between the Holy Prophet and the Quraish of Makkah in which the Quraish were defeated.
أَذِلَّةٌ – is the plural of ذَلیل and ذُلّ is opposite of عِزّ and ذُلّ is also used in the sense of mercy and favor (LA). It is in this sense that it is used in another place: أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى المُؤمِنينَ (…humble towards believers…) (5:54). Here the word أَذِلَّةٌ is used merely to indicate their small numbers. The Muslims are called أَذِلَّةٌ in Badr because by numbers, they were not capable of overcoming the enemy and, overtly, they were positioned to be defeated.
In the previous verse, the weakness of two parties is mentioned, and in this verse, they are exhorted to take courage. They are few but they were also few in Badr. In fact, in terms of armament in Badr, they were incapable of confrontation. If God helped them then, why would He not help them now?
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُم تَشكُرونَ – So keep your duty to Allah that you may give thanks. The believers were already thankful, so what does it mean to say that keeping their duty will make them thankful? When Allah grants a new favor to a person, it is a new occasion for them to be thankful. This indicates that a new blessing will result in thankfulness. They were helped before and because of that blessing, they had an occasion to be thankful. If they keep their duty, they will be helped again, and this blessing will give them another occasion to be thankful.
3-124 When thou didst say to the believers: Does it not suffice you that your Lord should help you with three thousand angels sent down?
إِذ تَقولُ لِلمُؤمِنينَ أَلَن يَكفِيَكُم أَن يُمِدَّكُم رَبُّكُم بِثَلاثَةِ آلافٍ مِنَ المَلائِكَةِ مُنزَلينَ (۱۲۴)
3-125 Yea, if you are steadfast and keep your duty, and they come upon you in a headlong manner, your Lord will assist you with five thousand of havoc-making angels.a
بَلىٰ ۚ إِن تَصبِروا وَتَتَّقوا وَيَأتوكُم مِن فَورِهِم هٰذا يُمدِدكُم رَبُّكُم بِخَمسَةِ آلافٍ مِنَ المَلائِكَةِ مُسَوِّمينَ (۱۲۵)
3-125a: فَور – فَور means intense boiling and it is used with respect to fire when it flares and a pot when it boils and for raging anger (R). The fire of hell is described as: وَهِيَ تَفورُ (…as it heaves) (67:7). The meaning of: فَعَلتُ کذا من فوری is he did such a work in rage (R). فار الشئ فورًا…جاش that is, the meaning of فَور is agitated (LA). Also derived metaphorically, the meaning of فَور is right now, and the same word فَورً is used in Urdu to mean immediately. The literal meaning, however, is boiling and ebullition.
مُسَوِّمينَ – root is سوم and Imam Raghib writes that it literally means to go in search of something but later its usage extended separately to each of the two aspects of the compound word, that is only to ذھاب (to go) and only to ابتغاء (to search). According to Lisan al-Arab, سام is used in four senses: for grazing, for leaving and searching, for selling, and for punishing. It is in the sense of punishing that the word is used here. It is in the same sense that the word is used in: سَوَّمۡتَ علٰی القوم and اذا اَغَرۡتَ علیھم فَعِثۡتَ فِیھِمۡ (LA) that is, he rode his horse over them and sowed havoc among them. So, the meaning of مُسَوِّمينَ is punishing or havoc creating. It is generally translated as marking a sign.
Help by three thousand angels: The first of the two verses mentions the coming down of three thousand angels and the second verse five thousand angels. Some commentators attempt to apply all of this to the Battle of Badr, although in Surah Anfal, it is clearly stated: إِذ تَستَغيثونَ رَبَّكُم فَاستَجابَ لَكُم أَنّي مُمِدُّكُم بِأَلفٍ مِنَ المَلائِكَةِ مُردِفينَ (When you sought the aid of your Lord, so he answered you: I will assist you with a thousand of the angels following one another) (8:9). There is a clear mention of assistance by one thousand angels in the Battle of Badr whereas here there is a mention of three thousand angels and hence the present references cannot be to the Battle of Badr. In addition, the word اذ is used repeatedly to draw attention to the events of the Battle of Uhad as in: وَإِذ غَدَوتَ مِن أَهلِكَ and إِذ هَمَّت طائِفَتانِ and here for the third time this word is used: إِذ تَقولُ . Further in this Surah, it is stated in another place: وَلَقَد صَدَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ وَعدَهُ إِذ تَحُسّونَهُم بِإِذنِهِ (And Allah certainly made good His promise to you when you slew them with His permission) (3:152) which shows that there was some promise of help about this battle as well, and that promise is only in this statement: أَلَن يَكفِيَكُم أَن يُمِدَّكُم رَبُّكُم بِثَلاثَةِ آلافٍ مِنَ المَلائِكَةِ مُنزَلينَ . Finally, it is worth considering that in Badr, where the enemy was one thousand strong, there is a promise of help by one thousand angels and since in Uhad, the enemy was three thousand strong, the reference of help by three thousand angels is probably to Uhad.
Help by five thousand angels: The mention of five thousand angels in the second verse is about a third battle and not about Badr or Uhad. That third battle was the Battle of al Ahzab, which is referred to here in the following words: وَيَأتوكُم مِن فَورِهِم هٰذا (and they come on you in a headlong manner). A very similar scenario is sketched out where the Batttle of al-Ahzab is mentioned in the Quran: إِذ جاءوكُم مِن فَوقِكُم وَمِن أَسفَلَ مِنكُم وَإِذ زاغَتِ الأَبصارُ وَبَلَغَتِ القُلوبُ الحَناجِرَ وَتَظُنّونَ بِاللَّهِ الظُّنونا’ هُنالِكَ ابتُلِيَ المُؤمِنونَ وَزُلزِلوا زِلزالًا شَديدًا (When they came upon you from above you and from below you, and when the eyes turned dull and the hearts rose up to the throats, and you began to think diverse thoughts about Allah. There were the believers tried and they were shaken with a severe shaking) (33:10-11). This scene is manifestly of the enemy attacking with full vigor and in the battle of Al-Ahzab, the enemy strength was ten thousand or, according to some narrations, twenty thousand because the Quraish incited other tribes to join them. The Quraish, who were the real enemy, were hardly about five thousand.
Allah fulfills His promise: There were only three major battles in which the enemy, that is the Quraish, aggressively attacked the Muslims. In these three battles, Badr, Uhad and Ahzab, the ratio of Muslims to the unbelievers was heavily skewed against the Muslims. The objective of all three battles was the destruction of Muslims and Islam. The unbelievers failed to achieve their objective in all three battles. In all three cases the coming down of angels is mentioned in the Quran and there is a relationship of the number of angels to the strength of the enemy. After the Battle of al-Ahzab, the enemy did not have the courage to attack Madinah and the next offensive move on either side was the entry of the Holy Prophet in Makkah with ten thousand of his Companions. The unbelievers at this time did not have the courage to confront him. Quite to the contrary, two kinds of promises which the unbelievers repeatedly asked for were fulfilled: هَل يَنظُرونَ إِلّا أَن تَأتِيَهُمُ المَلائِكَةُ أَو يَأتِيَ أَمرُ رَبِّكَ (Await they aught that but that the angels should come to them or that thy Lord’s command should come to pass) (16:33). So in all three battles where the unbelievers were the aggressors against the Muslims, Allah helped the Muslims with angels, punished the unbelievers and frustrated their objectives. Further, in the conquest of Makkah, the Lord’s command came to pass because an Islamic government was established. The conquest of Makkah by the Holy Prophet was so resounding that the unbelievers who had in the past gone with a force of several thousand to crush a handful of Muslims now did not have the courage to take the field against the ten thousand pious Companions. Who can compete against the command of the Lord? So, Allah fulfilled the promise that He had made that the unbelievers tauntingly demanded, by sending down the angels.
The coming down of angels is not fiction: The coming down of the angels is a fact, otherwise it was impossible for the limited number of Muslims to fight with a much larger force and be successful. It is worth contemplating that if a smaller force overcomes a larger force once or twice, it could be considered a random chance– though even in such a case there has to be some reason for their success. In the case of the Muslims, all the factors were adverse for them. In the first battle at Badr, the enemy force was three times larger, the advantageous part of the battlefield was with the enemy, the only source of water was in enemy hands, the enemy force comprised experienced fighters while the Muslim force included teenagers and old men, there was a paucity of arms in the Muslim force and they had to face the difficulties of the battlefield. Even so, the unbelievers suffered a great loss and fled from the battle. At Uhad, the enemy was four times the size of the Muslims; they had a large cavalry contingent in their force, and courageous fighters like Khalid bin Walid among them. Even so, the unbelievers returned empty handed and unsuccessful. In the Battle of al-Ahzab, the force of the unbelievers was ten times larger. In addition, there was internal hostility from the Jews and the presence of hypocrites who were ready to spy for the enemy. Even then, God caused this huge force to return failed and disappointed, and they had to flee in a state of great panic. This was all a result of the coming down of angels.
3-126 And Allah made it only as good news for you, and that your hearts might be at ease thereby. And help comes only from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise,
وَما جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلّا بُشرىٰ لَكُم وَلِتَطمَئِنَّ قُلوبُكُم بِهِ ۗ وَمَا النَّصرُ إِلّا مِن عِندِ اللَّهِ العَزيزِ الحَكيمِ (۱۲۶)
3-126a: Here it is stated that the promise of the coming of angels is a glad tiding from Allah so that the hearts of the believers become tranquil. Similarly, it is stated in Surah Anfaal: وَما جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلّا بُشرىٰ وَلِتَطمَئِنَّ بِهِ قُلوبُكُم (And Allah gave it only as good news, and that your hearts might be at ease thereby) (8:10), and it is additionally stated: إِذ يوحي رَبُّكَ إِلَى المَلائِكَةِ أَنّي مَعَكُم فَثَبِّتُوا الَّذينَ آمَنوا ۚ سَأُلقي في قُلوبِ الَّذينَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعبَ (When thy Lord revealed to the angels: I am with you, so make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve) (8:12). It appears from this that Allah keeps the believers steadfast and casts fear into the hearts of the unbelievers through the angels, and perhaps that is the reason that there appears to be a relationship in all the battles between the number of angels and the force of the unbelievers.
The angels did not fight: If the angels came down, did they transform into humans and take part in the fighting? Allah has Himself disclosed the purpose for which the angels were sent down, and it is the heart with which the angels have a relationship. So, the purpose for which the angels descended according to the explanation of the Quran, was to grant tranquility to the hearts of the believers and to put fear into the hearts of the unbelievers. Some other commentators write accordingly. For example, it is stated in the Ghraib ul Quran: و منہم من قال ان نصرالملائکة بالقاء الرعب فی قلوب الکفارو باشعار المؤمنین بان النصرۃ لہم (Some have said that the help of the angels was casting terror into the hearts of the unbelievers and for letting the believers know that the help is for them). This is for both the battles of Badr and Uhad and there is almost unanimous consensus that the angels did not fight physically. Accordingly, Imam Mujahid says: عن مجاھد انه قال حضرت الملٰئکة یوم احد و لٰکنھم لم یقاتلو (He (Imam Mujahid) said that the angels were present on the day of Uhad but they did not fight). There is a similar narration from Ibn Abbas: عن ابن عباس انه قال لم تقاتل الملٰئکة سوی یوم بدر و فیھا سواہ کانو اعد داد مد دالا یقاتلون و لا یضربون (Abbas said: Except for the Day of Badr, the angels did not fight and their presence in that number was to assist in other ways. They did not fight nor did they kill anyone). The discussion of whether the angels fought on the Day of Badr will take place in the commentary on Surah Anfal.
3-127 That He may cut off a part of those who disbelieve or abase them so that they should return in failure.
(۱۲۷) لِيَقطَعَ طَرَفًا مِنَ الَّذينَ كَفَروا أَو يَكبِتَهُم فَيَنقَلِبوا t
3-127a: يَقطَعَ – The literal meaning of قطَعَ is to cut but it is also used in the sense of to kill. In Al-Mufradat it is stated: لیقطع طرفا ای لیھلك جماعَۃً منہم (Destroyed from these one of the parties).
طَرَفًا – طَرَف is one side of a thing and it is used for bodies, time and other things (R). The purport in لِيَقطَعَ طَرَفًا is one part or one party as stated above. Imam Raghib states that the reduction of one side or طَرَف is indicative of contempt and the rationale for its destruction.
يَكبِت – كبِت is to reject harshly and contemptuously (R). Lisan al Arab defines it as: الکبت الصّرف و الا ذلالُ that is, to turn around or return and to disgrace. So the meaning of: كبِتَ اللّٰه العدُوَّ is صرفه و اذلّه (LA) that is, disgracefully sent him back. كبِت also means to make someone fall flat on his face.
خائِبينَ – خاب لَمۡ یَنَلۡ ما طَلَبَ (LA) The meaning of خاب is did not get what was sought, that is failed to achieve the objective. خیبة is the opposite of ظفر (victory or triumph). So, one who is خائب cannot be called مظفر .
Failure of the unbelievers at Uhad: Two reasons are mentioned for the help of Allah in the Battle of Uhad. One is that Allah may destroy one party of unbelievers, and the second is to make them go back harshly and disgracefully and without achieving their objective. Accordingly, these two things occurred exactly in this fashion. At the beginning of the battle, the Muslims slew or injured many unbelievers, and in the end the unbelievers had to return disgracefully because they failed to achieve the objective for which they had come. This verse verifies that the unbelievers did not achieve a victory at Uhad. They failed. The purpose of the unbeliever’s attack was to destroy the Muslims, and nobody can deny that they returned without achieving their objective and this was shameful for them. The Muslim force was intact in the battlefield and hence the unbelievers were unable to attack Madinah. Further they did not capture any Muslims. The Quran and the historical fact hold the unbelievers unsuccessful.
3-128 Thou hast no concern in the matter whether He turns to them (mercifully) or chastises them; surely they are wrongdoers.
لَيسَ لَكَ مِنَ الأَمرِ شَيءٌ أَو يَتوبَ عَلَيهِم أَو يُعَذِّبَهُم فَإِنَّهُم ظالِمونَ (۱۲۸)
3-128a: لَيسَ لَكَ مِنَ الأَمرِ شَيءٌ – Later in this same surah, it is stated: لَو كانَ لَنا مِنَ الأَمرِ شَيءٌ ما قُتِلنا هاهُنا (Had we any hand in the affair, we would not have been slain here) (3:154). The same is meant here, that is you have no hand in the affair. What is that affair? It is either the punishment of the unbelievers or to turn to them mercifully. This matter is in the Hand of God and no person, even if he is a prophet, has any say in it.
Holy Prophet’s malediction: Anas ibn Malik narrates in Bukhari: النبیّ ﷺ یوم اُحُدٍ فقال کیف یفلحُ قومُ شَجُّو اَنَبیَّھم فنزلت لیس لك من الامرشئ (When the Holy Prophet was injured on the day of Uhad, he remarked: How can a nation be successful that injured their Prophet? It was then that this verse: “Thou hast no concern in the matter” was revealed). However, Salem narrated, citing Ibn Umar as his source, they heard from the Holy Prophet that during the second rakah of the Fajar prayer he got up from the ruku, and after سمع اللَّهُ لمن حمدہ ربنا لك الحمد said: الّٰلھم الۡعَنۡ فِلانًا و فِلانًا و فِلانًا (O Allah curse so and so, and so and so, and so and so). It was then that this verse was revealed: لیس لك من الامرشئ . In another narration by Salem and again citing Ibn Umar, instead of فِلانًا و فِلانًا و فِلانًا , this narration has the following words of malediction: صفوان ابن اُمیّه و سھیل بن عمرو و حارث بن ھشام and then this verse was revealed. This narration pertains to the events of the Battle of Uhad, and there is almost a similar narration in Sunan al-Nasai. Quite apart from the fact that many Muslims were martyred in this battle and the Holy Prophet sustained injuries, the unbelievers desecrated the bodies of those killed and mutilated them. These actions were so painful that it is natural and justified to wish that the perpetrators be punished. However, based on another narration, some commentators relate the revelation of this verse to the event of the Battle of Bir Maona. That event, as narrated in a sahih hadith is that the Holy Prophet sent seventy of his companions, at the request of a tribal chief, to preach to the chief’s nation. However, the companions were treacherously ambushed on the way by members of the tribes of this nation near a well named Bir Maona. The tribes involved were: Ri’l, Dhakwan, Lihyan, and Usayya and the Holy Prophet maledicted them for one month in qanut which the Holy Prophet used to read in the second rakah of the morning prayer after ruku. Bukhari in Kitab al-Tafsir narrates a hadith from Abu Hurairah which states: و کان یقول فی بعض صلاتهٖ فی صلاۃ الفجر الّٰلھم الۡعَنۡ فِلانًا و فِلانًا لا حیاء من العرب حتّٰی انزل اللَّهُ لك من الامور شئ (The Holy Prophet used to pray in some part of the morning prayer to curse some specific Arabian tribes and he did so until Allah revealed the verses لیس لك من الامرشئ ). Considering this hadith, the revelation of this verse appears to be related to the event of Bir Maona. These narrations are not contradictory but rather both true because the timing of the events at Uhad and at Bir Maona are chronologically very close to each other. Ibn Hisham states that Bir Maona was just four months after Uhad. So, Uhad and Bir Maona took place in the same period and probably the Holy Prophet maledicted together for the perpetrators of the two events. In the narration that Imam Ahmad has quoted from Salam bin Abdallah, the words of Ibn Umar from both the hadith are joined together in one malediction: قال سمعت رسول اللَّهُ علیه و سلّم یقول الّٰلھم الۡعَنۡ فِلانًا و فِلانًا الّٰلھم الۡعَنۡ حارث بن ھشام الّٰلھم الۡعَنۡ سھیل بن عمرو الّٰلھم الۡعَنۡ صفوان ابن اُمیّه فنزلت ھٰذہ الایة لیس لك من الامرشئ (I have heard the Messenger of Allah say: O Allah curse so and so, O Allah curse Harith bin Hisham; O Allah curse Suhayl bin Umru; O Allah curse Sufan bin Umayyah; so this verse: Thou hast no concern in the matter, was revealed). The malediction has a mention of so and so, and what is meant by the so and so are the offending tribes of Arabia who are identified in the narration of Abu Hurairah as an explanation of so and so. These are the tribes of Ri’l, Dhakwan, Lihyan, and Usayya. The chiefs of the Quraish are mentioned separately. So, if both the narrations of Salam Abdullah found in Bukhari are put together, one using the language of so and so,” and the other with the names of Harith bin Hisham and others, then the narration of Imam Ahmad that combines the two appears to be correct. The Holy Prophet burdened with the difficulties of Uhad and the tragic loss of seventy companions who were treacherously slayed, maledicted against both the people. He continued the malediction for thirty days after which this verse was revealed, and the Holy Prophet was stopped from maledicting.
The lesson from stopping the Holy Prophet from maledicting: Despite the danger and difficulties suffered at the hands of the enemy, the Holy Prophet was stopped from praying ill for the tormentors. Allah did not like that the Holy Prophet’s person, who is a mercy for all nations, should wish anybody ill. It is a strange thing that the three individuals who were the target of his malediction later became Muslim, as too did the offending tribes. There is a lesson in this for those people who curse their Muslim brethren for every small thing, threaten them with malediction and pray ill for them. To do so is against the practice of the Holy Prophet.
Why did the Holy Prophet maledict for thirty days? The events that led the Holy Prophet to maledict were so heinous that a person with the welfare of humanity at heart would be forced to conclude that that the elimination of such unjust and cruel people is for the overall good. So, maledicting for such cruel and unjust people was totally justified. However, Allah showed the Holy Prophet that He can forgive such sinners and turn to them mercifully. Even if the Holy Prophet was justified in maledicting, this was not his mission. As a mortal and a human, he maledicted and there was no injustice in it but Allah drew his attention to a more lofty way. In a like manner, if the Holy Prophet had killed the unbelievers on the conquest of Makkah, he would have been justified but instead, he took the high road, forgave everybody, and did not even reproach them. For the Muslims now, the way to follow is the one to which Allah guided his Prophet.
Mercy surpasses wrath: In this verse mercy is given precedent over punishment although by calling them انَّهُم ظالِمونَ , it is made clear that they are deserving of punishment. In the next verse, which talks of forgiveness and punishment, forgiveness is mentioned before punishment indicating how expansive the sphere of forgiveness and mercy is, and that forgiveness takes precedence over wrath. This verse ends with انَّهُم ظالِمونَ (they are wrongdoers) but the next verse ends with وَاللَّهُ غَفورٌ رَحيمٌ (And Allah is Forgiving Merciful). Allah’s attributes demand mercy and forgiveness even if a person is unjust.
3-129 And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
وَلِلَّهِ ما فِي السَّماواتِ وَما فِي الأَرضِ ۚ يَغفِرُ لِمَن يَشاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ غَفورٌ رَحيمٌ (۱۲۹)
Bayan-ul-Quran 