3-149 O you who believe, if you obey those who disbelieve, they will make you turn back upon your heels, so you will turn back losers.
يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا إِن تُطيعُوا الَّذينَ كَفَروا يَرُدّوكُم عَلىٰ أَعقابِكُم فَتَنقَلِبوا خاسِرينَ (۱۴۹)
3-149a: Obedience of the unbelievers: إِن تُطيعُوا الَّذينَ كَفَروا – The meaning of اطاعة as to follow a command or affair has already been explained in note 3-100a. There can be two interpretations of اطاعة here. The first one is to show weakness before the unbelievers, become submissive and to accept subordination to them. This is in line with what is said in verse 3:146 where it is stated that the Companions of the Prophet are not such weaklings that they are willing to bow down before the enemy in the face of a slight set back in which the enemy gets the upper hand. This is stated because the hypocrites who had turned back on the way to the battlefield were determined, after seeing the set back to the Muslims at Uhad, that if Abu Sufyan entered Madinah, they would readily pledge their loyalty to him. The Quran addresses the righteous Muslims and warns them that there can be only one outcome of submissiveness to the unbelievers which is that they will turn you from the religion of Islam. A similar warning is given in another place in the Quran as well: وَلا يَزالونَ يُقاتِلونَكُم حَتّىٰ يَرُدّوكُم عَن دينِكُم إِنِ استَطاعوا (And they will not cease fighting you until they turn you back from your religion, if they can (2-217). The second interpretation of اطاعة here is that their suggestions and opinions in the matter of religion should not be accepted and they should not be followed under the mistaken idea that they are well-wishers: فیما یامرونکم به فیما ینھونکم عنه فتقبلوا رایھم فی ذالك (IJ). Both the interpretations are correct. If Muslims suffer some loss at the hands of the unbelievers and even if they gain the upper hand in a battle, Muslims should not lose heart and submit to them, and in matters of religion particularly and in all matters generally they should be wary of their machinations.
الَّذينَ كَفَروا – Some commentators have taken this to mean Abu Sufyan and his companions. However, according to a narration of Ali, it is the hypocrites who are meant here who told the Muslims to return to their brethren and join their faith. In accordance with the first interpretation of اطاعة, this verse fits both the unbelievers and hypocrites. Hassan is of the opinion that it is the Jews and Christians who are meant here who were engaged in sowing all kinds of doubts in the minds of the Muslims in a bid to deviate them from their faith. This is correct from the point of view of the second interpretation of اطاعة. Some commentators hold that this verse is generic and this opinion is correct because in every era the unbelievers in one way or the other keep on trying to undermine the Muslims.
3-150 Nay, Allah is your Patron, and He is the Best of the helpers.
بَلِ اللَّهُ مَولاكُم ۖ وَهُوَ خَيرُ النّاصِرينَ (۱۵۰)
3-150a: Holy Prophet’s keen sense of honor for the oneness of Allah: A narration in Bukhari states that on the Day of Uhad after the Muslims had suffered a grave reverse with the Prophet receiving severe injuries and having fallen, the Muslims finally managed to rally around the Prophet. A rumor spread that the Prophet had been killed. Abu Sufyan before withdrawing from the battlefield called out in a loud voice, “Is Muhammad among you?” The Holy Prophet commanded not to reply. He then called out, “Is Abu Bakr among you?” and again the Holy Prophet commanded silence. Then he called out “Is Umar ibn Khatab among you? If these people had been alive, they would have responded”. Umar replied, “We are all alive to bring disgrace to you”. Then Abu Sufyan shouted: اُعۡلُ ھبل (Long live Hubal). Holy Prophet commanded to reply back with a shout of: اللَّه اعلیٰ و اجلّ (Allah is the Most High and Most Glorious), to which Abu Sufyan shouted: لنا العُزّٰ و لا عُزّٰی لکم (Uzza is ours and you have no Uzza). The Prophet commanded a reply: بل اللَّه مولیٰنا و لا مولیٰ لکم (Allah is our helper. You have no helper). The words in this verse: بَلِ اللَّهُ مَولاكُم seem to point to this incident. This incident also shows the sense of honor that the Holy Prophet had for the unity of Allah. When the question was about his life or death, he ordered silence but when an idol was praised which was an attack on the oneness of Allah, he immediately ordered a response and let it be known that the Muslims can never be disgraced because our patron and helper is Allah, and in the end it will be the unbelievers who will be disgraced even though they may inflict some loss on the Muslims in the meantime.
3-151 We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they set up with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority, and their abode is the Fire. And evil is the abode of the wrongdoers.
سَنُلقي في قُلوبِ الَّذينَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعبَ بِما أَشرَكوا بِاللَّهِ ما لَم يُنَزِّل بِهِ سُلطانًا ۖ وَمَأواهُمُ النّارُ ۚ وَبِئسَ مَثوَى الظّالِمينَ (۱۵۱)
3-151: الرُّعبَ – رُعب is being cut off from that which fills the heart with fear. Accordingly, from the point of view of filling, the meaning of رَعَبۡتُ الحَوۡض is I filled the tank, and from the point of view of cutting, the meaning of رَعَبۡتُ السَّنَامَ is I cut the hump (R).
سُلطان – Its root is سلط and the meaning of سلَاطة is to overcome and become strong. It is in the same sense that there is the word سلطان as in: وَمَن قُتِلَ مَظلومًا فَقَد جَعَلنا لِوَلِيِّهِ سُلطانًا (And whoever is slain unjustly, We have indeed given to his heir authority) (17:33); إِنَّهُ لَيسَ لَهُ سُلطانٌ عَلَى الَّذينَ آمَنوا (Surely he has no authority over those who believe) (16:99): إِنَّما سُلطانُهُ عَلَى الَّذينَ يَتَوَلَّونَهُ (His authority is only over those who befriend him) (16:100); لا تَنفُذونَ إِلّا بِسُلطانٍ (You cannot pass through but with authority) (55:33) (R). حجة or reasoning is called سُلطان (authority) because reasoning captures and dominates the heart but its appeal is primarily to intellectuals and wise persons.
ماویٰ – The meaning of أویٰ الیٰ کذا is اِنضَمَّ الیه that is he joined him or joined his side.
مثویٰ – It is derived from ثوی and the meaning of ثواء is to stay in the declared place of residence or to stay in a place one has made his abode (R).
Unbelievers overcome with fears of Muslims: Despite the losses suffered by Muslims at Uhad, events show that the unbelievers were afraid of Muslims in their heart. They were clearly in the know that the Holy Prophet Muhammad was alive and so were Abu Bakr and Umar as is apparent from a hadith in Bukhari (reported above). Nevertheless, when Abu Sufyan saw that the Muslims had congregated around the Holy Prophet, he considered his best interest would be served by returning to Makkah. Some narrations indicate that they repented their hasty retreat on the way back and talked among themselves that they had not acted wisely by leaving the Muslims without destroying them, but because of the awe of Muslims in their heart, they did not return to resume the battle. On the contrary, the Muslims pursued them till Hamra al-Assad the next day. Another sign of the awe is that Abu Sufyan despite promising to return the next year did not venture to come out for a confrontation at the appointed time. When he finally returned with a large army of ten thousand fighters, he and his huge army dispersed and retreated overnight during the Battle of Ahzab even though the strength of the Muslim army was insignificant compared to his juggernaut. After this, the unbelievers became so awestruck that their offensive operations stopped and in the eighth year after hijra when the Holy Prophet with ten thousand Companions marched on Makkah because of their treaty violation, they surrendered without a fight. In short, the powerlessness of an entire country before a relatively small group was the result of awe struck in the hearts of the unbelievers by God.
Holy Prophet’s awe-inspiring personality: In several authentic hadith, the Holy Prophet has recounted his attributes relative to other prophets and among them is the grant of an awe-inspiring personality. According to one hadith about which there is consensus about its authenticity, the Holy Prophet is reported to have said: I have been given five things which were not given to any previous prophet. The first thing among them is نُصِرَتُ بالرعب مَسِیرۃَ شھرٍ (I have been helped by awe equivalent to one month’s journey). This awe is not just a fictitious thing. The life of the Holy Prophet, and after him the life of the Companions and for a long time afterwards the condition of the Muslims presents a clear example of this. Till about a century ago, European mothers used to discipline their children by frightening them by what the Turks would do to them although the Turks were a great distance from them. Even in the present decrepit state of Muslims, Christian leaders are constantly engaged in trying to weaken the Muslims in whatever way they can because they are afraid that the Muslims may again resurge into a global power. Accordingly, the West lives in a totally unwanted fear of Pan-Islamism although it is laughable that the Muslim states, such as they are, can be a match for Western powers with their huge armies and sophisticated armaments. Similarly, the Muslims are not only remiss in propagating their religion but are in almost a comatose state but if the Christian missionaries are afraid of any religion, it is Islam. This awe is justified and is everlasting because the words of the Truthful Informant cannot be incorrect and the Divine promise cannot be false.
God has explained the reason for this awe by stating: بِما أَشرَكوا بِاللَّهِ (because they set up partners with Allah). It is true that a polytheist is weak and a coward because the heart of a person becomes weak when he is ready to bow his head not just before the slightest force such as wind, rain or other temporary force of nature but also before inanimate objects such as stones and idols and considers them as gods and worships them and prays to them. In contrast to this, a unitarian Muslim only recognizes the power of Allah as greater than his and considers all other forces of the world subordinate to him. Such a person is strong of heart because he is not afraid of anything and does not care even of the whole world is against him.
3-152 And Allah certainly made good His promise to you when you slew them by His permission,a until you became weak-hearted and disputed about the affair and disobeyed after He had shown you that which you loved.b Of you were some who desired this world, and of you were some who desired the Hereafter.c Then He turned you away from them that He might try you;d and He has indeed pardoned you. And Allah is Gracious to the believers.e
وَلَقَد صَدَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ وَعدَهُ إِذ تَحُسّونَهُم بِإِذنِهِ ۖ حَتّىٰ إِذا فَشِلتُم وَتَنازَعتُم فِي الأَمرِ وَعَصَيتُم مِن بَعدِ ما أَراكُم ما تُحِبّونَ ۚ مِنكُم مَن يُريدُ الدُّنيا وَمِنكُم مَن يُريدُ الآخِرَةَ ۚ ثُمَّ صَرَفَكُم عَنهُم لِيَبتَلِيَكُم ۖ وَلَقَد عَفا عَنكُم ۗ وَاللَّهُ ذو فَضلٍ عَلَى المُؤمِنينَ (۱۵۲)
3-152a: تَحُسّونَ – Its root is حس and حاسّة is the sense with which one perceives that a thing should be eschewed. According to Al-Mufradat, احَسسۡتُ is used in two ways. One is to perceive a thing through the power of the senses for which see 3-52a. The second is to take away someone’s senses by which is meant killing that person. For this reason, the meaning of حَسَسۡتُهٗ is given as قتلتهٗ and حَسِیس means قتیل.
The early reverse of the unbelievers in the battle and the fulfilment of the Divine promise: The narration returns from here back to the events of the battle of Uhad. It was stated in the thirteenth section: وَإِذ غَدَوتَ مِن أَهلِكَ تُبَوِّئُ المُؤمِنينَ مَقاعِدَ لِلقِتالِ (And when thou didst go forth early in the morning from thy family, to assign to the believers their position for the Battle). (3: 120) The second event related there was: إِذ هَمَّت طائِفَتانِ مِنكُم أَن تَفشَلا (When two parties from among you thought of showing cowardice). (3:121) The third event narrated was: إِذ تَقولُ لِلمُؤمِنينَ أَلَن يَكفِيَكُم أَن يُمِدَّكُم رَبُّكُم بِثَلاثَةِ آلافٍ مِنَ المَلائِكَةِ مُنزَلينَ (When thou didst say to the believers: Does it not suffice you that your Lord should help you with three thousand angels sent down) (3:123). The fourth event is narrated here: وَلَقَد صَدَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ وَعدَهُ إِذ تَحُسّونَهُم بِإِذنِهِ (And Allah certainly made good His promise to you when you slew them by His permission). In between the narration of the events of the Battle, the verses advise, exhorts and preaches to the Muslims so as to make firm their hearts and inform them of the ways to succeed. After promising them help from the angels, the narration of the battle continues that Allah fulfilled the promise that He made. The real purpose of the promise is expressed by the word تَحُسّونَهُم , that is you started killing them. Allah states very clearly that He fulfilled the promise of assisting the believers with three thousand angels and how did this occur? It is stated that its occurrence manifested in: تَحُسّونَهُم بِإِذنِهِ you slew them by His special permission. It is important to note that the Muslims started slaying them and not the angels. The angels only abetted or were the ones that overawed the unbelievers as is apparent from: سَنُلقي في قُلوبِ الَّذينَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعبَ (We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve) (3:150). The ones who fought and slew the unbelievers were Muslims.
Unbelievers defeated in the first phase of the battle: It is a historical fact that the unbelievers were slaughtered until they began to flee from the battlefield. The killing was so extensive that their standard bearer was killed and nine other unbelievers who picked up the standard one after the other were killed. History also records that there were so many injured among the unbelievers that they did not have enough mounts to carry them, and some had to be carried off from the battlefield on the backs of their comrades. It was precisely because of the large number injured that even though the Muslim force was dispersed, the unbelievers could not finish them off or even take some captives. Some Christian critics maintain that the unbelievers were not routed but this was simply a battlefield tactic. The battlefield events do not support such a supposition. The unbelievers had come after great preparation to deal a final blow to the Muslims but the fact that they left them still standing in the battlefield and decided to return home shows that this early defeat was not a battlefield ruse. It was only that Khalid took advantage of a mistake by a section of the Muslim force that turned a certain victory into an uncertain outcome. It is proven from authentic narrations that the Makkan force had suffered severe losses, and the Quran makes an open claim of this.
3-152b: تَنازَعتُم – The meaning of نزع is to pull a thing from its place of rest, and it is also used in the sense of eschew or shun, as in to remove love or enmity from the heart: وَنَزَعنا ما في صُدورِهِم مِن غِلٍّ (And We shall remove whatever of ill feeling is in their hearts) (7:43). It is also used in the sense of سلب or to take a thing, as in: تَنزِعُ المُلكَ مِمَّن تَشاءُ (…takest away the kingdom from whom Thou pleases) (3:26). The meaning of تنازُعۡ and منازعۃ is to pull and tug at each other, and the purport is enmity and contention that is to quarrel with each other (R), the quarreling parties try to tug each other from their position.
The fifth event of the battle: The persons referred to in فَشِلتُم – تَنازَعتُم – عَصَيتُم are only the archers, even though the words appear to be addressed generally to the entire body. It is the style of the Quran that when the impact of the actions of certain individuals affects the entire nation, the Quran addresses the entire nation. The whole body of Muslims suffered because of what the archers did and hence the entire body is addressed.
The first condition of the archers is described as فَشِلتُم that is, you showed cowardice. This cowardice was not in respect of the enemy but, as is mentioned later, but was in the form of disobeying the order of the Holy Prophet to gain booty. This was an act of great cowardice that their hearts weakened before the thought of some worldly gain. Their second condition is depicted by تَنازَعتُم فِي الأَمرِ . The أَمرِ or affair refers here to the order of the Holy Prophet, in which he had clearly instructed: لا تبرحوا ان رایتمونا ظھرنا علیہم فلا تبرحوا و ان رایتموھم ظھر وا علینا فلا تعینونا (Do not leave your place. If you see that we have overcome them, do not leave your position, and if you see that they have overcome us, do not come to our assistance) (al-Bukhari). The تنازُعۡ or dispute took place because when the archers saw the enemy routed and fleeing and even the women accompanying their force running with their skirts raised to bare their shins as occurs in a moment of intensity, the archers raised a cry: الغنیمة – الغنیمة . Their commander reasoned with them that the Holy Prophet’s specific instruction was not to leave the position, but their greed prevailed and out of the fifty archers forty left their position in search of booty. This dispute too took place between the archers and there is no record of any other dispute which goes to show that all these events are about the archers. Their third condition is that they became guilty of dereliction of duty by leaving their position. There were only forty archers who disobeyed but even here the term عَصَيتُم (you disobeyed) is addressed to the entire body because the affect of the disobedience impacted the entire force.
3-152c: Having plunder as an objective is against the teaching of Quran: The two group of archers are mentioned in this verse with one being referred to as: مَن يُريدُ الدُّنيا which is the one that disobeyed and left their position to gather the spoils of war, and the other being referred to as: مَن يُريدُ الآخِرَةَ which includes Abdullah bin Jubair and his companions who did not leave their position. This shows that Islam allows the taking of spoils of war but those who consider the spoils of war as their perspective are given the title of: مَن يُريدُ الدُّنيا. There is a rebuttal in this to those critics of Islam who allege that the Islamic wars were waged to obtain spoils of war. Quran very clearly expresses disdain for having such a low outlook and condemns those who had such a thought with very strong words.
3-152d: The manifestation of courage and devotion by the Companions: This is the sixth phase of the battle. When the dispute arose between the archers and a significant number of them disobeyed, the battlefield dynamics changed from the previous situation of إِذ تَحُسّونَهُم بِإِذنِهِ that is slaying them by Allah’s permission. Allah then turned the Muslims away from the unbelievers. Previously the unbelievers were fleeing, and the Muslims were killing them, now the Muslims were fleeing and the unbelievers were killing them. The turning away is attributed to Allah not because Allah had forcibly seized the Muslims and turned them away but because a section of Muslims had committed a mistake and the entire Muslim force by virtue of Divine rule had to bear the brunt of that mistake. This was a punishment by Allah for a mistake and since this was the result of a Divine rule, hence the action is attributed to Allah. However, this punishment was in the form of a blessing so that the hidden gems in the character of the Companions would become manifest and equally the weaknesses or disease that was hidden in the hearts of some others would become manifest. Accordingly, the readiness to lay down one’s life, the bravery, the courage, and perseverance that the Companions exhibited was such that it would be difficult to find a parallel in the annals of world history. Despite the false rumor in the battlefield that the Holy Prophet had been martyred, they did not stop and kept busy fighting against the enemy. When an enemy combatant Ibn Qaimah advanced towards the Holy Prophet to deal him a death blow, Musaib bin Umair, a companion stepped in between and stopped the attacker from reaching the Holy Prophet though in this attempt he lost his own life. In another attack on the Holy Prophet, the enemy’s strike with the sword was stopped by Talal, a Companion, who lost his hand in the process but saved the Holy Prophet. The Companions formed a human shield stronger than a steel wall around the Prophet. When a Companion in this wall fell, another was quick to replace him and all attempts to reach the Holy Prophet by the enemy, whose real purpose was to kill the Prophet, were thwarted. Abu Dujanah stood before the Holy Prophet with his back to the enemy to shield the Holy Prophet. No rational person can overlook these courageous acts and use the flight of five or ten Companions from the battlefield to label the seven hundred Companions as cowards. However, by making such a charge, the diseased nature of the Jews and hypocrites became manifest.
3-152e: وَلَقَد عَفا عَنكُم – He has indeed pardoned you. The blunder was so dangerous that in a normal situation, it was sufficient to destroy the entire force but since Allah is merciful to the righteous, He did not impose the full measure of punishment that such a grievous mistake deserved, but forgave you and saved you. The purport here is: عفو عن الاستئصال (protection from destruction) (RM). If the purport is forgiveness of sin then the reference is to the forgiveness of the disobedience of the archers. The repetition in verse 3-155 of وَلَقَد عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنهُم refers to the forgiveness of Muslims who fled the battlefield.
These words also show that Allah forgives grave sins which may rightly be termed as major sins in the light of the other virtues of a person even though forgiveness has not specifically been sought. For this reason, among the attributes of Allah, as stated elsewhere, is: غافِرِ الذَّنبِ وَقابِلِ التَّوبِ (40:3) Forgiver (without repentance) of sin and Acceptor of repentance.
3-153 When you went away far, and paid no heed to anyone, and the Messenger was calling you in your rear.a So He gave you (another) grief for (your) first grief that you might not grieve at what escaped you, nor (at) what befell you. And Allah is Aware of what you do.b
إِذ تُصعِدونَ وَلا تَلوونَ عَلىٰ أَحَدٍ وَالرَّسولُ يَدعوكُم في أُخراكُم فَأَثابَكُم غَمًّا بِغَمٍّ لِكَيلا تَحزَنوا عَلىٰ ما فاتَكُم وَلا ما أَصابَكُم ۗ وَاللَّهُ خَبيرٌ بِما تَعمَلونَ (۱۵۳)
3-153a: تُصعِدونَ – It is derived from صعد and صُعُود means ascending to a high place (R), and اِصۡعاد (from which تُصعِدونَ here is derived) means to go far in the land whether ascending or descending (R) even though its derivation is from صُعُود . Thus, the word has been used for going far in the land without the connotation of going to a higher place. Imam Raghib has considered this to be a correct use and has given the example of تعال whose root is علو (height, exaltedness; elevation) but now its meaning is simply to come. Some commentators have opined that the purport of اِصۡعاد is not ابعاد فی الارض but it indicates that they resolved, pursued and used علو that is, they spared no effort (R).
تَلوونَ – The literal meaning of لوی is فتل حبل that is to put the twists in a rope, but the meaning of لَوَیۡتُ علیه is عَطَفۡتُ (I turned towards him) (LA). A narration from hadith states: لایلوی احدٌ علیٰ احدٍ and its meaning according to Ibn Kathir is he did not pay him any attention and nor did he turn to look at him.
Holy Prophet’s courage: The meaning of في أُخراكُمis either فی جماعتکم الاخری that is in your rear party meaning that a party had proceeded ahead and the Holy Prophet was left in the rear party or the meaning is فی ورائکم that is, on your hind side because جاء فلان فی اٰخر الناس و اخرٰہم means جاء خلفہم (he came after).
Seventh phase of the battle: This was the seventh phase of the battle when the Muslim force was encircled and began to flee, and the Prophet was calling them to assemble around him by shouting الیّ عباد اللّٰه الیّ عباد اللّٰه انا رسول اللّٰه (O servants of Allah; Come in my direction; I am the Messenger of Allah). The Holy Prophet showed exemplary courage by coming forward and exposing himself to the attacks of the enemy at this critical juncture. This also shows the trust that the Holy Prophet had in the help of Allah. During the battles, he was in the vanguard of the force, almost daring the enemy to attack him. This same act of a courageous heart was also exhibited in the battle of Hunain when the Muslim force retreated under the hail of arrows being fired at them by the enemy archers but the Holy Prophet kept advancing towards the enemy lines repeatedly calling out انا النبیّ لا کذب انا ابن عبدالمطلب (I am the Prophet, there is no falsehood in this and I am the son of Abdul Mutalib). In the battle of Uhad, the Holy Prophet did not care for his own life when faced with the compulsion of gathering his dispersed force and he thus established a great example of how a general should lead his troops from the front in a battle in order to achieve victory and to show to his troops that he does not care for his own life. It was a result of this beckoning of the Holy Prophet that his dispersed force gathered around him and became a compact unit.
3-153b: أَثابَكُم – The literal meaning of أَثاب is to reward or to bring about the result of a previous action again. See Note 2-103a. Sometimes it occurs with the meaning of just to give, as in: اثابه اللّٰه ثوابه the meaning of اثابه is اعطاہ (give; grant; donate) (LA). Since ثواب (reward) is used both for something good and something bad, hence ثواب can also be used for the punishment of a fault.
غَمًّا – The literal meaning of غَمّ is سترالشئ which means to cover something, and for this reason غمام is the name for clouds because it covers the light of the sun. غم is called غم because it covers pleasure and joy.
غَمًّا – The ب is for accompaniment and the meaning would be as a punishment for your fault one sorrow given to you was accompanied by another sorrow, or it is for recompense and the meaning would be that one sorrow was compensated by another sorrow. The first sorrow was that a defeated enemy escaped from their hand and Muslims were martyred and injured and the second sorrow was that the Holy Prophet’s cry of الیّ عباد اللّٰه to rally his troops invited the attention of the enemy attack at him resulting in serious injuries and near martyrdom, and even spawned a false rumor that he was killed.
ما فاتَكُم – The meaning of فوت is that a thing is removed so far from a person that it becomes impossible for him to obtain it. Thus ما فاتَكُم or the things so far removed that it became impossible for the Muslims to obtain was the benefit of victory such as the spoils of war, captives and the like.
ما أَصابَكُم – The calamity that befell the Muslims in terms of the injured and martyred.
This is the eighth event of the battle of Uhad. Here Allah states that He gave the Muslims along with one sorrow another sorrow so that they may not grieve at what escaped them nor at the misfortune that afflicted them.
The love of the Companions for the Holy Prophet: When the Holy Prophet cried out to his troops, the enemy directed the full force of their attack on him. Before the Companions could rally around him, he was severely injured and fell on the ground, but his cry enabled the dispersed companions to find their way to him. The first sorrow of the Muslims was that not only did the enemy escape from their pursuit but the tables were turned on them resulting in severe losses. However, when they saw the injuries suffered by the Holy Prophet, they forgot their own sorrow before this new sorrow decreed by Allah. The result was that they forgot their own sorrow that the enemy had escaped them, that they had lost the spoils of war, and that many of their comrades had been martyred or injured. Their love of the Holy Prophet was so intense that before this new sorrow of seeing him in distress, their own sorrow disappeared. These were men in the battlefield who were willing to be beheaded with pleasure in order to save the Holy Prophet the smallest amount of distress, but the women of Madinah were equally in love with the Prophet and they did not grieve for their relatives, their brothers and sons who were martyred when they learnt that the Holy Prophet was alive. As an example, there is a narration about a woman who when she was informed that her father, husband, and son had been martyred, she enquired whether the Holy Prophet was alive. On receiving a reply in the affirmative, she said: کُلُّ مصیبةٍ بعدك جُلَل (After (the welfare) of the Holy Prophet all calamities are trivial). This was the love that the Companions, men and women, had for the Holy Prophet. It is the manifestation of this love that is depicted in the following hadith: اَ يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَالِدِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ (None of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind). The manifestation of this perfect faith was seen in every aspect of the Companion’s life.
There is hadith testimony that the Holy Prophet was left alone or with seven or nine Companions. This does not mean that the rest of the Companions had fled. The actual situation was that the Holy Prophet was left isolated on one side of the battlefield while the rest of the force was dispersed. In this condition, a fierce attack was launched on the Holy Prophet and seven Companions from the Ansaar were martyred one after the other defending the Holy Prophet. A Companion, Talhah, received more than seventy wounds on his body and lost his fingers while defending the Holy Prophet. In the end when Abi bin Khalf attacked the Holy Prophet, the Prophet struck him with his spear and said the following words: اشتدَّ غضب اللّٰه علےٰ من قتله رسول اللّٰه صلعم بیدہ فی سبیل اللّٰه (Allah’s wrath is on that person who the Messenger of Allah kills with his own hands in the way of Allah). The Holy Prophet did not kill anybody in any of the battles in which he took part.
3-154 Then after grief He sent down security on you, slumber overcoming a party of you,a while (there was) another party whom their own souls had rendered anxious — they entertained about Allah thoughts of ignorance quite unjustly. They said: Have we any hand in the affair? Say: The affair is wholly (in the hands) of Allah.b They hide within their souls that which they would not reveal to thee. They say: Had we any hand in the affair, we would not have been slain here. Say: Had you remained in your houses, those for whom slaughter was ordained would have gone forth to the places where they would be slain. And (this happened) that Allah might test what was in your breasts and that He might purge what was in your hearts. And Allah is Knower of what is in the breasts.c
ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَيكُم مِن بَعدِ الغَمِّ أَمَنَةً نُعاسًا يَغشىٰ طائِفَةً مِنكُم ۖ وَطائِفَةٌ قَد أَهَمَّتهُم أَنفُسُهُم يَظُنّونَ بِاللَّهِ غَيرَ الحَقِّ ظَنَّ الجاهِلِيَّةِ ۖ يَقولونَ هَل لَنا مِنَ الأَمرِ مِن شَيءٍ ۗ قُل إِنَّ الأَمرَ كُلَّهُ لِلَّهِ ۗ يُخفونَ في أَنفُسِهِم ما لا يُبدونَ لَكَ ۖ يَقولونَ لَو كانَ لَنا مِنَ الأَمرِ شَيءٌ ما قُتِلنا هاهُنا ۗ قُل لَو كُنتُم في بُيوتِكُم لَبَرَزَ الَّذينَ كُتِبَ عَلَيهِمُ القَتلُ إِلىٰ مَضاجِعِهِم ۖ وَلِيَبتَلِيَ اللَّهُ ما في صُدورِكُم وَلِيُمَحِّصَ ما في قُلوبِكُم ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَليمٌ بِذاتِ الصُّدورِ (۱۵۴)
3-154a: أَمَنَةً – Like امن , it is a verbal noun and in the sentence structure, it is the object of أَنزَلَ .
نُعاسًا – نُعاسً is drowsiness or light sleep such as dozing, and there is a saying: عبارۃ عن لنُسکونِ وَ الۡھُدُدِّ (R) that is, it means peace and contentment. Here نُعاسً is a noun in apposition to أَمَنَةً .
Ninth event of the battle of Uhad: The Muslim force gathered around the Holy Prophet and the enemy, seeing that they were no longer dispersed but a compact unit, left the battlefield. The Muslims stayed in the battlefield and felt so much secure from the enemy that some of them slumbered or felt completely at peace. The purport here is to show that although the Muslims passed through a distressful situation but that they were not defeated because they stayed in the battlefield and had such a sense of security and were so unafraid of the enemy that some of them could even sleep. It is obvious that if they were in a state of fear from an enemy attack, they would not have slept. In some ahadith, there are words to the effect that the narrator says that in the battlefield, he felt so sleepy that the sword was falling out of his hand. In another hadith there is a statement from a narrator that as he was dozing off, he heard someone say: لو کان لنا من الامرشئ ما قتلنا ھٰھُنا (It appeared to me that I was hearing it in a dream) (IK). It is obvious that these statements pertain to the end of the battle.
3-154b: أَهَمَّتهُم – It is a derivative of أَهَمَّت ھَمّ which means sorrow or grief, and when an affair causes sorrow or grief, it is said: اھمنی الامر (LA).
يَظُنّونَ بِاللَّهِ غَيرَ الحَقِّ – غَيرَ الحَقِّ is either غیر ظن الحق being a mediator of a verbal noun and ظن الجاھلیة is its substitute or ظن الجاھلیة is a verbal noun that emphasizes غَيرَ الحَقِّ يَظُنّونَ .
The qualified noun in ظن الجاھلیة is an attribute of its verbal noun and the purport is: ظن اھل الجاھلیة that is thoughts that are typical of the people of ignorance. By the people of ignorance are meant the unbelievers because the period of ignorance was the period prior to Islam.
الأَمرِ – Its meaning is either the affair, and the purport is have we any hand in the affair of the battle? And this is the meaning adopted here. Some commentators have taken its meaning to be rule or governance and the meaning in that case would be can we really get the rulership that Muhammad (PBUH) has promised? This thought was inspired by the set back at Uhad.
Carping of hypocrites: This group which was most concerned with preserving their own life was the group of hypocrites who, under the leadership of Abdullah bin Ubai, returned to Madinah before the battle started. Their main concern was their own safety rather than the defense of Islam and so they did not participate in the battle. The ظن or thought in يَظُنّونَ بِاللَّهِ غَيرَ الحَقِّ ظَنَّ الجاهِلِيَّةِ (they entertained about Allah thoughts of ignorance quite unjustly) has been explained elsewhere in the Quran where there is a mention of similar thoughts of the hypocrites: بَل ظَنَنتُم أَن لَن يَنقَلِبَ الرَّسولُ وَالمُؤمِنونَ إِلىٰ أَهليهِم أَبَدًا (Nay, you thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to their families) (48:12). In the battle of Uhad as well, the hypocrites thought that the Muslims would be slaughtered by the much larger enemy force in an open battlefield. Now when the news of the battle reached Madinah, their carping increased and they started publicizing the importance of their suggestion: يَقولونَ لَو كانَ لَنا مِنَ الأَمرِ شَيءٌ (Have we any hand in the affair?), that is that if their suggestion had been accepted, the disaster would have been averted. The suggestion of Abdullah bin Ubai was that the Makkan force be confronted by staying in the city. He now started emphasizing the correctness of his suggestion and that if his suggestion had been accepted, the calamity would have been averted. Allah answers this carping by stating that the affair is wholly in the hands of Allah because consultation is a command of Allah, and it was only after consultation and in deference to the majority opinion that the Holy Prophet gave the order to march out of the city. It is not right to give up on an important principle for fear of some distress. This is the lesson that Allah has taught. An alternative meaning could be that Allah is about to give you complete rule and governance while you desire only a portion of it.
3-154c: مَضاجِعِ – It is the plural of مضجع and the meaning of ضجع is to enwrap or embrace, that is to put one’s side on the ground or to go to sleep. So, مضجع means to lie down or to sleep. In تَتَجافىٰ جُنوبُهُم عَنِ المَضاجِعِ (They forsake (their) beds) (32:16), المَضاجِعِ is the place of sleep.
Quranic testimony to the Companion’s devotion: Reply is given here to the thought that arose in the minds of the hypocrites. Mention is made that they have something in their heart which they do not manifest. They say in their hearts that if they had their say, that is if their suggestion had been accepted or they had been given authority in the matter of the battle, then they would not have been killed at this place. By ما قُتِلنا is meant the martyrdom of some of their men because the hypocrites were the relatives of some of the men who fought in the battle. The reply given to their foolish thinking is that those Muslims who had given up their life and embraced martyrdom in the way of Allah were ready to give up their life in this manner, and if the battle had taken place in Madinah, they would not have remained hidden in their homes but would have come out against the enemy and shown their valor and devotion. The meaning of لَو كُنتُم في بُيوتِكُم is if the battle had taken place in Madinah. The hypocrites in any case had stayed in their homes. The purport is that those who were martyred had shown their devotion and sacrificed themselves in the way of Allah and they would have done that whether the battle had taken place within Madinah or outside. If the people voicing this objection were those who did participate in the battle but who had some weakness in their heart, then the purport would be that if these weak hearted had not come out for battle, the believers would not have abandoned the idea of going for battle because of their weakness. They would have come out to battle in the way of Allah and sacrificed their lives, but that whatever happened was not without purpose.
وَلِيَبتَلِيَ اللَّهُ ما في صُدورِكُم وَلِيُمَحِّصَ ما في قُلوبِكُم : The result of this was that Allah manifested what was concealed in the hearts of some. Those who harbored hypocrisy and deceit in their hearts were exposed and those who had some weaknesses in their heart were remedied of those weaknesses.
3-155 Those of you who turned back on the day when the two armies met, only the devil sought to cause them to make a slip on account of some deeds they had done, and certainly Allah has pardoned them. Surely Allah is Forgiving, Forbearing.a
إِنَّ الَّذينَ تَوَلَّوا مِنكُم يَومَ التَقَى الجَمعانِ إِنَّمَا استَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيطانُ بِبَعضِ ما كَسَبوا ۖ وَلَقَد عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنهُم ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفورٌ حَليمٌ (۱۵۵)
3-155a: استَزَلَّهُمُ – It is derived from زَلَّ and زَلَّة is a mistake committed inadvertently without intention, and the meaning of استَزَلَّه is تَحَرَّی زلّتهٗ (R), that is designed to make him slip. By attributing the word زَلَّة to those who fled, it is made clear that what was done by those fleeing was not intentional, and that they did not flee from the battlefield by design. However, by adding بِبَعضِ ما كَسَبوا it is indicated that it was still partly their fault. Some commentators have attributed this to some previous fault of theirs.
Those who fled the battlefield at Uhad: The mention here is of those who participated in the battle of Uhad but fled the battlefield, and not of the hypocrites who had left before التَقَى الجَمعانِ (the two armies met). The reason why they fled has been mentioned previously. The desertion of the archers from their post made it possible for the retreating army of the unbelievers to return and attacked the Muslims. The Muslims who were in pursuit of the enemy were dispersed and in the face of this attack by a large force were unable to close ranks. In this critical situation, the Holy Prophet called out to his Companions to gather his dispersed force in one place. Given the battlefield situation, it was not possible for the entire force to collate together. Some were so far away in the battlefield that it was not possible for them to reach the main group. Some of these isolated fighters lost heart and in a moment of weakness fled. Whatever the battlefield situation, Allah did not like for the Muslim soldiers to flee. If they had waited a little longer, they would have been able to make their way to the main body of the force. Allah has attributed every act of weakness to the devil but by using the word زَلَّة has made it clear that their fleeing was not intentional.
How many fled: There is no reliable estimate, and the narrations are mere conjectures. Some have said that one third of the force fled, one third was killed or injured and one third was left with the Holy Prophet. This is incorrect on the face of it because the total Muslim force was seven hundred. If only two hundred had been left with the Holy Prophet, the three thousand enemy force would not have left them in the battlefield and made their way home. Some narrations state that only fourteen or seventeen men were left with the Holy Prophet. It is apparent that this number given in some narrations pertains to those with the Holy Prophet at the start of the second attack of the unbelievers because the rest were pursuing the enemy. The conclusion that Imam Razi has reached appears to be correct. He states: و الزی تدل علیه الا خبار فی الحملة ان نفرا منھم تولوا و ابعد و افمنھم من دخل المدینة ومنھم من ذھب الیٰ سائر الجوانب و اما الا کثرون فانھم نزلو اعندا لجبل و اجتمعوا ھناك (Various narrations testify that one نفر (group) fled and went far away. The word نفر in the Arabic language is spoken for a group consisting of three to nine or less than ten persons. Some who fled came to Madinah and some fled in other directions, but the majority of the force gathered near the mountain and stayed there. Fazal makes a similar statement and calls the number fleeing نفرا قلیلا (G).
Who were among those who fled: Most narrations only provide the name of Uthman and two Ansaar, Saad and Uqba. In one or two unreliable narrations, the name of Umar is also given but Umar was with the Holy Prophet in the battlefield. Authentic hadith from Bukhari have already been quoted previously that show that not only was Umar with the Holy Prophet in the battlefield but that he could not bear to remain quite in confrontation with the enemy and retorted to Abu Sufyan that, “We are all present by the Grace of God to disgrace you”. It is true that Uthman was among those who fled and the Shia and Khawaraj have taunted him for that. This taunting is unwarranted because Allah states: وَلَقَد عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنهُم (Allah has pardoned them) for whatever extent they were at fault. Accordingly, when this taunt was mentioned before Ibn Umar, the reply he gave is sufficient to respond to anyone who brings this up. This reply also gives the reason for the absence of Usman from the Battle of Badr and the Bait Ridhwan.
Derision of Uthman: There is a narration of Uthman bin Mohib in which he states: “A person performed the Haj of Bait Ullah. He saw many men sitting there and asked who are these men? He was told that they are Quraish. He asked who is the old man among them? He was told he was Ibn Umar. So that man came to Ibn Umar and said: I want to ask you some questions will you tell me about them. He than asked: I ask you under oath of this Sacred House: Did you know that Uthman bin Affan fled the battlefield on the Day of Uhad. The reply was yes. He then asked, did you know that he was absent on the day of Badr. The reply was yes. He then asked, do you know that he was left behind from and did not participate in the Bait Ridhwan. The reply was yes. The questionnaire said: Allah Akbar (as if to declare that the derision of Uthman bin Affan had been established). Ibn Umar said: Come, I will tell you and fully explain what you asked. As far as his fleeing on the Day of Uhad is concerned, I bear witness that Allah forgave him. As far as his absence on the Day of Badr, he was married to the Holy Prophet’s daughter, and she was sick. So, the Holy Prophet ordered him to nurse her and said that he would get the same reward as those who participated in the battle and will be given the share of one person in the spoils of war. As far as his absence from Bait Ridhwan, the thing is that if there was a Makkan more honorable and glorious than Uthman, the Holy Prophet would have sent him to the Makkan (unbelievers), but the Holy Prophet sent Uthman as his emissary. The pledge known as Bait Ridhwan was taken after Uthman had departed for Makkah. The Holy Prophet placed his right hand on his left hand and said: This is Uthman’s hand and declared it to be Uthman’s pledge. Now go and take this information with you, that is remember it.”
Bayan-ul-Quran 