Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:172-173

This serves as an explanation for, or a substitute for, "Our word." It is also permitted that it be an independent commencement (musta'naf). The "promise" is what is stated in another place from His, the Almighty’s, saying: "I will surely overcome, I and My messengers." The first view is more apparent. By "the soldiers" is meant the followers of the messengers; He attributed them to Himself to honor them and elevate their status.

Some eminent scholars said: It is a generalization following a specification, which contains inherent emphasis. According to al-Suddi, the victory and triumph refer to that which is achieved through argument and proof (hujjah). Al-Hasan said: The intent is victory and triumph in war, for no prophet among the prophets was killed in war; rather, those who were killed among them were killed by treachery or in some other manner outside of war. If a prophet died before victory or was killed, God Almighty decreed that his people be granted victory after him, so it counts as victory for him through the victory of his people.

Similar to this is what has been said: that the "restriction" (qasr) is in consideration of the end result and the ultimate outcome. Nasir al-Din said: They are in consideration of what is dominant and decreed by essence, because goodness is what He, the Almighty, intends by essence, while other than it is decreed incidentally for a wisdom, another purpose, or due to desert based on what has emanated from the servants. This is why it is said, "In Your hand is all good," and evil is not mentioned, even though everything is from Him, the Exalted and Majestic.

It is reported from Ibn Abbas—may God be pleased with them both—that if they are not granted victory in the world, they are granted it in the Hereafter. However, the apparent context requires that this be in the world and that it be by way of subjugation, dominance, and exacting retribution from the enemies, either by killing them, displacing them from their homelands, capturing them, or the like.

The two sentences indicate stability and continuity. Therefore, it must be said that this continuity is customary ('urfi). It has been said: It is taken according to its literal meaning, and the continuity of the victory for the soldiers is conditional upon what the attribution (idafah) implies. Thus, the followers of the messengers are not defeated in a war except due to their neglect of what that attribution implies—such as an inclination toward the world, weakness of reliance (tawakkul) upon Him, or the like. It suffices for the victory of the messengers that their word is exalted, that the creation is rendered incapable of opposing them, and that they are preserved from being killed in wars and from fleeing, even when the afflictions therein become great. So understand this.

The subtlety of the expression "the helped" (mansurun) with the messengers, and "the victors" (ghalibun) with the soldiers, is not hidden, so do not be heedless.

God, the Exalted and Majestic, called His promise to that effect "a word" (kalimah), and it is "words" (kalimat), because when they gathered, joined, and became linked in the utmost connection, they became like a single thing; this is a form of metaphor. The well-known view is that applying the word "word" to "speech" is a loose metaphor (majaz mursal), derived from applying the part to the whole. Some scholars said: It is a linguistic truth, and the restriction of "the word" to the singular is a convention of the grammarians; thus, according to this, there is no need for interpretation. Al-Dahhak recited it as kalimatuna (Our words) in the plural. It is permissible that what is meant by it is "Our promises," so be astute. In the recitation of Ibn Mas'ud, it is 'ala 'ibadina (to Our servants), based on including the meaning of "established" within "preceded."