Al-Anfal: (12) "When your Lord inspired the angels..."

(When your Lord inspired the angels) is related to an implied, resumed verb; that is, "Remember." This is addressed to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, by way of tajrid (abstraction), as the [second person] kaf indicates. Others have said it is in the accusative case, linked to [the verb] yuthabbit (He makes firm). In that case, the pronoun in bihi (in it/him) must necessarily refer to that connection, rendering the meaning: "We make the feet firm by strengthening your hearts at the time of inspiring the angels and commanding them to strengthen you," which is the time of battle. It is not valid to refer it back to the "water" (mentioned in the preceding verse) because its time preceded the time of that [strengthening].

Some have said it is permissible because the act of strengthening by rain remains until that time, or the time is considered expansive, encompassing all that was mentioned within it. The benefit of this qualification is to remind them of another blessing and to hint at the synchronization of the firming of the feet with the firming of the hearts, which the angels—who do not disobey Allah in what He commands them and do what they are commanded—were ordered to do. It also hints that the strengthening occurred in the most perfect manner. It is also said it is a third substitution for "(Remember) when He promises you," though this is rendered unlikely by the restriction of the address to the Master of those addressed, peace and blessings be upon him.

Some researchers chose the first [view], arguing that the second [view] restricts the strengthening to an ambiguous time without additional benefit, and the third [view] rejects the specificity [of the Prophet] despite the fact that the commanded task is not among the general duties of all, like its sisters, and none but him—peace be upon him—could perform it, because the mentioned inspiration appeared before the mentioned revelation. It is not hidden from the contemplative person that what has been mentioned does not necessitate the certainty of the first [view]; yes, it necessitates its priority.

The intent by "the angels" is those through whom the support occurred. The imperfect tense is used to bring the image to mind. The meaning is: "When He inspired [saying]: 'I am with you,'" that is, aiding you in strengthening the believers. It is impossible to interpret this as removing fear, as in His, the Almighty’s saying: "Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us," because the angels do not fear the disbelievers at all. The implication of subservience in the word "with" does not detract in such contexts; it is similar to "Indeed, Allah is with the patient," and the like. The interpretative noun phrase (al-munsabik) is the object of "inspires." It was read inni (indeed, I am) with a kasra, assuming an implied "saying," i.e., "Saying: Indeed, I am with you," or treating the inspiration as taking the place of speech because it contains its meaning.

The fa (so) in His, the Almighty’s saying: (So strengthen those who believe) is for the sequence of what follows upon what precedes it. The intent by "strengthening" is to cause them to be firm in the battlefield and to strive in enduring the hardships of combat, whether by speech or by state. This occurred here, according to one view, by their appearing to them in a human form they recognized and promising them victory over their enemies. Al-Bayhaqi recorded in al-Dala’il that the angel would come to a man in the form of a man he knew and say: "Rejoice, for they are nothing; Allah is with you. Charge at them!" It came in a narration that the angel would take the likeness of a man, come, and say: "I heard the polytheists say: 'By Allah, if they charge upon us, we shall surely be defeated,'" and he would walk between the rows and say: "Rejoice, for Allah, the Almighty, is your helper."

Al-Zajjaj said: It was by means of things they cast into their hearts through which their resolutions were corrected and their diligence confirmed. The angel has the power to cast goodness into the heart, which is called ilham (inspiration), just as the devil has the power to cast evil, which is called waswasa (whispering). It is said this was merely by increasing the number of the soldiers.

It is related from al-Hasan that it was by fighting their enemies, and a group went to this view, interpreting His, the Almighty’s saying: "I will cast into the hearts of those who disbelieved terror" as an explanation for "I am with you," as if it were said: "I am with you in aiding them by casting terror into the hearts of your enemies." Ru’b (terror)—with a damma followed by a sukun, though sometimes pronounced with two dammas, as Ibn 'Amir and al-Kisa'i read—is fear and the agitation of the soul by the anticipation of the disliked. Its root is "cutting," from the saying: "I cut (ra'abtu) the hump," if you cut it lengthwise, as if fear cuts the heart or cuts off joy by its opposite. It is said: "The flood ra'aba the valley" if it fills it, as if the flood cut through the pathways within it or because it was cut [reached] from all directions.

They took His, the Almighty’s saying: "Strike then..." as an explanation for His, the Blessed and Exalted’s saying: "So strengthen," clarifying the manner of strengthening. 'Abd ibn Humayd and Ibn Marduyah recorded from Abu Dawud al-Mazini that he said: "While I was pursuing a man of the polytheists on the day of Badr, I swung my sword at him, but his head fell before my sword could reach him, and I knew that someone other than I had killed him." Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: "While a man of the Muslims was rushing in pursuit of a man of the polytheists in front of him, he heard the lash of a whip above him and a speaker saying: 'Go forward, Hayzum!' The polytheist fell on his back. He looked at him and found that he had been smashed and his face split. He came and told the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said: 'You have spoken the truth; that was from the aid of the third heaven.'"

Some permitted that the strengthening be through what is cast into them of the promise of victory and what strengthens their hearts in general. His, the Almighty’s saying: "I will cast..." is a resumed sentence acting as a justification to provide the strengthening, as it is its confirmation and explanation for His aid to them in strengthening. His, the Almighty’s saying: "Strike..." is a sentence following the strengthening, meaning: "Do not limit yourselves to strengthening them; support them with combat immediately thereafter without delay." It is as if the meaning is: "I am with you in what I command you; so strengthen, and strike." The fa was used for the aforementioned pause, and "I will cast" was placed in the middle as a confirmation of the strengthening and a preparation for the command after it.

Based on both possibilities, the verse is evidence for those who say that the angels fought on the day of Badr. Others said the strengthening was without fighting, and His, the Almighty’s saying: "I will cast" is a prompt from Allah to the angels with an implied speech, as an explanation of the strengthening or a resumed statement. The address in "Strike" is to the believers, originating from the angels, which Allah narrated to us. It is permitted that this speech is part of the prompted [message], included under the [implied] "saying," as if it were said: "Say to them my saying: 'I will cast...'" or as if it were said: "How shall we strengthen them?" and it was said: "Say to them my saying: 'I will cast...'" It is not hidden that this is the weakest of the sayings in meaning and wording. As for the saying that "Strike..." is an address from Allah to the believers directly by way of shifting style, it is based on the assumption that it was revealed before the battle, but how could that be when the noble surah was only revealed after the event was completed? In short, the verse is clear regarding what the group claims—that fighting occurred from the angels.

(Above the necks), meaning the heads, as was related from 'Ata' and 'Ikrimah. Being above the necks is clear; as for the "places of slaughter" as some said, they are at the top of the necks, and "above" remains in its locative sense because it does not inflect. It is said it is a direct object, meaning "the upper part," if it means the head. It is said it means "on" here, and the object is omitted, meaning: "Strike them on the necks." It is also said it is extra, meaning "Strike the necks."

(And strike from them every fingertip/joint). Ibn al-Anbari said: Banan is the ends of the fingers of the hands and feet; the singular is bananah. Some restricted it to the hands. Al-Raghib said: They are the fingers, named so because through them the states that allow a person to "manifest" (yubayyin), i.e., to establish [are managed], from abanna in a place, and banna if he stays; that is why it was specified in His, the Almighty’s saying: "Yes, [We are] Able [even] to proportion his fingertips." What we are concerned with is that they fight and defend with them. It is apparent that it is literal in that regard, and some say it is metaphorical, naming the whole by the part. It is said the intent here is the extremities in general, because it appears in contrast to the necks and the vital points, and the intent is: "Strike them wherever it is possible, whether at the vital points or otherwise." Al-Zamakhshari preferred this in al-Kashshaf. In a narration from Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, it is the whole body in the dialect of Hudhayl; it is also called banam with a mim. The repetition of the command to strike is for further emphasis and concern for the matter. "From them" is related to it, or to an omitted word that acts as a state for "every fingertip." It is weak to consider it a state for "fingertip" because it would involve putting the state of the mudaf ilayh (genitive) before the mudaf (possessor).