Surah 48. Al-Fath

VERILY, [O Muhammad,] We have laid before thee a manifest victory,¹

  - Mohammad Asad

Namely, the moral victory achieved by the Truce of Hudaybiyyah, which opened the doors to the subsequent triumph of Islam in Arabia (see introductory note, which explains many allusions to this historic event found in the subsequent verses).

O Prophet, Surely We have granted you a manifest victory in the shape of a Treaty concluded at Hudeybiyah,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Indeed, We have granted you a clear triumph 'O Prophet'¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 This Medinian sûrah takes its name from the clear triumph (i.e., Treaty of Ḥudaibiyah) in verse 1. The Prophet (ﷺ) and 1400 of his companions travelled to Mecca to perform the minor pilgrimage (’umrah) in 6 A.H./628 C.E. He (ﷺ) sent ’Uthmân ibn ’Affân to let the Meccans know that the Muslims had come in peace, only to visit the Sacred House. When the Meccans delayed ’Uthmân, the Prophet (ﷺ) thought they might have killed his envoy. So he (ﷺ) called upon the faithful to pledge allegiance to him under a tree at Ḥudaibiyah in the outskirts of Mecca. Shortly after, ’Uthmân returned safely and a peace agreement was signed by the Muslims and Meccan pagans, stating in part that the Muslims would have to return to Medina and come back next year for ’umrah. The Treaty of Ḥudaibiyah is described as a clear triumph since it established peace, temporarily diffused the tension between the Muslims and the Meccan pagans, and gave the Muslims plenty of time to spread awareness and understanding of their faith. Thousands from different tribes accepted Islam during that truce.

Lo! We have given thee (O Muhammad) a signal victory,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Verily We have granted thee a manifest Victory: ⁴⁸⁶⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This is best referred to the Treaty of Hudaibiya, for which see the Introduction to this Sura. By this Treaty the Makkan Quraish, after many years of unrelenting conflict with Islam, at length recognised Islam as (what they thought) an equal power with themselves. In reality the door was then opened for the free spread of Islam throughout Arabia and thence through the world.

so that God might show His forgiveness of all thy faults, past as well as future,² and [thus] bestow upon thee the full measure of His blessings, and guide thee on a straight way,³

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "so that God might forgive thee all that is past of thy sins and all that is yet to come" - thus indicating elliptically that freedom from faults is an exclusive prerogative of God, and that every human being, however exalted, is bound to err on occasion.

Sc., "to a fulfilment of thy mission", which the Truce of Hudaybiyyah clearly presaged.

so that Allah may forgive your past as well as your future sins, and may perfect His blessings upon you, and keep you on the Right Way,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

so that Allah may forgive you for your past and future shortcomings,¹ perfect His favour upon you, guide you along the Straight Path,

  - Mustafa Khattab

 See footnote for 47:19.

That Allah may forgive thee of thy sin that which is past and that which is to come, and may perfect His favor unto thee, and may guide thee on a right path,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

That Allah may forgive thee thy faults of the past and those to follow; fulfil His favor to thee; and guide thee on the Straight Way; ⁴⁸⁶⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See n. 4428 to xi. 55, and Cf. xlvii, 19. Any mistakes of the past were now rectified, and any future ones prevented by the free scope now offered, by the act of the Quraish Pagans themselves, to the recognition and free promulgation of Islam.

and [show] that God will succour thee with [His] mighty succour.

  - Mohammad Asad

and that Allah may bestow on you His mighty help.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

and so that Allah will help you tremendously.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And that Allah may help thee with strong help--

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And that Allah may help thee with powerful help. ⁴⁸⁶⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Three objects or results of the Treaty are mentioned: (1) forgiveness, which is equivalent to Mercy, (2) fulfilment of the dignity of Prophethood with the dignity of an effective and recognised position in Arabia; (3) opening up a straight way leading to Islam, by access to Makkah from next year, Makkah being the symbolic centre of Islam. These three are summed up in the comprehensive phrase "powerful (or effective) help".

It is He who from on high has bestowed inner peace upon the hearts of the believers,⁴ so that seeing that God's are all the forces of the heavens and the earth, and that God is all-knowing, truly wise - they might grow yet more firm in their faith,⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., endowed them, although they were few and practically unarmed, with calm courage in the face of the much more powerful forces of the enemy.

Lit., "so that they might add faith to their faith, seeing that God's are . .", etc. Since the latter is obviously a parenthetic clause, I have transposed it in my rendering in order to make the meaning clear.

It was He who sent down tranquillity into the hearts of the believers, so that they may add more faith to their Faith. To Allah belong the forces of the heavens and the earth. Allah is All-Knowledgeable, All-Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He is the One Who sent down serenity upon the hearts of the believers so that they may increase even more in their faith. To Allah 'alone' belong the forces of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

  - Mustafa Khattab

He it is Who sent down peace of reassurance into the hearts of the believers that they might add faith unto their faith. Allah's are the hosts of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is ever Knower, Wise--

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

It is He who sent down Tranquillity into the hearts of the Believers that they may Add Faith to their Faith; for to Allah belong the Forces of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom; ^{4869 4870 4871}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The results were achieved by tranquillity, calmness, and cool courage among the 1400 to 1500 unarmed men who accompanied the Prophet to Hudaibiya and who were threatened with violence by the excited Quraish leaders of Makkah.

It is a casuistical question to ask. Are there degrees in Faith? The plain meaning is that believers will see one Sign of Allah after another, and with each their Faith is confirmed. During all the long years of persecution and conflict they had Faith, but when they see their old enemies actually coming out to negotiate with them, their Faith is justified, fulfilled, and confirmed: and they turn in gratitude to Allah.

There are visible forces which you see in the physical world. Men fight with armed forces, and the Muslims had to defend themselves with arms also, and not without success.

[and] that He might admit the believers, both men and women, into gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide, and that He might efface their [past bad] deeds: and that is, in the sight of God, indeed a triumph supreme!

  - Mohammad Asad

He has caused you to do as you have done, so that He may admit the believing men and believing women into the gardens beneath which rivers flow, to live therein forever and remove their ills from them; and that is the highest achievement for men in the sight of Allah.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So He may admit believing men and women into Gardens under which rivers flow- to stay there forever- and absolve them of their sins. And that is a supreme achievement in the sight of Allah.

  - Mustafa Khattab

That He may bring the believing men and the believing women into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide, and may remit from them their evil deeds.--That, in the sight of Allah, is the supreme triumph--

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

That He may admit the men and women who believe to Gardens beneath which rivers flow to dwell therein for aye and remove their ills from them; and that is in the sight of Allah the highest achievement (For man) ⁴⁸⁷²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This clause is coordinated to the previous clause, "'That they may add Faith to their Faith". The intervening words, "For to Allah...and Wisdom" are parenthetical. The third coordinate clause comes in the next verse, "And that He may punish...". The skeleton construction will be, "Allah sends down calm courage to Believers in order that they may be confirmed in their Faith; that they may qualify for the Bliss of Heaven; and that the evil ones may receive the punishment they deserve."