Tafsir of Al-Ahzab 33:9-10

Surah Al-Ahzab (33): Verses 9-10

Verse 9:

O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allah upon you when armies came to [attack] you and We sent against them a wind and armies [of angels] you did not see. And ever is Allah, of what you do, Seeing.

This verse serves to confirm the preceding command to fear Allah, ensuring that the fear of anyone else is completely eliminated.

This is because the event of the Confederates (Al-Ahzab) gathering, when the situation became extremely severe for the Companions—as the polytheists gathered their entire forces and the Jews united, descending upon Medina, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) dug the trench—was a moment of utmost severity and fear.

Yet, Allah repelled the people from them without fighting and secured them from fear. Therefore, the servant should fear no one but his Lord, for He is sufficient for his affairs. Conversely, he should not feel secure from His plan, for He is capable of everything. He was capable of overpowering the Muslims with the disbelievers, even though the Muslims were weak, just as He overpowered the disbelievers with the believers despite their strength and might.

His statement, "and We sent against them a wind and armies you did not see," alludes to what Allah did to them: sending a cold wind upon them on a winter night, dispatching the angels, and casting terror into their hearts, to the extent that some men clung to others out of fear of the horses in the dead of night—a well-known account.

His statement, "And ever is Allah, of what you do, Seeing," indicates that Allah knew of their turning to Him and their hope in His grace, so He granted them victory over the enemies when they sought aid. This reinforces the obligation of fear and the impermissibility of fearing anyone other than Allah.

The phrase "and We sent against them a wind and armies you did not see" means that Allah fulfills your needs while you do not perceive it. If the means of security do not appear to you, do not pay attention to their non-appearance, because you do not see all things. Therefore, do not fear anyone other than Allah, for Allah is Seeing of what you do. Do not say, "We are doing something that He does not see," for He is Seeing of all things.

Verse 10:

[Mention] when they came to you from above you and from below you, and when eyes shifted [in fear], and hearts reached the throats, and you assumed about Allah [various] assumptions.

His statement, "when they came to you from above you and from below you," explains the severity of the situation and the peak of fear.

It is said that "from above you" means from the East, and "from below you" means from the West—they were the people of Mecca.

"and eyes shifted [in fear]" means they deviated from their normal course, unable to focus on the enemy due to their sheer numbers.

"and hearts reached the throats" is a metaphor for extreme distress. This is because the heart, during anger, is propelled outward, and during fear, it contracts, pressing against the throat. This can lead to the airway being blocked, preventing the person from breathing, and they might die from fear. Similar is His statement: "until, when it [the soul] reaches the throats" (Al-Waqi'ah: 83).

"and you assumed about Allah [various] assumptions": The definite article (al-) in al-ẓunūn (assumptions) can imply comprehensiveness as an exaggeration, meaning you assumed every possible thought, because during a great ordeal, everyone assumes something. Alternatively, it could refer to their customary assumptions: the believer's customary assumption is good expectation of Allah, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Assume good things about Allah." The disbeliever's customary assumption is bad expectation, as stated: "That is the assumption of those who disbelieved" (Sad: 27), and "They follow nothing but assumption" (An-Najm: 23).

If someone asks: The verbal noun (masdar) is not usually pluralized; what is the benefit of pluralizing ẓunūn (assumptions)? We reply that it is undoubtedly in the accusative case as a verbal noun (masdar), but a noun can be treated as a verbal noun, just as one says, "I struck him with lashes" (siyāṭan) or "I disciplined him repeatedly" (mirāran). It is as if He said, "You assumed one assumption after another," meaning you did not remain steadfast on a single assumption.

The benefit is that if Allah had said, "You assumed an assumption" (ẓannan), it would have been possible that they were correct in that one assumption. But by saying "assumptions" (ẓunūn), it becomes clear that among them were those whose assumption was false, because assumptions can all be false, or some of them can be false regarding a single matter.

For example, if a group sees an object from afar and some assume it is Zayd, others assume it is 'Amr, and a third assumes it is Bakr—and then the truth is revealed—it might be that they were all mistaken, and the object seen was a tree or a stone. Or, one of them might be correct, but it is impossible for all of them to be correct. Thus, the phrase "assumptions" (al-ẓunūn) conveyed that some among them erred in their assumption, which would not have been conveyed if He had said, "You assumed an assumption about Allah."

Verse 11:

There the believers were tested and shaken with a severe shaking.