Surah Al-Fath 48:7
ﲠ ﲡ ﲢ ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ ﲧ ﲨ
And to Allah belong the soldiers of the heavens and the earth. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise.
Tafsir of Al-Fath 48:4-7
Tafsir
Al-Kashshaf
Verse range: 48:4-7
{ السكينة } (Al-Sakīnah) It is tranquility (*al-sukūn*), similar to *al-buhtiyyah* for *al-buhtān* (false accusation). It means: God sent down into their hearts tranquility and peace of mind due to the reconciliation and security. This was so they might recognize God’s grace upon them in facilitating security after fear, and a truce after fighting, so that they might increase in certainty upon their certainty.
He sent down into it (the hearts) tranquility regarding the laws brought by Muhammad, peace be upon him, { ليزدادوا إيمانا } (so they may increase in faith) in the laws, added to their existing faith, which is the Oneness of God (al-tawḥīd).
Ibn Abbas (may God be pleased with them both) said: The first thing the Prophet (peace be upon him) brought them was al-tawḥīd. When they believed in God alone, He sent down the prayer and the zakat, then the pilgrimage, then jihad, so they increased in faith upon their faith.
Alternatively, it means He sent down into them reverence and greatness for God (Almighty and Majestic) and for His Messenger, so that by believing in that, they might increase in faith upon their faith. It is also said: He sent down mercy into them so they would be merciful to one another, thereby increasing their faith.
{ ولله جنود السماوات والارض } (And to God belong the soldiers of the heavens and the earth) He empowers some over others as His knowledge and wisdom dictate. Among His decrees was that He calmed the hearts of the believers with the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and promised them victory. He only decreed this so that the believers would recognize God’s blessing in it and be grateful for it, thus becoming deserving of reward. So, He rewards them and punishes the disbelievers and the hypocrites for the rage and hatred they felt regarding it.
{ ظن السوء } (The assumption of evil) *Al-sū’* (evil) is an expression for the badness and corruption of a thing, while *al-ṣidq* (truth/goodness) is for its quality and soundness. Thus, it is said of the righteous deeds of the pious: "a deed of *ṣidq*," and of the detestable, corrupt deeds: "a deed of *sū’*."
The meaning of { ظن السوء } is their assumption that God Almighty would not grant victory to the Messenger and the believers, and would not return them to Mecca as victors and conquerors by force and might.
{ عليهم دائرة السوء } (Upon them is a circle of evil) Meaning: What they assume and await for the believers will actually befall them and circle back upon them. *Al-sū’* here is destruction and ruin. It is also recited as *dā’irat al-saw’* (with a fatha), meaning: the circle which they condemn and despise; to them, it is a circle of evil, while to the believers, it is a circle of truth.
If you ask: Is there a difference between al-sū’ (with a fatha) and al-sū’ (with a damma)? I say: They are like al-kurh and al-karh, al-du’f and al-da’f, derived from sā’a. However, the form with the fatha is predominantly used to attribute blame to anything intended to be condemned. As for al-sū’ with the damma, it functions like al-sharr (evil), which is the opposite of al-khayr (good). It is said: "He intended sū’ for him" and "He intended khayr for him." That is why the "assumption" was attributed to the form with the fatha, because it is blameworthy. The "circle" was praiseworthy, so it should not have been attributed to it except under the interpretation we mentioned. As for dā’irat al-sū’ (with the damma), it is because what befell them was detestable and severe, so it is correct to apply the name sū’ to it, as in His saying (Almighty and Majestic): { If He intends evil for you or intends mercy for you } (Al-Ahzab: 17).