Tafsir of Al Imran 3:125

Āl 'Imrān: (125) Nay, if you are patient...

In this verse, there are several points of discussion:

Balā here affirms what follows the negation (i.e., the promise of divine aid). It means: "Indeed, the reinforcement will suffice you."

Allah affirmed the sufficiency of aid, then said: {If you are patient and fear Allah, and [if] they come upon you from this very instant}—meaning, if the polytheists come upon you immediately—{your Lord will reinforce you with more than that number, [with] five thousand angels marked}.

Thus, the coming of the five thousand angels was conditioned upon three things: patience (aṣ-ṣabr), piety (at-taqwā), and the enemy's immediate arrival (min fawrihim hādhā). Since these conditions were not met, the conditioned result naturally did not occur.

Fawr is a verbal noun derived from fārat al-qidr (the pot boiled over). Allah says: {until, when Our command came and the furnace overflowed} (Hūd: 40). It is said that this refers to the first surge of water from it.

This word is then used metaphorically to mean swiftness. It is said, "So-and-so came and returned immediately" (min fawrih). This is also the basis for the jurists' discussion regarding whether a command implies immediate action (lil-fawr) or delay (at-tarākhī).

The meaning here is the intensity, fervor, and swiftness of the enemy's approach.

There are two main readings for the word مسومين:

1. Read with a kasra on the wāw (musawwamīn): This reading is adopted by Ibn Kathīr, Abū ‘Amr, and ‘Āṣim. It means "marked" or "identified" (mu‘allamīn). They marked themselves with specific signs. Most narrations indicate that they marked their horses with specific insignia placed upon them.

The meaning of taswīm (marking) here has two interpretations: * Interpretation 1: A distinguishing sign. This refers to the mark by which a thing is known from others, as explained previously concerning {the marked horses} (al-khayl al-musawwama) (Āl 'Imrān: 14). This mark allowed the cavalryman to recognize them on the day of battle. It is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said on the Day of Badr: "Mark yourselves, for the angels have been marked." Ibn 'Abbās said the angels marked themselves with yellow turbans, and their horses were white-faced, having white wool tied to their forelocks and tails. It is also narrated that Ḥamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib was identified by an ostrich feather, ‘Alī by a white piece of cloth, az-Zubayr by a yellow sash, and Abū Dujānah by a red sash.

• Interpretation 2: Sent forth. This reading is derived from asmat al-ibil (letting the camels loose to graze). If the wāw is read with a kasra (musawwamīn), it means the angels sent their horses against the disbelievers to kill and capture them.

2. Read with a fatḥa on the wāw (musawwamīn): This is the reading of the rest of the reciters. It means that Allah marked them, or it carries the meaning that they marked themselves (similar to the first reading). If read with a fatḥa, it can also mean that Allah sent them forth to destroy the polytheists, just as livestock are sent to destroy vegetation and grass.

**{And Allah did not make it but a glad tiding to you and that your hearts may be reassured thereby. And victory is not but from Allah, the Exceedingly Mighty, the Wise. That He may cut off a portion of those who disbelieve, or subdue them, so they depart disappointed.}*