Tafsir of Al-Fath 48:27

“Allah has indeed made the vision of His Messenger come true in truth.”

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saw in a dream, before his departure to al-Hudaybiyah, that he and his companions entered Makkah in safety, having shaved their heads and shortened their hair. He related the vision to his companions, and they were filled with joy and happiness, believing they would enter it in that same year. They said, "The vision of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is true."

When this was delayed, ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy, ‘Abdullah ibn Nufayl, and Rifa‘ah ibn al-Harith said by way of objection: "By Allah, we have neither shaved nor shortened, nor have we seen the Sacred Mosque." Consequently, this verse was revealed.

It has been narrated that ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said something similar by way of inquiry, in order to increase his certainty. In another narration, his vision (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was brought by an angel who came to him and said, "You shall surely enter..." and so on.

The meaning is: Allah, the Exalted, made His vision true for him. This is by way of omission and connection (hadhf wa-isal), as in their saying: "He made the truth of the year of the she-camel true for me" (sadaqani sinn bakrati). Its verification is that He, the Exalted, showed him a truthful vision. Al-Raghib said: "Truthfulness (sidq) occurs through speech and through action." What is in the verse is truthfulness through action, which is realization—meaning He, the Exalted, realized His vision.

In Sharh al-Kirmani, it is stated that the verb kadhaba (to lie/deny) takes two objects, as in kadhaba-ni al-hadith (he denied the report to me). Likewise, sadaqa (to make true) does the same, as in the verse. This is considered strange, as the intensified form (thulathi mazid) is expected to be transitive to one, and the simple form (mujarrad) to two.

“...in truth” (bi-l-haqq): This is an adjective for an implied verbal noun, meaning "a truth accompanied by reality," that is, by the correct decree and profound wisdom. This wisdom was the manifestation of the state of those whose faith was shaky versus those who were firm in it; it was for this reason that the occurrence of the vision was delayed until the following year. Alternatively, it is a state (hal) from "the vision," meaning it was accompanied by truth and was not of the category of confused dreams. It is also permissible for it to be a state from the Exalted Name, or from "His Messenger," or a prepositional phrase related to sadaqa, or an oath by "The Truth" (al-Haqq), which is one of His Names, or by the opposite of falsehood.

“You shall surely enter the Sacred Mosque” (la-tadkhulunna al-masjid al-haram): This is the response to the oath. The pause is at "the vision," and on all preceding interpretations, it is the response to an implied oath. The pause at "in truth" would mean: "By Allah, you shall surely enter," and so on.

“...if Allah wills” (in sha’a Allah): This is a suspension of the promise upon the Divine Will, to teach the servants. Through this is resolved the objection: Since He is the Creator of all things and knows them before they occur, how can He suspend them upon His Will? The meaning is similar to Tha‘lab’s statement: "He, the Exalted, made an exception in that which He knows, so that creation may make an exception in that which they do not know."

Therein is an implication that the entry happens by the Will of Allah, not by their own strength and planning. Al-Khafaji mentioned that the explicit noun is placed in the position of the pronoun; the origin is la-tadkhulunnahu (you shall enter it) without fail, unless the Will necessitates non-entry. Thus, it is a promise to them, diverted from its apparent form to imply blame upon the objectors to the vision; it is thus a form of metonymy.

Others have answered the question differently: some say the doubt returns to the addressees. Some say, like al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl, that the suspension relates to their entering collectively. It is also said that it refers to safety, being an advancement of something delayed, meaning: "You shall enter it while you are safe (aminin) from the enemy, if Allah wills."

“...having shaved your heads and shortened [your hair]” (muhalliqina ru’usakum wa-muqassirina): This is a state from the subject of "you shall enter." It is a future state (hal muqaddara), because entry occurs while in the state of Ihram, not while shaving and shortening. It may also be a state from the pronoun in aminin (safe), meaning you shall enter in a state of safety.

“...not fearing” (la takhafun): This is also a state from the subject of "you shall enter," to explain the security after the completion of the Hajj. "Safe" (aminin) refers to the security at the time of entry, so there is no repetition.

The verse is used as evidence that shaving is not strictly mandated for the rites, but shortening suffices. Its mention before shaving indicates that it is superior, which is what the traditions support, except for women, for whom there is no shaving, only shortening. The Sunnah regarding shaving is to begin with the right side. The verse is also used as evidence that shortening refers to the head, not the beard or the rest of the body's hair.

“...so He knew what you did not know” (fa-‘alima ma lam ta‘lamu): The apparent meaning is that it is conjoined to “Allah has indeed made the vision come true,” with the order based on the factual connection to the known—meaning He knew, following the vision He showed, what you did not know of the wisdom that called for prioritizing that which testifies to the truth.

“...and He decreed before that” (wa-ja‘ala min duni dhalika): Meaning, before the realization of the entry into the Sacred Mosque in safety, a near victory. This is the victory of Khaybar, as Ibn Zayd and others have said. The meaning of "decreeing it" is His promise and its fulfillment without delay, so that it may be evidence for the truth of the vision and that the hearts of the believers may find comfort in the ease of its occurrence.