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Medinan · Surah 8 of 114

Al-Anfaal 8:66

The Spoils of War · ayah 66 of 75

ٱلْـَٰٔنَ خَفَّفَ ٱللَّهُ عَنكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفًۭا ۚ فَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُم مِّا۟ئَةٌۭ صَابِرَةٌۭ يَغْلِبُوا۟ مِا۟ئَتَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُمْ أَلْفٌۭ يَغْلِبُوٓا۟ أَلْفَيْنِ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ

Al-ana khaffafa Allahu AAankumwaAAalima anna feekum daAAfan fa-in yakun minkum mi-atun sabiratunyaghliboo mi-atayni wa-in yakun minkum alfun yaghliboo alfaynibi-ithni Allahi wallahu maAAa assabireen

"Now, Allāh has lightened [the hardship] for you, and He knows that among you is weakness. So if there are from you one hundred [who are] steadfast, they will overcome two hundred. And if there are among you a thousand, they will overcome two thousand by permission of Allāh. And Allāh is with the steadfast."

Saheeh International translation

Recitation by Mishary Alafasy
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Other English translations

Abdel Haleem (Oxford)+

"But God has lightened your burden for now, knowing that there is weakness in you––a steadfast hundred of you will defeat two hundred and a steadfast thousand of you will defeat two thousand, by God’s permission: God is with the steadfast."

Pickthall (classic)+

"Now hath Allah lightened your burden, for He knoweth that there is weakness in you. So if there be of you a steadfast hundred they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a thousand (steadfast) they shall overcome two thousand by permission of Allah. Allah is with the steadfast."

Yusuf Ali (classic)+

"For the present, Allah hath lightened your (task), for He knoweth that there is a weak spot in you: But (even so), if there are a hundred of you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred, and if a thousand, they will vanquish two thousand, with the leave of Allah: for Allah is with those who patiently persevere."

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Ibn Kathir

Abridged English, public domain

+

Encouraging Believers to fight in Jihad; the Good News that a Few Muslims can overcome a Superior Enemy Force

Allah encourages His Prophet and the believers to fight and struggle against the enemy, and wage war against their forces. Allah affirms that He will suffice, aid, support, and help the believers against their enemies, even if their enemies are numerous and have sufficient supplies, while the believers are few. Allah said,

يَـأَيُّهَا النَّبِىُّ حَرِّضِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى الْقِتَالِ

(O Prophet! Urge the believers to fight), encouraged and called them to fight. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to encourage the Companions to fight when they faced the enemy. On the day of Badr when the idolators came with their forces and supplies, he said to his Companions,

«قُومُوا إِلَى جَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَوَاتُ وَالْأَرْض»

(Get ready and march forth towards a Paradise as wide as the heavens and earth.)

`Umayr bin Al-Humam said, "As wide as the heavens and earth" The Messenger ﷺ said,

«نَعَم»

(Yes) `Umayr said, "Excellent! Excellent!" The Messenger ﷺ asked him,

«مَا يَحْمِلُكَ عَلَى قَوْلِكَ: بَخٍ بَخ»

(What makes you say, `Excellent! Excellent!') He said, "The hope that I might be one of its dwellers." The Prophet said,

«فَإِنَّكَ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا»

(You are one of its people.) Umayr went ahead, broke the scabbard of his sword, took some dates and started eating from them. He then threw the dates from his hand, saying, "Verily, if I lived until I finished eating these dates, then it is indeed a long life." He went ahead, fought and was killed, may Allah be pleased with him.

Allah said next, commanding the believers and conveying good news to them,

إِن يَكُن مِّنكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَـبِرُونَ يَغْلِبُواْ مِاْئَتَيْنِ وَإِن يَكُنْ مُّنكُمْ مِّاْئَةٌ يَغْلِبُواْ أَلْفًا مِّنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ

(If there are twenty steadfast persons among you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there be a hundred steadfast persons, they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve.)

The Ayah says, one Muslim should endure ten disbelievers. Allah abrogated this part later on, but the good news remained. `Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak said that Jarir bin Hazim narrated to them that, Az-Zubayr bin Al-Khirrit narrated to him, from `Ikrimah, from Ibn `Abbas, "When this verse was revealed,

إِن يَكُن مِّنكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَـبِرُونَ يَغْلِبُواْ مِاْئَتَيْنِ

(If there are twenty steadfast persons among you, they will overcome two hundred...) it became difficult for the Muslims, when Allah commanded that one Muslim is required to endure ten idolators. Soon after, this matter was made easy,

الَـنَ خَفَّفَ اللَّهُ عَنكُمْ

(Now Allah has lightened your (task)), until,

يَغْلِبُواْ مِاْئَتَيْنِ

(they shall overcome two hundred. ..)

Allah lowered the number of adversaries that Muslims are required to endure, and thus, made the required patience less, compatible to the decrease in numbers." Al-Bukhari recorded a similar narration from Ibn Al-Mubarak. Muhammad bin Ishaq recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "When this Ayah was revealed, it was difficult for the Muslims, for they thought it was burdensome since twenty should fight two hundred, and a hundred against a thousand. Allah made this ruling easy for them and abrogated this Ayah with another Ayah,

الَـنَ خَفَّفَ اللَّهُ عَنكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفاً

(Now Allah has lightened your (task), for He knows that there is weakness in you...)

Thereafter, if Muslims were half as many as their enemy, they were not allowed to run away from them. If the Muslims were fewer than that, they were not obligated to fight the disbelievers and thus allowed to avoid hostilities."

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8:65
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Tafsir Saʿdi

English translation, public domain

+
Аллах облегчил обязанности правоверных, поскольку Ему известно об их слабости. Милосердие и мудрость побудили Его облегчить упомянутое ранее предписание, и Он сообщил, что отныне сто терпеливых мусульман могут одолеть двести неверующих, а тысяча терпеливых мусульман - две тысячи неверующих. Аллах не покидает терпеливых, постоянно оказывая им помощь и поддержку. Этот и предыдущий аяты повествуют о том, что если численность войск правоверных достигает определенного количества, то они могут разгромить определенное количество неверующих. В них также сообщается, что Аллах почтил правоверных отвагой, которая связана с их верой. Однако истинный смысл этих откровений в том, что поначалу Аллах запретил одному мусульманину убегать от десяти неверующих, десяти мусульманам - от сотни неверующих, а сотни мусульман - от тысячи неверующих. Затем Аллах облегчил это предписание и запретил мусульманам убегать от неверующих, численность которых в два раза превосходит численность мусульман. Если же численность неверующих превосходит численность мусульман более чем в два раза, то им разрешается отступить. Однако это утверждение опровергается двумя обстоятельствами. Во-первых, обсуждаемые нами откровения имеют повествовательную форму, и любое повествование следует рассматривать только в упомянутом контексте. Следовательно, в этих аятах Аллах напомнил рабам о Своей милости и сообщил о том, что может произойти. Во-вторых, в этих аятах говорится об определенном количестве терпеливых воинов, которые приучены проявлять стойкость в различных ситуациях. Следовательно, если воины не являются терпеливыми, то им разрешается отступить, если они считают, что продолжение боя может обернуться для них поражением, если даже противник превосходит их по численности войск менее чем в два раза. Безусловно, такое толкование соответствует божественной мудрости, однако его можно опровергнуть. Первое утверждение опровергается словами Аллаха о том, что Он облегчил бремя мусульман. Это означает, что упомянутое в аяте предписание является окончательным и должно выполняться. И если Аллах сказал, что Он облегчил обязанности мусульман, то ниспосланное откровение является Божьим приказом, если даже оно имеет повествовательную форму. Также следует отметить, что повествовательная форма откровения придает этому предписанию удивительную особенность, которой оно лишилось бы, если бы данный аят был ниспослан в повелительной форме. Эта особенность заключается в том, что Аллах укрепил сердца правоверных и сообщил о том, что они непременно одержат верх над неверующими. Второе утверждение опровергается тем, что упоминание о терпеливых воинах лишь призывает мусульман к терпению и обязывает их совершать поступки, помогающие им стать стойкими и терпеливыми. Если мусульмане станут совершать такие поступки, то духовные и материальные обстоятельства будут свидетельствовать о том, что они по воле Аллаха одержат победу даже малым числом.

Maʿārif al-Qur'ān

Mufti Shafi Usmani, English

+

In the fourth verse (66), by abrogating this injunction for future, the second injunction given was:

الْآنَ خَفَّفَ اللَّـهُ عَنكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفًا ۚ فَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُم مِّائَةٌ صَابِرَ‌ةٌ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُمْ أَلْفٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفَيْنِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّـهِ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِ‌ينَ ﴿66﴾

Now Allah has made it easy on you and He knew that there is weakness in you. So, if there are one hundred among you, who are patient, they will overcome two hundred - 8:66.

Here too, the purpose is to order that it is not permissible for one hundred Muslims to avoid fighting against two hundred disbelievers. It will be recalled that, in the first verse (65), the avoidance of one Muslim to fight against ten was declared to be forbidden. Here, in this verse (66), the avoidance of one against two was all that remained forbidden. And this is the last and final injunction which is operative forever and shall continue as such.

Here too, the command does not appear in the usual style of a command. Instead, the manner used is that of glad tidings which indicates that asking one Muslim to go out and stand firm against two disbelievers was, God forbid, no injustice or coercion. To be honest, Allah Ta` ala has Himself placed in a Muslim person - because of his 'Iman or Faith - a special power that one of them turns out to be equal to two.

But, at both places, the glad tidings about this support and victory has been made subject to the condition that these Muslims should be observers of patience and fortitude. It is obvious that standing steadfast while endangering one's dear life in fighting and killing on a battlefield is a feat which can be performed only by a person whose 'Iman is perfect - because, perfect 'Iman generates enthusiasm for surrendering one's life in the way of Allah and this enthusiasm multiplies his combat strength a lot more.

Towards the end of the verse, it was in the manner of a general principle that it was stated: وَاللَّـهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِ‌ينَ (And Allah is with the patient - 66). Included here, there are those who remain steadfast in the battlefield as well as those who keep following the usual injunctions of the Shari’ ah strictly. The promise of Divine company stands good for all of them and in this state of His being with one and all of them lies the real secret of their victory - because, whoever has the good fortune of having the company of the Absolute Master simply cannot be moved away from the station of duty by anyone, not even by the whole world in unison.

Tafsīr sourced from quran.com's open API. These are classical commentaries; for personal rulings consult a qualified scholar.

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