Al-Anfal: 66

"Now God has lightened [the burden] for you, and He knows that there is weakness in you. So if there are one hundred of you who are steadfast, they will overcome two hundred; and if there are one thousand of you, they will overcome two thousand by the permission of God."

Al-Bukhari and others narrated from Ibn Abbas (may God be pleased with them both) who said: "When the verse, 'If there are twenty of you,' was revealed, it was difficult for the Muslims, for it was made incumbent upon them that not one should flee from ten. Then the lightening came." This happened, as it is said, after a period of time. It is also said that they had a scarcity [of numbers] in the beginning, and when they increased later, the lightening was revealed.

Is this considered abrogation or not? There are two opinions. Makki chose the second one and said: The verse is a form of lightening, similar to the lightening granted to the traveler regarding breaking the fast. The majority went with the first, saying: The verse is abrogating. The practical result of this disagreement is said to appear if one person fights ten and is killed; is he considered to have sinned or not? According to the first, he does not sin, while according to the second, he does.

The "weakness" that occurred [refers to] the lack of physical strength for war, as there were now elderly and disabled people among them, whereas before, they were a specific group whose strength and fortitude were known. Or, it refers to a weakness of insight and steadfastness, and [the failure to] entrust victory to God Almighty, as those who were newly converted to Islam were among them, who did not possess what the earlier [believers] had of those qualities. Some mentioned, in explaining how abundance causes weakness, that through it, reliance on God Almighty and trust in Him—glory be to Him—is weakened, and the tendency to rely on numbers is strengthened, as occurred at Hunayn; whereas the former [state of fewness] is what causes strength, as the Battle of Badr indicates. From here, al-Nasrabadi said: This lightening was for the [general] community, not for the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace), for he is the one who says, "Through You I attack and through You I charge."

The restriction of the lightening to "Now" is clear. As for God Almighty's knowledge of it, it refers to His [prior] connection to it; they have said that He has a connection to a thing before it happens, while it is happening, and after it happens. Al-Tibi said: The meaning is, "Now God Almighty has lightened for you, because what His knowledge was connected to has become apparent"—meaning your abundance, which is the cause of your weakness, after the appearance of your [former] scarcity and strength.

Most of the reciters read du'fan (weakness) with a damma on the dad; it is a linguistic variant like fuqr (poverty) and mukth (lingering). It is reported from al-Khalil that da'f (with a fatha) is weakness in opinion and intellect, while du'f (with a damma) is weakness in the body. Abu Ja'far read it as du'afa' (the plural of da'if). Ibn Kathir, Nafi', and Ibn 'Amir read yakun (ascribed to the hundred in both verses) with a ta (feminine prefix), considering the literal femininity [of the word mi'ah]. Abu 'Amr and Ya'qub agreed with them regarding yakun in the second verse due to the strengthening of the femininity by the adjective sabirah (steadfast, feminine). As for "If there are twenty of you," everyone reads it with the masculine. Yes, it is narrated from al-A'raj that he read it with the feminine.

"And God is with the steadfast" is a postscript (tadhyil) confirming the meaning of what preceded it. There is ihtibak (an artistic omission) in this noble arrangement. Al-Bahr says: Look at the eloquence of this speech, as it established a condition in the first sentence—which is "steadfast"—and omitted its counterpart from the second. It established a condition in the second—which is "from those who disbelieved"—and omitted it from the first. Since steadfastness is highly required, it was established in the two sentences of lightening, and omitted from the second [clause of the second sentence] because the preceding one points to it. Then He concluded the verse by saying—glory be to Him—"And God is with the steadfast," as an emphasis on the intensity of the requirement. He did not bring the condition of "disbelief" in the two sentences of lightening, out of sufficiency for what preceded it. End quote.

Al-Shihab mentioned that what remained for him to note is that God Almighty mentioned in the lightening, "by the permission of God," which is a condition for both, and that the saying of God Almighty, "And God is with the steadfast," is an indication of their support and that they are inevitably victorious; for whoever God Almighty is with, he cannot be defeated. I say: It is not unlikely that in the saying of God Almighty, "And God is with the steadfast," there is an incitement for them toward patience, by indicating that if their enemies are patient, God Almighty will be with them, thus He will aid them and grant them victory. This majestic speech contains subtleties beyond what God Almighty has mentioned. How sweet is the water of its eloquence and how fresh is the luster of its rhetoric.