Tafsir of Al-Anfal 8:11

(When He overwhelmed you with drowsiness) meaning: He made it cover you and encompass you. Drowsiness (nu‘as) is the beginning of sleep, before it becomes heavy. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Qatadah that drowsiness is in the head, while sleep is in the heart; perhaps he meant heaviness and lightness, but there is no basis for this distinction. The verb is na‘asa (to be drowsy), like mana‘a, and the description is na‘is (drowsy). The form na‘san is rarely used.

(When He overwhelmed you) is a second substitution (badal) for (When He promised you), according to the view that allows for multiple substitutions. In this, there is an unveiling of another blessing, for fear had driven their sleep away from its nests; so when Allah the Exalted calmed their hearts, He fanned them with His wing, and they became drowsy. The present tense verb is used to recount a past state, or it is in the accusative case because of an implied “remember.” It has been suggested that it relates to “the victory,” but this is weak because it involves the operative function of a verbal noun defined by al-, which is a subject of dispute among the Kufans, as is the separation between a verbal noun and its object, and the operation of what precedes illa upon what follows it without that object being an exception, a part of an exception, or an adjective for it. The majority do not permit this, contrary to al-Kisa'i and al-Akhfash. Some suggested it relates to the sense of the verb implied in “at Allah,” but this was objected to: if it is necessary to restrict the stability of victory from Allah to this specific time, then there is no such restriction. Al-Halabi replied that it refers to a specific victory, so there is no harm in restricting it. As for it relating to the “making” (implied), it suffers from the same issues of separation and the operation of what precedes illa. As for it relating to what is implied by (Mighty, Wise), it necessitates a restriction that does not exist. The answer to these is the same as the previous responses. The fair assessment is that these four possibilities are remote.

Nafi‘ read yughshikum with the light form (takhfif), from ighsha', meaning to cover. The doer (fa'il) in both recitations is Allah the Exalted. Ibn Kathir and Abu ‘Amr read yaghshakum, attributing the action to the drowsiness.

His saying, may He be glorified and exalted: (As a security from Him) is in the accusative case as a causal object (maf‘ul lahu). It is a verbal noun meaning "security," like man‘ah (protection), although al-Raghib mentions it may also be a plural or an adjective meaning "feeling secure." This has been challenged on the grounds that the condition for the accusative—that the doer of the causal object be the same as the doer of the operative verb—is absent, as the doer of “feeling secure” is the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), while the doer of the act of covering is Allah (in the first two recitations) or the drowsiness (in the third). It was answered that it is a causal object based on the implied meaning; for “drowsiness overwhelms you” necessitates “you become drowsy,” and “He overwhelms you” has the same meaning, thus the doers are the same, as the doer in both cases is the Companions.

Some meticulous scholars said: Regarding the first two recitations, it is permissible for it to be in the accusative as an explanation for an action consequential to the one mentioned—i.e., “drowsiness overwhelms you, so you become drowsy out of security”—or as a verbal noun for another implied action, i.e., “you feel secure with a security.” Regarding the final recitation, it is accusative as an explanation for yaghshakum based on its meaning, for it is in the status of “you become drowsy,” or as a verbal noun for an action consequential to it, as you have learned; the former is less common.

It was also suggested that amanah (security) could mean iman (faith) in its linguistic sense: to make another feel secure. It is then a verbal noun for amana-hu (he made him secure). This is remote, and only works in the first two recitations because the doer of the covering and the granting of security is Allah the Exalted, unlike the third recitation, which requires the aforementioned explanations. Some have permitted that the security be made an action of the drowsiness through metaphorical attribution, as it is one of the states of those who feel secure; the attribution is implied, and it does not mean the relationship between the verb and the causal object (i.e., “it overwhelms you for its security”). Or, it could be a comparison of the state of the drowsiness to the state of a person whose nature is security and fear, and that he received security from Allah against the disbelievers at such a fearful time, so it overwhelmed you and lulled you to sleep. The discourse thus becomes a tamthil (parable) and takhayyul (imagery), presenting the intelligible in the form of the sensible.

Al-Qutb suggested it contains isti‘arat al-kinayah (metaphor of metonymy), where he suggests that drowsiness is compared to a person who usually comes to them but would not come during a time of fear, yet when they were secure, he came to them. Then he mentioned "drowsiness" while intending that "person." The indicator (qarinah) is the mention of amanah, as it is one of the accompaniments of the thing compared to. Al-Zamakhshari described sleep in a similar way: "Sleep fears to overwhelm eyes that fear you; it is skittish and flighty." The claim that such language is only suitable for poetry and not the Holy Quran is not accepted.

Ibn al-Munir, in addressing the unity of the doer in both recitations, said: One could argue that the doer of the drowsiness overwhelming them is Allah the Exalted, and He is also the doer of the security because He is its Creator. Thus, the doer of the verb and the cause are unified, and the question is resolved according to the principles of the Sunnis, which attribute the acts of creation to Allah as their Creator and Originator. This was countered by the claim that what is considered is the linguistic doer—the one characterized by the action—which here is none other than the servant, for it is not said of Allah the Exalted that He “feels secure,” even if He is the Creator. Thus, one must return to the previous answers.

The prepositional phrase is connected to an implied word that serves as an adjective for amanah, meaning: “a security existing from Him, the Exalted, for you.” Perhaps the difference between this and the verse in Surah Al ‘Imran is due to the difference in the situation; scholars have said that the other situation required focusing on the matter of security, so He the Exalted prioritized it and expanded upon it, as is not hidden to one who contemplates the context and sequence. This is different here, as this is a context of enumerating blessings; hence, the story is told concisely as a symbol. It was also read amnah with a sukun, which is a dialectal variation.

(And He sends down upon you from the sky water) is a conjunction to (He overwhelms you). This occurred before the drowsiness, as was narrated from Mujahid. The prepositional phrase is placed before the direct object to show concern for the former and to create anticipation for the latter, as has passed more than once. The prepositional phrase (upon you) is placed first because the clarification that the descent is upon them is more important than the clarification that it is from the sky. Ibn Kathir, Sahl, Ya‘qub, and Abu ‘Amr read wa-yunzilu (with the light takhfif), from inzal. Al-Sha‘bi read li-yutahhirakum bihi (to purify you with it), meaning from hadath (minor or major impurity). The explanation, as Ibn Jinni said, is that ma (what/that) is a relative pronoun and the lam relates to an implied verb that serves as the connection (silah) for it, meaning: "He sends down upon you that which is established for your purification." This lam is similar to the lam in your saying: "I gave you the garment that is for warding off the cold." In the collective recitation, the lam is like the one in your saying: "I visited you so that you would honor me." The return of both recitations is the same, but the well-known one is more eloquent in its intended meaning. Consider why it is not permissible for this recitation to be derived from what has been heard of their saying "saqani ma" (give me water) with a short alif (as a noun), which has been recounted in the Qamus. I see that turning away from that, if it is permissible—like tayammum while water is present—is [better].

(And to remove from you the evil of Satan), meaning: his whispering and his frightening you regarding thirst. Ibn al-Mundhir and Abu al-Shaykh recorded from the path of Ibn Jurayj that Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said that the polytheists had overtaken the Muslims for the water, so the Muslims became thirsty and prayed while in a state of major and minor impurity. There was sand between them, and Satan cast sadness into their hearts, saying: "Do you claim that there is a Prophet among you and that you are the allies of Allah the Exalted, while you pray in a state of impurity?" Then Allah the Exalted sent down water from the sky, the valley flowed, and they drank and purified themselves, and their feet were made firm, and the whispering of Satan went away. Some interpreted “evil” (rijz) here as the state of impurity, taking into account that the purification was from it. This was objected to on the grounds that it results in repetition; it was defended by saying that the second sentence is an explanation for the first, and the meaning is: “He purified you from impurity because it was part of the evil and illusion of Satan.” It was read “rijs,” which has the same meaning as “rijz.”

(And to strengthen your hearts), meaning: He strengthens them with trust in the kindness of Allah regarding what is to come, by witnessing its signs. The origin of rabt (binding) is tightening. It is said of someone who is patient with something: “he bound his heart to it.” Al-Wahidi said: It is likely that ‘ala is a connective, i.e., "He binds upon your hearts." It is also said the origin is that, but ‘ala was added to indicate superiority (isti‘la'), implying that their hearts had become filled with it until it seemed as if it were covering them; this provides a degree of firmness that is not hidden.

(And to make firm with it the feet), so they do not sink into the sand. The pronoun refers to the water, as in the first instance. It is also possible it refers to the binding. The meaning of making the feet firm, as Abu ‘Ubaydah said, is to make them patient, not fleeing or wavering.