ﲴ ﲵ ﲶ ﲷ ﲸ ﲹ ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ ﲽ ﲾ ﲿ ﳀ ﳁ ﳂ ﳃ ﳄ ﳅ ﳆ
And their words were not but that they said, "Our Lord, forgive us our sins and the excess [committed] in our affairs and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people."
Tafsir
Verse range: 3:147
There are two issues concerning this verse:
The phrase {and make our steps firm} (وثبت أقدامنا) indicates that the actions of the servant are created by God Almighty. The Mu'tazila interpret this phrase as referring to the creation of divine favors (al-alṭāf).
The Almighty explained that they were prepared for that patience and steadfastness through supplication and humbling themselves, requesting aid and assistance from God. The purpose of this is for the Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him) to emulate them in this manner. Whoever relies on himself to achieve his goals will be humiliated, but whoever clings to God will attain what is sought.
The Judge (al-Qadi) stated that they prioritized their saying: {Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our extravagance in our affair} (ربنا اغفر لنا ذنوبنا وإسرافنا فى أمرنا) because when God guaranteed victory for the believers, if victory did not materialize and signs of the enemy's dominance appeared, this apparently indicated that a sin or shortcoming had occurred on the part of the believers. For this reason, they must prioritize repentance and seeking forgiveness before asking for victory.
Thus, the Almighty explained that they began by repenting from all sins, which is meant by {Our Lord, forgive us our sins} (ربنا اغفر لنا ذنوبنا). This includes all sins, whether minor or major. Then, they specifically mentioned the great, major sins afterward due to their magnitude and the severity of their punishment, which is meant by {and our extravagance in our affair} (وإسرافنا فى أمرنا). Extravagance in everything means excessiveness in it.
God Almighty said: {Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning]} (Az-Zumar: 53). He also said: {And let him not commit excess in killing} (Al-Isra: 33). And: {Eat and drink, but be not excessive} (Al-A'raf: 31). It is said that a person is musrif (extravagant) if he is excessive in spending or otherwise.
Then, after completing that, they asked their Lord to make their steps firm (أن يثبت أقدامهم), which means removing fear from their hearts and removing corrupt thoughts from their chests. After that, they asked Him to grant them victory over the disbelieving people, because this victory requires matters beyond just firm steps, such as the terror cast into their hearts, and the creation of heavenly or earthly events that necessitate their defeat, like a wind blowing dust into their faces, or a flood running through the place where they stood.
The Judge further stated that this is a teaching from God Almighty regarding the proper manner of supplication during calamities and tribulations, whether in Jihad or otherwise.
