Al 'Imran: (152) And indeed, Allah had made good His promise to you...

Connection of the Verse to What Precedes It

Know that the connection of this verse to the preceding ones is in several ways:

1. Response to Complaints: When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and his Companions returned to Medina after the events of Uhud, some companions questioned how this defeat occurred when Allah had promised them victory. This verse was then revealed.
2. Fulfillment of a Vision: Some said the Prophet (PBUH) saw in a dream that he was slaughtering a ram. Allah confirmed this vision by the killing of Talhah ibn Uthman, the standard-bearer of the polytheists on the day of Uhud, and the subsequent killing of nine others who carried the standard. This is what is meant by: {And indeed, Allah had made good His promise to you}, referring to the confirmation of the Prophet's vision.
3. Conditional Promise (Patience and Piety): It could refer to the promise mentioned in: {Yes, if you are patient and fear Allah, and they come upon you in this very hour, your Lord will aid you with five thousand angels} (Al 'Imran: 125). However, this was conditional upon patience and piety.
4. Conditional Promise (Divine Aid): It could be the promise in: {And certainly, Allah will aid those who aid Him}, but this too was conditional.
5. Promise of Terror: It might be the promise mentioned in: {We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve} (Al 'Imran: 151).
6. Prophetic Command: It is said the promise was the Prophet's command to the archers: "Do not leave this spot; we will remain victorious as long as you remain in this place."
7. Fulfillment of the Condition: Abu Muslim said that since Allah promised to cast terror into their hearts in the preceding verse, He confirmed it by mentioning what He fulfilled of the promise of victory in the incident of Uhud. Since they fulfilled the condition of piety and patience, Allah granted them the promised victory. When they abandoned the condition, the promised outcome was lost.

Issues Arising from the Verse

Once the connection is understood, there are several issues in the verse:

Al-Wahidi, may Allah have mercy on him, stated that the verb sadaqa (to make true) takes two objects. You say: Sadaqtuhu al-wa'da wa al-wa'eed (I confirmed the promise and the threat to him).

We have previously mentioned the story of Uhud: the Prophet (PBUH) placed Uhud behind his back, faced Medina, and stationed the archers at the mountain, commanding them not to leave, whether victory or defeat ensued for the Muslims. When the polytheists advanced, the archers shot their arrows, and the rest fought with swords until the polytheists were routed. The Muslims pursued them, inflicting severe slaughter (hiss).

• Laysh said: Al-hiss means intense killing. Tahussūnahum means you kill them extensively.
• Abu 'Ubayd, al-Zajjaj, and Ibn Qutaybah said: Al-hiss is total annihilation by killing. It is said of locusts that are mahsūs (annihilated) by the cold. A sanah hasūs (a devastating year) is one that overtakes everything.
• The meaning of {tahussūnahum} is that you annihilate them by killing. Etymologists say hassahu means he killed him because he nullified his senses (hiss) through killing, just as one says baṭanahu (he struck his belly) or ra'asahu (he struck his head).
• {bi-idhnih} means by His knowledge.
• The meaning of the statement is: Since Allah promised you victory conditional upon piety and patience in obedience, as long as you fulfilled this condition, He fulfilled His promise and granted you victory over your enemies. When you abandoned the condition and disobeyed your Lord's command, that victory was naturally withdrawn.

Regarding the Statement: {Until when you lost heart and disputed about the matter and disobeyed after He had shown you that which you love}

One might ask: The apparent meaning of {Until when you lost heart} is conditional, and a condition requires a response (the jawab). Where is its response?

Scholars have two approaches here:

Approach 1: Hatta as a Limit (Not a Condition) This is not a conditional clause. The meaning is: "And indeed, Allah had made good His promise to you until you lost heart." That is, He aided you up until the point where failure and dispute occurred. This is because Allah only promised them victory conditional upon piety and patience in obedience. When they failed and disobeyed, the victory ceased. In this view, the word hatta functions as a limit meaning "up to the time when."

Approach 2: Hatta as a Condition This approach accepts that {Until when you lost heart} is a condition. Scholars differed on the response:

1. The Basrans' View (Omission): The response is omitted, with the implied meaning being: "Until when you lost heart, disputed the matter, and disobeyed after He had shown you what you love, Allah withheld His help from you." This omission is permissible because the preceding statement, {And indeed, Allah had made good His promise to you}, indicates it. The Quran has many examples of this, such as: {And if their aversion is great to you, then if you can find a tunnel to the earth or a ladder to the sky...} (Al-An'am: 35), where the implied response is "then do it," which is omitted due to context.

2. The Kufans' View (The Waw is Extra): This is the view of al-Farra'. The response is {and disobeyed} (wa 'aṣaytum), and the initial waw (and) is extra, similar to: {So when they both submitted and he put his forehead down [to the ground] and We called to him} (As-Saffat: 103-104), meaning "And We called to him." Here, failure and dispute necessitated disobedience, so the meaning is: "Until when you failed and disputed the matter, you disobeyed." The waw is thus extra. Some who support this view claim that it is part of the Arabs' style to include a waw after hatta idha, citing: {Until when they came to it, and its gates were opened, and its keepers said to them...} (Az-Zumar: 71), implying the response should be "its gates were opened for them."

• Objection: If failure and dispute are disobedience, making them the cause (illah) of disobedience leads to the illogical conclusion that a thing is the cause of itself.
  • Reply: The intended disobedience here is their leaving the position. Failure and dispute undoubtedly caused them to leave that position, so there is no self-causation.
  • Note: The Basrans rejected this view because their doctrine prohibits treating the waw as superfluous.

3. A Third View (Implied Statement): The implied meaning is: "Until when you lost heart, disputed the matter, and disobeyed after He had shown you what you love, you became two factions—some desiring the world, and some desiring the Hereafter." The response is "you became two factions," but it was omitted because the following statement, {Among you are those who desire this world, and among you are those who desire the Hereafter}, conveys the same meaning, as min (among) implies partition. This is a possibility that occurred to me.

4. Abu Muslim's View (The Weakest): The response to {Until when you lost heart} is {Then He turned you away from them to test you}. The meaning is: "Until when you failed... Then He turned you away from them to test you." The word thumma (then) here is treated as if it were dropped. This view is extremely weak.

Allah mentioned three things:

1. Failure (Fashal): This means weakness. Some say it means cowardice, but this is false, based on: {and do not dispute, lest you lose heart [and fail]} (Al-Anfal: 46), meaning you become weak, as "lest you become cowardly" does not fit the context.
2. Dispute about the Matter (Tanāzu' fī al-amr): This has two sub-points:
   • First Sub-point (The Event): The Prophet (PBUH) commanded the archers never to leave their post, appointing Abdullah ibn Jubayr as their leader. When the polytheists were routed, the archers shot many arrows until the polytheists fled. Then the archers saw the polytheists' women ascending the mountain, lifting their lower garments so their anklets were visible. They cried out, "The spoils! The spoils!" Abdullah reminded them of the Prophet's covenant not to leave the spot, but they refused and went after the spoils. Abdullah remained with a small group (fewer than ten) until they were killed by the polytheists. This was the dispute.
   • Second Sub-point (The Meaning of al-amr):
     • It means the situation or affair: You disputed concerning the situation you were in.
     • It means the command that is the opposite of prohibition: You disputed concerning what the Prophet commanded you to do—namely, remaining in that place.
3. Disobedience ('aṣaytum): This means disobeying by leaving that position.

Questions Arising from These Points:

• Why was failure mentioned before dispute and disobedience?
  • Answer: When the people saw the defeat of the disbelievers and became greedy for spoils, they first failed in their resolve to stand firm out of greed for spoils. Then they disputed verbally about whether to go for the spoils or not. Finally, they engaged in seeking the spoils.
• Why was the censure general when the disobedience (leaving the post) was specific to some?
  • Answer: Although the wording is general, the specification follows immediately: {Among you are those who desire this world, and among you are those who desire the Hereafter}.
• What is the benefit of saying: {after He had shown you that which you love}?
  • Answer: This serves to emphasize the gravity of the sin. Since Allah had honored them by fulfilling His promise, it was incumbent upon them to refrain from sin. When they committed it, Allah justly removed that honor and made them taste the consequence of their actions.

Then He said: {Then He turned you away from them to test you}

There is a difference of opinion between our scholars (Ash'arites) and the Mu'tazila regarding the interpretation of this verse, because turning them away from the disbelievers was a sin, so how could it be attributed to Allah?

• Our Scholars' View (Ash'arites): This objection does not apply to them because their doctrine holds that good and evil are by the will and creation of Allah. According to this, the meaning of this turning away is that Allah turned the Muslims back from the disbelievers, inflicted defeat upon them, and allowed the disbelievers to overpower them. This is the view of the majority of commentators.
• The Mu'tazila's View: They deem this interpretation impermissible, supported by the Quran and reason.
  • Quranic Evidence: {Indeed, those who turned back on the day the two armies met, Satan had caused them to slip because of some [sins] they had earned} (Al 'Imran: 155). This attributes their action to Satan's influence. How then can Allah attribute it to Himself afterward?
  • Rational Evidence: Allah blamed them for this turning away. If it were by Allah's action, it would not be permissible to blame them for it, just as one cannot blame them for their height or shortness, or their health or illness.

They then offered interpretations:

1. Al-Jubba'i's View: The archers were divided. Some left the post first to seek spoils, while others remained. Those who remained were surrounded by the enemy. If they had persisted in staying there, the enemy would have killed them without any benefit. Therefore, it was permissible for them to withdraw to a position where they could defend themselves against the enemy. Did you not see the Prophet (PBUH) retreat with a group of companions to the mountain and fortify themselves there, and they were not considered disobedient? Since this withdrawal was permissible, Allah attributed it to Himself in the sense that it was by His command and permission. Then He said: {to test you}. This means that after they withdrew and fortified themselves, Allah commanded them there to fight and defend the remaining Muslims. Fighting after a defeat, especially after witnessing the killing of relatives and loved ones in that battle, is certainly one of the greatest forms of trial.
   • Objection: If this is the interpretation, those whom Allah turned away were not sinners. Why then did He say: {And indeed, Allah has pardoned you}?
   • Reply: The verse includes both those who were excused for withdrawing and those who were not—those who initiated the retreat and disobeyed. Thus, {Then He turned you away from them} refers to the excused ones. When the verse contains two groups and two rulings, each ruling refers back to the appropriate group. This is like: {The second of two, when they were both in the cave, when he said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us." So Allah sent down His tranquility upon him} (At-Tawbah: 40). This refers to the one who was told "Do not grieve" (Abu Bakr), as he was fearful before this statement. Then Allah said: {and supported him with soldiers you did not see} (At-Tawbah: 40), referring to the Messenger, not Abu Bakr, as both were mentioned. This is what Al-Jubba'i mentioned.

2. Abu Muslim al-Isfahani's View: The meaning of {Then He turned you away from them} is that Allah removed the terror that was in the hearts of the disbelievers concerning the Muslims, as a punishment for their disobedience and failure. Then He said: {to test you}, meaning He made that turning away a trial for you so that you might repent to Allah, return to Him, and seek His forgiveness for contradicting His command and seeking spoils. Then He informed them that Allah had pardoned them.

3. Al-Ka'bi's View: {Then He turned you away from them} means He did not command them to immediately return to the fight, {to test you} with the abundance of His favors and His leniency toward you.

Its apparent meaning implies a prior sin. Al-Qadi said: If the sin was a minor one (saghirah), it is correct to describe Himself as having pardoned them without repentance. If it was a major sin (kabirah), then their repentance must be implied, as evidence indicates that the perpetrator of a major sin is not deserving of pardon and forgiveness unless he repents.

The sin was undoubtedly a major sin because they violated the explicit text of the Messenger, and this violation caused the defeat of the Muslims and the killing of many of their great figures. All of this falls under major sins. Furthermore, the apparent meaning of: {And whoever turns his back to them on that day—except for one turning aside for battle or rejoining another company—has drawn upon himself the wrath of Allah} (Al-Anfal: 16) indicates it was a major sin. The view that this verse is specific to Badr is weak because the wording is general, and there is no difference in the intended meaning, making specialization impossible.

Moreover, the apparent meaning of this verse indicates that Allah pardoned them without mentioning repentance, as repentance is not mentioned. This becomes evidence that Allah may pardon the perpetrators of major sins. The evidence the Mu'tazila use to forbid this has already been addressed in Surah Al-Baqarah.

This refers back to the previously mentioned favors of the Exalted: first, victory, and second, pardon for the sinners. This verse also indicates that the perpetrator of a major sin is a believer, because we established that this sin was a major one, yet Allah named them al-mu'minūn (the believers). This implies that the perpetrator of a major sin is a believer, contrary to what the Mu'tazila claim.

(153) {Recall when you were fleeing and not looking back at anyone, while the Messenger was calling you from your rear. So He rewarded you with distress upon distress, so that you would not grieve for what you missed nor for what befell you. And Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.}

• {Recall when you were fleeing}: This refers to the flight from the battlefield.
• {and not looking back at anyone}: They were fleeing without regard for anyone else.
• {while the Messenger was calling you from your rear}: The Prophet (PBUH) was calling them back to stand firm.
• {So He rewarded you with distress upon distress}: The reward here is not a reward of pleasure, but a consequence or recompense for their action. The distress was twofold: the distress of being defeated and the distress of hearing the Prophet's call and disobeying it.
• {so that you would not grieve for what you missed}: So that you would not grieve over the spoils you missed out on, or the victory you lost.
• {nor for what befell you}: Nor grieve over the killing of your brethren and the injury you sustained.
• {And Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted}: Allah knows the state of your hearts and actions.

The wisdom behind this recompense of distress is that when a person suffers a loss (like losing the spoils), he grieves. By inflicting distress upon distress, Allah diverted their hearts from grieving over the lost spoils to grieving over the immediate calamity, thus making the greater loss overshadow the lesser one.