Tafsir of Al-Anfal 8:48

"And when Satan made their deeds fair-seeming to them"—the [verb] is implied, addressed to the Prophet (may Allah exalt him and grant him peace) via a shift in tone, as has been said. It is also permissible for the implied [verb] to be addressed to the believers, with the conjunction linking back to "do not be," meaning: "And remember when Satan made their deeds fair-seeming to them" regarding their hostility toward the believers and other matters, by whispering to them.

"And he said: 'No one among mankind can overcome you today, and I am a protector for you.'" This means he cast into their hearts and made them imagine that they would not be defeated due to their vast numbers and equipment. He deluded them into thinking that following him—in what they supposed to be acts of piety—would be a protection for them and a shield against evil, to the point where they said: "O Allah, grant victory to the most guided of the two factions and the best of the two religions." Thus, the "saying" is a metaphor for whispering, and the attribution in "I am a protector for you" is of the type of attribution to a causative agent. "For you" (lakum) acts as the predicate of "no" (la) or as an adjective for "overcomer" (ghalib); the predicate is omitted, meaning: "There is no overcomer [existing] for you." "Today" acts as an adverb for the omitted predicate; it is not permitted for the prepositional phrase to be linked to "overcomer," lest it become accusative due to its resemblance to the genitive construction (idafa) in that case. The Baghdadi scholars permitted the accusative case (fatha), and based on that, its linkage to it is correct. "From among mankind" acts as a state (hal) for the pronoun of the predicate, not for the hidden pronoun in "overcomer," for the reason we have mentioned. The sentence "I am a protector" admits of being a conjunction or a circumstantial clause.

"So when the two factions sighted one another"—meaning when the two parties met. Often, "sighting" is used as a metonym for "meeting." This interpretation is adopted because of the Almighty's saying: "He turned back on his heels"—meaning he retreated backward. For the turning back occurred at the time of meeting, not at the time of sighting, and insisting that it occurred at the time of sighting involves obscurity. The prepositional phrase is in the place of a circumstantial clause, either emphasizing or establishing, if "turning back" is interpreted as general retreat. In any case, there is a metaphorical simile in the speech: the failure of his guile after he had made it fair-seeming is likened to one who retreats backward from what he fears, as if it were said: "When they met, his guile failed, and what they had imagined would be their protector became the cause of their destruction."

"And he said: 'Indeed, I am quit of you; indeed, I see what you do not see; indeed, I fear Allah.'" He became quit of them either by abandoning them or by ceasing the whispering he had previously done. He feared for them and despaired of their condition when he saw the support of Allah—the Exalted—for the believers through the angels (peace be upon them). We do not say he feared for himself because whispering to them out of fear for them is more likely to be accepted [by them], whereas whispering to them out of fear for himself is far-fetched. It is said that he did not fear for himself because he is of those respited, but this is baseless.

It is also said that the intention behind this speech is that he made the matter appear grave to them and began to frighten them after having been inciting and encouraging them. It is as if he said: "O my people, the matter is grave and the situation is momentous, and I am leaving you for that reason and I fear for myself falling into the precipices of ruin, even though I am more capable than you of fleeing and crossing these deserts." In that case, it is not far-fetched to intend by the "fear" a fear for his own self, as there was no actual speech there.

Many commentators have said: When the Quraish gathered for the march, they recalled the enmity and war that existed between them and the Kinana tribe, and that almost deterred them. Then Iblis appeared to them in the form of Suraqa bin Malik al-Kinani—who was one of the nobles of Kinana—and said to them: "No one can overcome you today, and I am a protector for you from the Banu Kinana; I will guard you and keep you from harm, so no evil shall reach you from them." When he saw the angels descending from the sky, he turned back. His hand was in the hand of al-Harith bin Hisham, who said to him: "Where are you going? Are you abandoning us in this situation?" He replied: "Indeed, I see what you do not see." He said: "By Allah, we see nothing but the weaklings of Yathrib." He then shoved al-Harith’s chest and fled, and the people were routed. When they reached Mecca, they said: "Suraqa defeated the people." When the news reached him, he said: "By Allah, I did not even know of your march until news of your defeat reached me." When they embraced Islam, they knew it was Satan. This has been narrated from Ibn Abbas, al-Kalbi, al-Suddi, and others. Based on this, it is possible that his saying, "Indeed, I fear Allah," means: "I fear that He will inflict upon me some evil from the angels or destroy me," and the "time" is the promised time when he saw what he had not seen before. In al-Muwatta, it is recorded that Satan is never seen on any day as small, as degraded, as lowly, and as enraged as he is on the Day of Arafah, because of what he sees of the descent of mercy and Allah’s forgiveness of major sins—except for what was seen on the day of Badr, for he saw Gabriel (peace be upon him) marshalling the angels. What is in the book al-Tijan, that Iblis was killed that day, is interpreted according to this; otherwise, it is the crown of the sultan of lies. The first [view] is narrated from al-Hasan and chosen by al-Balkhi and al-Jahiz.

"And Allah is severe in punishment." This may be part of the speech of the accursed one, or it may be an independent statement from the side of the Almighty. Some have claimed that the first is the apparent meaning, since the possibility of it being an independent statement would be a confirmation of his excuse, which the context does not require, thus making it superfluous. This is countered by the argument that it is an explanation for the cause of his fear, since he knows that. So understand.