Tafsir of Al-Anfal 8:30

"And [remember, O Muhammad], when those who disbelieved plotted against you..."

After He—the Almighty and Majestic—mentioned His blessing with His saying, "And remember when you were few," He reminds His Prophet (peace be upon him) of the blessing specific to him with the words of the Almighty:

"And [remember] when those who disbelieved plotted against you..."

This phrase is linked to an omitted element that functions as the object of an omitted verb, which is coordinated with what preceded it, or it is in the accusative case due to an implied verb coordinated with that preceding element. That is to say: "And remember His—the Almighty’s—blessing upon you when..." or "Remember the time of their plotting against you."

"...to restrain you..." [meaning] through binding/fettering. This is supported by the recitation of Ibn Abbas: li-yuqayyiduka (to chain you). Al-Hasan, Mujahid, and Qatada inclined toward this view. Alternatively, it means [to restrain you] through incapacitation by wounding, from the expression: "He struck him until he rendered him muthban (immobile)," meaning he has neither movement nor departure. This is what is narrated from Aban, Abu Hatim, and al-Jubba'i. He recited: "I said, 'Woe to you! Is there nothing in your chronicles?' / They said, 'The Caliph has spent the night wounded and immobile.'" Or it means imprisonment in a house, as narrated from Ata and al-Suddi. All these interpretations return to one root: causing him (peace be upon him) to be fixed in his place, whether by binding, imprisonment, or incapacitation by wounds such that he cannot move. It is not a valid objection to say that if incapacitation were to occur without death, it is not mentioned in the well-known story, and if it were by killing, it would be redundant with His—the Almighty’s—saying, "or kill you." We choose the first [meaning], and it does not necessitate its mention in the story, as perhaps it was the view of someone whose opinion was not considered, so they did not record it as the intended meaning—or it implies:

"...or kill you..." [meaning] with their swords.

"...or drive you out..." [meaning] from Mecca. This is according to what Ibn Ishaq mentioned: When the Quraysh saw that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had followers and companions from others outside their city, and they saw the departure of his companions (the Emigrants) to them, they realized they had settled in a land and gained strength there. They feared for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to join them, knowing he had resolved to fight them.

They gathered in the Dar al-Nadwa—the house of Qusayy ibn Kilab, where the Quraysh would decide no matter without consulting there—to deliberate on what to do regarding him (peace be upon him). When they gathered, as Ibn Abbas said, and agreed to enter the house to consult, they went early on the day they had set, which was called the "Day of the Crowd." Iblis—upon him be the curse—intervened in the form of an elderly, dignified man wearing a garment, and stood at the door of the house. When they saw him standing at the door, they said, "Who is this old man?" He said, "An old man from the people of Najd who heard what you agreed upon, so I attended with you to hear what you say. Perhaps you will not lack my opinion and advice." They said, "Indeed, enter." He entered with them, and the nobles of the Quraysh gathered.

Some said to others, "This man has caused what you have seen, and by Allah, we are not safe from him." They consulted, and one of them said, "Imprison him in iron and lock him in a room, then wait for him to suffer what befell his likes among the poets who were before him—Zuhayr, al-Nabigha, and those who passed away—until this death befalls him." The Najdi old man said, "No, by Allah, this is not an opinion. By Allah, if you imprison him as you say, his affair will emerge from behind the door you locked against him to his companions. They will soon hasten to attack you, snatch him from your hands, and then overwhelm you until they seize your authority. This is no opinion for you, so look for another."

They consulted, and another said, "Let us expel him from among us and banish him from our lands. Once he leaves us, by Allah, we do not care where he goes or where he lands, provided he is gone from us, and we can settle our affair and restore our unity as it was." The Najdi old man said, "No, by Allah, this is not an opinion for you. Do you not see the beauty of his speech, the sweetness of his tongue, and his victory over the hearts of men through what he brings? By Allah, if you do that, I would not be safe from him descending upon a tribe of the Arabs and overcoming them with his words and discourse until they pledge allegiance to him. Then he will march with them against you, trample you in your own lands, take your power from your hands, and do with you as he pleases. Devise another opinion regarding him."

Then Abu Jahl said, "By Allah, I have an opinion regarding him that I do not think you have hit upon yet." They said, "And what is it, O Abu al-Hakam?" He said, "I see that we take a young, strong, noble, and well-connected youth from every tribe, and give each youth a sharp sword. Then they shall proceed to him and strike him with the blow of one man, so he will be killed, and we will be rid of him. If they do that, his blood will be distributed among all the tribes, and they will accept blood money from us, which we shall pay." The Najdi old man said, "The word is what this man said. This is the opinion; I see no other."

They dispersed upon this. Then Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said, "Do not sleep tonight on your bed where you usually sleep." When it was late in the night, they gathered at his door, waiting for him to sleep so they could leap upon him. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saw their location, he said to Ali—may Allah ennoble his face—"Sleep on my bed and wrap yourself in this green Hadhrami cloak of mine, and sleep in it; for nothing you dislike from them will reach you." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would sleep in that cloak when he slept. He was permitted (peace be upon him) to migrate, so he went out with his companion Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to the cave.

Ali (may Allah ennoble his face) recited, pointing to what Allah bestowed upon him: "I shielded with my own soul the one who trod upon the pebbles / And the one who circumambulated the Ancient House and the Hijr / The Messenger of God, fearing they would plot against him / So the Lord of Bounty, the God, saved him from the plot / The Messenger of God spent the night in the cave secure / Having become in the protection of God and in [His] covering / And I spent the night watching them while they did not suspect me / And I had steeled my soul for killing and captivity."

"...but Allah plots, and Allah is the best of plotters." [meaning] He turns their plot back upon them and makes its evil consequence fall upon them, or He recompenses them for it, or He treats them as one who plots. This was by driving them to Badr and making the Muslims appear few in their eyes until they attacked them and encountered from them that which would turn the hair of a youth gray. In the discourse, there is an allegorical metaphor (isti'ara), a metonymy (majaz mursal), or a parable metaphor (isti'ara tamthiliyya). Sometimes one suffices with mere paronomasia (mushakala).

For their plotting is not counted against His plotting—sublime is He. Some researchers have said: The attribution of this possessive construct to Him—the Almighty—is, if considered in that His—the Almighty’s—plotting is more penetrating and stronger in effect, then the attribution is for superlative preference, since the plotting of others also has some degree of penetration and effect, which is the meaning of the root of "doing good" (fi'l al-khayr), resulting in a shared participation in it. And if it is considered in that He—the Exalted—does not send down anything but the truth and does not afflict except with what the one plotted against deserves, then there is no sharing by the plotting of others in it, and the attribution is then for exclusivity, as in "the most just of the Banu Marwan," due to the absence of participation.

It has been said: It is of the category of "Summer is hotter than Winter," meaning His—the Almighty’s—plotting in its "goodness" (effectiveness) is greater than the plotting of others in its "evil."

More than one have claimed that "plotting" (makr) is not attributed to Him—the Exalted—without paronomasia, because it is a stratagem by which harm is brought to another, and that is not permissible regarding Him—the Exalted. This was objected to by its occurrence without paronomasia in His saying: "Do they then feel secure from the plan (makr) of Allah? But none feels secure from the plan (makr) of Allah except the losing people." It was answered that the paronomasia in what was mentioned is implied (taqdiriyya), and that is sufficient for the purpose. In this, there is scrutiny; for it has come from Ali—may Allah ennoble his face—"Whoever has been given abundance in his worldly life and does not know that it is a plot (makr) against him, he is deceived in his intellect," and the implied paronomasia in it is far-fetched. Indeed, a fair-minded person would scarcely claim it.