4-71 O you who believe, take your precautions, then go forth in detachments or go forth in a body.a
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ خُذُواْ حِذۡرَڪُمۡ فَٱنفِرُواْ ثُبَاتٍ أَوِ ٱنفِرُواْ جَمِيعً۬ا (٧١)
4-71a: حِذۡر – The meaning of حَذر is to protect oneself from a frightening thing. So, the meaning of حِذۡر is a thing for the protection of a person such as arms etcetera (R).
ٱنفِرُواْ – نَفۡر means to run away from a thing or to run towards a thing (R). Accordingly نفور is used in the sense of نفرت or dislike or aversion that is to flee from a thing. نفر also means to come out for battle, and also نفر is to go out in the way of Allah to gain knowledge as in: فَلَوۡلَا نَفَرَ مِن كُلِّ فِرۡقَةٍ۬ مِّنۡہُمۡ طَآٮِٕفَةٌ۬ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُواْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ (Why, then, does not a company from every party from among them go forth that they may apply themselves to obtain understanding in religion) (9:122).
ثُبَاتٍ – It is the plural of ثُبَة which means an isolated party or group separated from the main body (R). Its root is ثوب which means to return. مثابة is from the same root and means the place where the detachments will gather together after dispersion and ثُبَة is derived from it.
The need for preparation to confront the enemy: After informing the believers of the blessings of obedience to the Messenger of Allah, they are told in this section that they are now called upon to obey the most difficult command which is to go to war. The war is also for their own betterment because the enemy is bent on destroying them and so they must think of safeguarding themselves. So, in the first verse, the command is given to take protective measures. Quran uses words that are applicable in both situations of war and peace. Since at the time of the revelation of this command the enemy was bent on annihilating the Muslims by sword, the necessity was to arm themselves and make other necessary preparations for war and this necessity was to continue in the future as well. In the present time, Muslims are being attacked by the pen, and tongue and other contrivances, so the Muslims must prepare themselves to counter with the same kind of weapons. The confrontation will continue in some form or the other till end times and so Muslims must take steps to protect themselves by arming themselves with the same kind of weapons that the opponents will be using. It is sad though that just as Muslim kingdoms are negligent in preparing enough forces and having adequate arms, the Muslim religious scholars are equally unmindful of the attacks on their religion.
4-72 And among you is he who would hang back. Then if a misfortune befalls you he says: Allah indeed bestowed a favour on me as I was not present with them.a
وَإِنَّ مِنكُمۡ لَمَن لَّيُبَطِّئَنَّ فَإِنۡ أَصَـٰبَتۡكُم مُّصِيبَةٌ۬ قَالَ قَدۡ أَنۡعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىَّ إِذۡ لَمۡ أَكُن مَّعَهُمۡ شَہِيدً۬ا (٧٢)
4-72a: لَّيُبَطِّئَنَّ – یبطئ is derived from بطؤ whose literal meaning is to delay getting up for departure and instead to get left behind (R) when the occasion demanded a speedy departure against the enemy. بطَّاء can be transitive or intransitive that is leaving others behind or getting left behind oneself and here since the object is not specified hence لَّيُبَطِّئَنَّ is used intransitively in the sense of getting left behind.
4-73 And if bounty from Allah comes to you, he would cry, as if there were no friendship between you and him: Would that I had been with them, then I should have achieved a mighty success!a
وَلَٮِٕنۡ أَصَـٰبَكُمۡ فَضۡلٌ۬ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لَيَقُولَنَّ كَأَن لَّمۡ تَكُنۢ بَيۡنَكُمۡ وَبَيۡنَهُ ۥ مَوَدَّةٌ۬ يَـٰلَيۡتَنِى كُنتُ مَعَهُمۡ فَأَفُوزَ فَوۡزًا عَظِيمً۬ا (٧٣)
4-73a: كَأَن لَّمۡ تَكُنۢ بَيۡنَكُمۡ وَبَيۡنَهُ ۥ مَوَدَّةٌ۬ – This is a parenthetical sentence because their saying يَـٰلَيۡتَنِى كُنتُ مَعَهُمۡ (Would that I had been with them) shows that there is no relationship of love between them. Here although the Muslims have been successful but this person’s saying that would that I had been with them, then I should have achieved a mighty success shows the mentality of the opponents because obtaining worldly goods is not a measure of success in the eyes of Allah.
4-74 So let those fight in the way of Allah who sell this world’s life for the Hereafter. And whoever fights in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, We shall grant him a mighty reward.a
فَلۡيُقَـٰتِلۡ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَشۡرُونَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا بِٱلۡأَخِرَةِۚ وَمَن يُقَـٰتِلۡ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَيُقۡتَلۡ أَوۡ يَغۡلِبۡ فَسَوۡفَ نُؤۡتِيهِ أَجۡرًا عَظِيمً۬ا (٧٤)
4-74a: In the preceding two verses, mention is made of some people who lacked courage or were sitting on the fence. Hence mention is made now of those who sacrificed everything in the way of Allah and left nothing behind. The object here is to narrate that they had eliminated all worldly desires and even in waging war they neither desired to laud their victory nor were they desirous of spoils of war and in fact they had already given all their belongings in the way of God. This was indeed a severe trial. Only those were called to wage war in the way of Allah who had sacrifice everything they had for God.
Spoils of war should not be the object of the hostilities: Leave alone participating in a dangerous activity like war for the love of the spoils, Quran requires cleansing of all human desires before participation in war. Other verses of the Quran also expound the same point. For example, during the Battle of Uhad when a body of archers deserted their position in search of spoils, the Quran chides them as follows: مِنڪُم مَّن يُرِيدُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا (Of you were some who desired this world…) (3:152). This desire for worldly goods is not befitting for a Muslim. The same points are stressed in the Hadith. Accordingly, a hadith in Abu Dawud narrated in the Book of Jihad mentions that the Holy Prophet was once asked: There is a person who desires to strive in the way of Allah and ھو یبتغی عرضاً من اغراض الدنیا (also desires some worldly benefit from it). Holy Prophet replied: لااجرله (There is no reward for it).
4-75 And what reason have you not to fight in the way of Allah, and of the weak among the men and the women and the children, who say: Our Lord, take us out of this town, whose people are oppressors, and grant us from Thee a friend, and grant us from Thee a helper!a
وَمَا لَكُمۡ لَا تُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡمُسۡتَضۡعَفِينَ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ وَٱلنِّسَآءِ وَٱلۡوِلۡدَٲنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَخۡرِجۡنَا مِنۡ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلۡقَرۡيَةِ ٱلظَّالِمِ أَهۡلُهَا وَٱجۡعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّ۬ا وَٱجۡعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ نَصِيرًا (٧٥)
4-75a: مَا لَكُمۡ – The literal meaning of مَا لَكُمۡ is what is it with you or what reason have you, but the real purpose is to use an interrogation to bring home the fact that there is no excuse left for their non-participation in the war.
ٱلۡمُسۡتَضۡعَفِينَ – It is derived from ضعف (weak) which is the opposite of strong and somebody who is weak is called ضعیف . The meaning of اِسۡتَضۡعَفۡتُه is I found him weak. In the grammatical structure مُسۡتَضۡعَفِينَ is either مجرور that is, a word governed by a preposition and the purport is: فی سبیل ٱلۡمُسۡتَضۡعَفِينَ (for the weak) or فی اخلاص ٱلۡمُسۡتَضۡعَفِينَ (for the deliverance of the weak), or it is منصوب علی الاختصاص that is, it is specially the weak class that says this.
ٱلۡوِلۡدَٲنِ – The plural of ولید is generally ولدان but according to some it can also be ولد . According to its literal meaning, ولید includes both a newborn baby and a child but in general parlance it is often used to mean a new born baby (R). Also, a boy is called ولید and so too is a slave. Hence some have taken ولدان to mean here male and female slaves. Even if the meaning is taken to be boys, there is no impediment because young boys were also treated cruelly and they could equally be crying out for relief. This is a narration of the prevailing objective condition. The objective is not to show that it is incumbent on them to supplicate.
هَـٰذِهِ ٱلۡقَرۡيَةِ – The indication in this is to Makkah where the persecution of Muslims was ongoing at that time. These Muslims because of their weakness were unable to migrate because of the impediment of the unbelievers.
Need to wage war: This verse reveals why war was necessary. So, first war is waged فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ meaning that the need to wage war is to protect religion from opponents who wanted to destroy and erase it by force of sword. The second reason given is that weak men, women and children who did not have the means to immigrate were being mercilessly persecuted by the Makkans. Ibn Abbas narrated, as documented in Bukhari, that he and his mother were among the مُسۡتَضۡعَفِينَ . Some narrations have mentioned the names of Salm bin Hisham, Walid bin Walid and Abu Jandal in this category as well. This also shows the cruelty of the Makkan unbelievers against the Muslims left in Makkah. The major body of the Muslims had migrated to Madinah but even so the Makkans were venting their rage on the few weak men, women and children who were left. The use of the words ولی (patron) and نصیر (helper) separately seems to be because a patron may not be very useful for protection while the helper can help free them from cruelty permanently as is apparent from وانصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡڪَـٰفِرِينَ . According to some, ولیا stands for guardian and نصیر for helper and asking Allah for a guardian and helper is to ask that Allah Himself should be their guardian and helper.
4-76 Those who believe fight in the way of Allah, and those who disbelieve fight in the way of the devil. So fight against the friends of the devil; surely the struggle of the devil is ever weak.a
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ يُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ فَقَـٰتِلُوٓاْ أَوۡلِيَآءَ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنِۖ إِنَّ كَيۡدَ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا (٧٦)
4-76a: Different motivations of the Muslims and Unbelievers in war: In this verse, a decisive answer is given about the different motivations of Muslims and Unbelievers in waging war. Believers fight in the way of Allah, but Allah is not unjust to anybody. Hence, a person who fights in the way of Allah cannot think of doing injustice to anybody by waging war. Allah, the Most High, provides food without distinction for all His creation and has given similar rights to everybody. So, anyone who wages war in the way of Allah will never fight to usurp the rights of others. Allah does not like dissension and a fighter in the way of Allah will not fight to create mischief. The meaning of طـٰغُوتِ is rebellious or one who exceeds the limit. Hence the wordings used here are فِى سَبِيلِ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ and not فِى سَبِيلِ ٱلشیطان although immediately afterwards the wordings are: فَقَـٰتِلُوٓاْ أَوۡلِيَآءَ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنِ and كَيۡدَ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنِ . Thus, although ٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ and ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنِ refer to the same entity, but the use of ٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ initially indicates that the motivation of the Unbelievers in waging war is to exceed the limits and be unjust. The Unbelievers had suffered no distress for the removal of which they were waging war. The only reason for their war was to be cruel and unjust to a peace loving community.
There is a clear prophecy in this verse that the unbelievers will be defeated in the war because in the end of the verse, it is stated that the struggle of the devil is weak. For كَيۡدَ see 3-120a. At the time of this revelation, the Unbelievers were dominant over the entire country and the entire nation was bent on exterminating the handful of Muslims. The statement that the struggle of the devil is weak is to indicate the final outcome of this epic struggle in which they will fail. It is also indicated in this verse that even if injustice and cruelty is ever dominant, it will only be so for a short while.
Bayan-ul-Quran 