"And when you are among them..."
This is an elucidation of what preceded it in the concise text regarding the legality of shortening [the prayer], rendered by way of derivation and a depiction of its procedure in a state of absolute necessity. The address is directed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by way of tajreed (abstraction). Some, such as al-Hasan ibn Zayd, clung to its literal phrasing to restrict the "prayer of fear" to the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and this was also attributed to Abu Yusuf; al-Jassas transmitted this in Kitab al-Ahkam, as did al-Nawawi in al-Muhadhdhab. However, the general body of jurists hold the contrary; for the Imams after him (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) are his deputies and perform what he used to perform, so the ruling of the address directed to him applies to them as well, just as in the words of the Exalted: "Take from their wealth a charity..."
Abu Dawud, al-Nasa'i, Ibn Hibban, and others recorded from Tha'labah ibn Zuhdam, who said: "We were with Sa'id ibn al-'As in Tabaristan, and he asked: 'Which of you prayed the prayer of fear with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?' Hudhayfah said: 'I.' Then he described it to him, so they prayed as he described, and they did not make up [the missed parts]. This was in the presence of the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—and none of them denied it, and they are the ones who, for the sake of Allah, do not fear the blame of any critic. This carries the status of consensus and refutes what al-Muzani claimed regarding the assertion of abrogation.
"And you stand [to lead] them in prayer" (i.e., you intend to perform the prayer with them), "let a party of them stand with you" (after you have divided them into two groups, and let the other group stand facing the enemy for protection). Since this is evident, He omitted [mentioning the other group], "and let them take their arms" (i.e., the aforementioned group standing with you), [meaning] such as does not distract from the prayer, like a sword or dagger. Ibn Abbas narrated that the one taking [arms] is the guarding party, in which case there is no need for restriction, though this is contrary to the apparent meaning. The meaning of "taking" is not laying them down; the expression was used to signify the importance of keeping arms with them, to the extent that it is as if they are taking them from the start.
"When they have prostrated" (i.e., those standing with you—meaning, when they have completed the prostration and finished the rak'ah, as reported from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both), "let them be behind you" (i.e., let them depart to guard against the enemy), "and let another party come who have not yet prayed" (the group that was guarding; they are indefinite because they were not mentioned before), "and let them pray with you" (the remaining rak'ah of your prayer). The alternation between feminine and masculine [in the Arabic pronouns] accounts for both the wording and the meaning. The noble verse does not explicitly state the state of the remaining rak'ah for each of the two groups, but this has been clarified by the Sunnah.
The two Shaykhs, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and others recorded from Salih, from his father, regarding the word of the Exalted: "And you stand [to lead] them in prayer"—this is the prayer of fear. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed one rak'ah with one of the two groups, while the other group faced the enemy. Then the group that prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) departed and took the place of the others, facing the enemy. Then the other group, which had been facing the enemy, came, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed one more rak'ah with them. Then he performed the taslim with them. Then each group stood and performed one rak'ah [individually]. Thus, two rak'ahs were completed for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and each of the two groups performed two rak'ahs: one with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and one after his taslim.
It is reported from Ibn Mas'ud that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the prayer of fear, he prayed one rak'ah with the first group and one rak'ah with the second group, as in the verse. The first group came, and the second went to face the enemy, until the first completed the second rak'ah without recitation, then they performed the taslim. Then the other group came and completed their first rak'ah with recitation, so that each group had two rak'ahs. This is the position held by Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah be pleased with him). The recitation was omitted for the first group in their second rak'ah after the taslim of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) because, even though they were facing the enemy during his second rak'ah (peace and blessings be upon him), they were in prayer and under the rule of following the Imam; therefore, the Imam’s recitation served in place of theirs, as is the rule of following [the Imam in prayer]. This is not the case for the other group, because they followed the Imam in the second rak'ah, and the Imam finished his prayer, so they must recite in their second rak'ah as they were not following the Imam at that time.
Some held that the prayer of fear—as stated in the verse—is a single rak'ah, and this is attributed to Ibn Abbas and others. Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Shaybah, and al-Nahhas recorded from him (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Allah the Exalted obligated upon the tongue of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) four [rak'ahs] while at home, two while traveling, and one during fear." The first two and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Yazid al-Faqir, who said: "I asked Jabir ibn Abdullah about the two rak'ahs in travel: do I shorten them?" He replied: "The two rak'ahs in travel are complete; shortening is only to one rak'ah during fighting. While we were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in battle, the prayer was called. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood, and one group lined up while another faced the enemy. He prayed one rak'ah with them and performed two prostrations. Then they went toward those [others], and they stood behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he prayed one rak'ah with them and performed two prostrations. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sat, performed the taslim, and those behind him performed the taslim, and the first ones performed the taslim. Thus, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had two rak'ahs, and the people had one rak'ah each." Then he recited the verse.
Imam Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) held that the procedure for the prayer of fear is that the Imam prays one rak'ah with one group; when he stands for the second, they separate from him and complete it [on their own], then go to face the enemy. Those standing facing the enemy come, and the Imam waits for them; they follow him, and he prays the second rak'ah with them. When he sits for the tashahhud, they stand, complete their second rak'ah, and catch up with him, then he performs the taslim with them. This is as the two Shaykhs recorded regarding the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) prayer at Dhat al-Riqa'. This is one of the types chosen by al-Shafi'i (may Allah be pleased with him) out of sixteen types. The verse can be interpreted to cover this, with "prostration" meaning the prayer itself; the meaning being: "When they have finished the prayer, let them..." etc. This is supported by the fact that there is no deficiency in the explanation, and by the apparent meaning of His words: "let them pray with you," implying the latter group completes the prayer with the Imam, and it contains no indication of them guarding a second time while they are definitely in prayer.
The verse is susceptible to—and indeed it has been said it is explicit in—the meaning that the Imam prays twice, each time with a [different] party, which is the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as the two Shaykhs also recorded at Batn Nakhl. The possibility that it refers to the procedure performed by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at 'Usfan is very remote. That is, as Ibn Abbas said—and it was narrated from him by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and others—that he lined the people up behind him in two rows, then bowed, and they all bowed. Then he prostrated with the row next to him, while the others stood guard. When they prostrated and rose, the others sat and prostrated in their place. Then these [first group] moved to the lines of those [second group], and they [second group] to the lines of those [first group]. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) bowed, and they all bowed. Then he rose, and they rose. Then he prostrated with the row next to him, while the others stood guard. When they sat, the others sat and prostrated. Then he performed the taslim to them, and then departed (may the blessings of Allah be upon him). The remainder of the discussion is sought in its proper place.
"And let them take their caution" (i.e., their defensive measures). He likened it to the instruments used for fortification, which is why he affirmed the "taking" of it metaphorically; otherwise, it is an abstract concept not characterized by "taking." There is no harm in the conjunction of His words: "and their arms" to it, to combine both reality and metaphor, for the figurative usage lies in the imagining of the affirmation and attribution, not in the terms themselves, according to the correct view. Similar to this is permissible to combine, as in the words of the Exalted: "They have made a home for [themselves] in the house and the faith." Some investigators said: This and its likeness is from mushakalah (mutual resemblance) necessitated by the metonymy that requires the statement of its two parts. Even if this is refuted by saying the likened-to is more general than what is mentioned, if "caution" is interpreted as that by which one defends oneself, there is no disagreement. Perhaps the added command for caution, as the Shaykh al-Islam said, is because this time is a likely moment for the disbelievers to notice that the group standing with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is in a state of deep preoccupation, whereas before that, they might have thought them to be standing for combat.
"Those who disbelieve wish that you would neglect your arms and your baggage so they could attack you in a single rush." This is an elucidation of why they were ordered to take up arms. The address is directed to both groups by way of iltifat (shift in person), meaning: They wished to find you unguarded in your prayer so they could strike you all at once. "Baggage" refers to what is utilized in war, not absolutely. It has been read as amti'atikum. The command is for obligation due to the words of the Exalted: "And there is no blame upon you if you are troubled by rain or are ill that you put down your arms," as He granted them a concession to lay them down if it becomes difficult to carry them and keep them due to rain or illness. After that, they were ordered to be vigilant and cautious, so the Exalted said: "And take your caution"—meaning even after laying down arms for an excuse, so that the enemy does not attack you by surprise.
Some Shafi'i jurists chose the view that the command is for recommendation, qualifying it to cases where one does not fear harm that would permit tayammum if one were to leave them. As for if one fears [harm], then carrying them is obligatory, according to the most correct view, even if the weapon were impure and a hindrance to prostration. In Sharh al-Minhaj by the scholar Ibn Hajar: "If fear of harm is absent, and others are inconvenienced by carrying them, it is disliked if the harm is light, such as being endured customarily; otherwise, it is forbidden." This resolves the conflict between the absolute dislike and absolute prohibition.
The verse, as recorded by al-Bukhari and others from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), was revealed regarding Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, who was wounded. Abu Damrah mentioned—and al-Kalbi narrated from Abu Salih—that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raided the Muharib and Banu Anmar. Allah the Exalted defeated them, and they retreated leaving their children and property. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims alighted, seeing not a single one of the enemy, so they laid down their arms. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went out for a need, having laid down his weapon, until he crossed the valley while the sky was drizzling. The valley came between him (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions, so he sat in the shade of a samurah tree. Ghawrath ibn al-Harith the Muharibi caught sight of him and said: "May Allah kill me if I do not kill him." He descended from the mountain with his sword. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not realize he was there until he was standing over him with his sword unsheathed from its scabbard. He said, "O Muhammad, who will protect you from me now?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah, the Almighty." Then he said: "O Allah, suffice me against Ghawrath ibn al-Harith in whatever way You will." The enemy of Allah fell on his face. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood and took his sword, saying: "O Ghawrath, who will prevent you from me now?" He said, "None." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you testify that there is no god but Allah and that I am the servant and messenger of Allah?" He said: "No, but I promise you that I will never fight you, nor will I help any enemy against you." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him his sword. He said, "O Ghawrath, are you better than me?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am more deserving of that [kindness]." Ghawrath returned to his companions, and they said: "O Ghawrath, we saw you standing over him with your sword, what prevented you from him?" He said: "Allah, the Almighty. I swung the sword at him to strike him, but I do not know who struck me between my shoulder blades, so I fell on my face, my sword fell, and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) got to it before me and took it." He completed the story for them, so some of them believed. The valley did not take long to subside, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) crossed to his companions, told them the news, and recited the verse to them.
"Indeed, Allah has prepared a humiliating punishment for the disbelievers."
This is a justification for the command to take caution, i.e., He has prepared for them a debasing punishment, which is the punishment of their defeat by you and your victory over them. So concern yourselves with your affairs and do not neglect the implementation of [practical] means so that He may punish them by your hands. It is also said: Since the command for caution against the enemy might imply their power and strength, this implication was negated by the promise of victory and the abandonment of the enemy, to strengthen the hearts of those commanded and for them to know that precaution itself is an act of worship, just as the prohibition against throwing oneself into destruction is for that reason, not to prevent engaging in war. It is also said: It is not far-fetched that the "humiliating punishment" refers to the legislation of the prayer of fear, such that the ending of the verse has a perfect correlation with it, though its distance is not hidden.
