Al-Fath (The Victory): Verses 28–29

Then the Almighty said: {It is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, that He may make it manifest over all religions. And sufficient is Allah as a Witness} (48:28).

This serves to confirm the truthfulness of the Prophet's vision (referring to previous context, likely the vision of entering Mecca). This is because since he was sent to guide people, he would not desire something that is not guided, lest it lead people astray.

There are stronger interpretations: Visions of things before they happen in wakefulness are not unique to the Prophets. However, Allah stated: {It is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance} and recounted to him what would happen in wakefulness. It is not impossible that He showed him in a dream what would occur, so there is no improbability in the truthfulness of his vision.

Furthermore, this verse indicates the occurrence of the Conquest (of Mecca) and entering it through the Almighty's saying: {that He may make it manifest over all religions}. This implies that the One who grants victory over religions would not be incapable of granting him the conquest of Mecca.

The term (الهدى - Guidance) can mean the Qur'an, as Allah says: {The month of Ramadan [in which] the Qur'an was revealed, a guidance for the people} (Al-Baqarah: 185). In this case, (دين الحق - the religion of truth) refers to what is in the Qur'an regarding principles and branches.

Alternatively, Guidance could mean the miracle, meaning He sent him with truth, pointing to what He legislated. Or, Guidance could be the fundamental principles, and the religion of truth the rulings (Ahkam), as some Messengers were only given principles without specific legal rulings.

The definite article al- in (الهدى) could imply totality (all guidance), or it could refer to a specific known guidance, such as: {This is the guidance of Allah; He guides with it whom He wills} (Az-Zumar: 23), which refers either to the Qur'an or what the Prophets agreed upon, as in: {Those are the ones whom Allah has guided, so in their guidance follow} (Al-An'am: 90). All these meanings are interconnected because what is in the Qur'an conforms to what the Prophets agreed upon.

The phrase (ودين الحق - and the religion of truth) has several interpretations:

1. That al-Haqq (The Truth) is a name for Allah, so it means "with guidance and the religion of Allah."
2. That al-Haqq is the opposite of falsehood, so it means "the religion of the true matter."
3. That it means submission to and adherence to the truth.

{ليظهره - that He may make it manifest}: If Guidance refers to the miracle (as per one interpretation), then He sent him to make the religion of truth manifest over all religions (the genus of religion), thus abrogating other religions. Most commentators agree that the pronoun in {li-yuzhirahu} refers back to the Messenger. However, the more apparent view is that it refers to the religion of truth: He sent the Messenger with the religion of truth so that the religion of truth might become manifest over the religions. In this case, the actor of making manifest could be Allah, or it could be the Prophet.

{وكفى بالله شهيدا - And sufficient is Allah as a Witness}: This confirms that he is the Messenger of Allah. This comforts the believers who were distressed by the disbelievers' rejection of the written covenant (referring to the treaty where they refused to write "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah"). Allah says: {And sufficient is Allah as a Witness} to His messengership.

There is a subtle point here: Although Allah's word is sufficient in all matters, it is especially sufficient regarding prophethood. A messenger is only such by the declaration of the sender. If a King says, "This is my messenger," and everyone in the world denies it, their denial is useless because Allah has confirmed it. Thus, there is no flaw in his prophethood due to their denial, given Allah's affirmation.

The phrase {Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah} has several interpretations:

1. It is a predicate for an implied subject, meaning: "He [the one mentioned] is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah," with "Messenger of Allah" being an apposition (Badal).
2. Muhammad is the subject, and the predicate is "Messenger of Allah." This confirms the previous statement, as his messengership depends on His testimony, and here Muhammad testifies to it without contradiction.
3. A derived interpretation: Muhammad is the subject, and "Messenger of Allah" is an apposition used for praise, not specification.

{والذين معه - And those who are with him} is coordinated with Muhammad. {أشداء على الكفار رحماء بينهم - harsh against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves} is the predicate for those with him. It is as if Allah said: All those who are with him are harsh against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves, because the description of harshness and mercy applies to all of them. This is like what Allah says about the believers: {humble toward the believers, mighty against the disbelievers} (Al-Ma'idah: 54). Regarding the Prophet (PBUH), it is said: {and be harsh against them} (At-Tawbah: 73), and about him concerning the believers: {kind to the believers, compassionate} (At-Tawbah: 128).

Under this interpretation, {تراهم - you see them} is not addressed directly to the Prophet (PBUH) but is general, addressed to the listener, whoever they may be—like a preacher saying "Pay attention" without intending a specific person.

{يبتغون فضلا من الله ورضوانا - seeking the bounty of Allah and His pleasure}: This distinguishes their bowing and prostration from the bowing and prostration of hypocrites or those seeking fame, as the latter do not seek these things.

There is a subtle indication here: Allah mentioned that the bowers and prostrators {that He may give them their rewards in full and increase them from His bounty} (Fatir: 30), yet here it says they are {seeking the bounty} and does not mention the reward. This is because when Allah promises a reward, it is an act of grace from Him. It also indicates that their deeds conform to what Allah requested, as a wage is only due for work matching the employer's demand. When a believer says, "I seek Your bounty," it is an admission of deficiency, saying, "My deed is meager, it does not merit a wage." Thus, Allah says: {seeking the bounty of Allah} and does not say "a wage."

And His saying: {Their mark is on their faces from the effect of prostration} (48:29). There are two views:

1. This refers to the Day of Resurrection, as Allah says: {The Day when some faces will be whitened} (Al 'Imran: 106) and {Their light running before them} (At-Tahrim: 8). Their light on their faces is due to their orientation towards the Truth, like Abraham (PBUH) said: {Indeed, I have turned my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth} (Al-An'am: 79). Just as one facing the sun receives its rays visibly, one facing Allah's light will have a light shining on his face, even though the sun's light is transient. Since Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth, whoever turns towards Him will have a light appear on his face that outshines all other lights.
2. This refers to the world. This has two sub-views: a. It refers to the mark appearing on the foreheads due to frequent prostration. b. It refers to the beauty Allah manifests on the faces of those who prostrate at night during the day. This is evident to anyone who reflects: If two men stay up late, one drinking and playing, and the other praying, reading, and seeking knowledge, everyone can distinguish between them the next day.

And His saying: {That is their description in the Torah}. There are three mentioned views:

1. {That} (Dhalika) is the subject, and {Their description in the Torah, and their description in the Gospel} is the predicate. And {like a seed that sends forth its shoot} is the predicate of an implied subject (i.e., "Their description in the Torah and the Gospel is like a seed...").
2. {That} refers to the mark on their faces, and its predicate is {Their description in the Torah}. {And their description in the Gospel} is the subject, and {like a seed...} is its predicate.
3. {That} is an unspecified indication clarified by {like a seed}, similar to {This matter—indeed, the end of those people is cut off in the morning} (Al-Hijr: 66).
4. A fourth view: {That} is the predicate of an implied subject, meaning: "This visible mark on their faces—that is it." Just as one says, "A mark of a blow appeared on his face," one might say, "Yes, by Allah, that is it," referring to what is apparent.

And His saying: {And their description in the Gospel, like a seed that sends forth its shoot, then strengthens it, so it becomes thick and stands firm on its stalk, delighting the sowers} (48:29).

This means they were described and exemplified this way in both Books. They are likened to a seed because when it first emerges, it is weak, but it grows until it reaches perfection, just like the believers. Al-Shat'u (shoot) means the sprout. {فازره - then strengthens it} can mean the seed sent forth the shoot, and the shoot strengthened itself, which is stronger and more apparent. The discourse is complete at {delighting the sowers}.

And His saying: {that He may enrage by them the disbelievers}. This means Allah caused this growth to enrage the disbelievers, or the action being explained is the growth itself.

And His saying: {Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds}. This promise is to enrage the disbelievers. It is said, "May you choke on it," when someone is blessed despite the envy of others.

And His saying: {Among them are forgiveness and a great reward}. This specifies the category, not for partiality (i.e., not some believers get forgiveness). It could mean that the great reward is for the believers among the disbelievers (a weak interpretation), or that the great reward and forgiveness are for them. The concepts of great reward and forgiveness have been mentioned repeatedly.

There is a subtlety here: Regarding the bowers and prostrators, Allah said they {seek the bounty of Allah}, but for the believers generally, He said {a reward}. This is because when the believer acts, he does not regard his deed as worthy of a wage; he says, "I seek only Your bounty, for my deed is meager." Allah grants him what He grants and names it a reward, indicating the acceptance of his deed and that it is not considered meager by Allah such that the believer deserves no recompense. As previously mentioned, {Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds} explains that forgiveness is tied to belief—every believer is forgiven, as Allah says: {Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him in partnership, but He forgives what is less than that of whom He wills} (An-Nisa: 48). And the great reward is for righteous deeds. And Allah knows best.