Surah 48. Al-Fath

Those of the bedouin who stayed behind⁹ will say unto thee: "[The need to take care of] our chattels and our families kept us busy: do then, [O Prophet,] ask God to forgive us!" [Thus,] they will utter with their tongues something that is not in their hearts.¹⁰ Say: "Who, then, has it in his power to avert from you aught that God may have willed,¹¹ whether it be His will to harm you or to confer a benefit on you? Nay, but God is fully aware of what you do!

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "who were left behind": i.e., the bedouin belonging to the tribes of Ghifar, Muzaynah, Juhaynah, Ashja', Aslam and Dhayl, who, although allied with the Prophet and outwardly professing Islam, refused under various pretexts to accompany him on his march to Mecca (which resulted in the Truce of Hudaybiyyah), since they were convinced that the Meccans would give battle and destroy the unarmed Muslims (Zamakhshari). The excuses mentioned in the sequence were made after the Prophet's and his followers' successful return to Medina; hence the future tense, sayaqul.

Implying that the excuses which they would proffer would be purely hypocritical.

Lit., "has anything in his power [that could be obtained] in your behalf from God": a construction which, in order to become meaningful in translation, necessitates a paraphrase.

The beduin Arabs who stayed behind will soon say to you: "Our goods and families kept us occupied, so please ask forgiveness for us." They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Tell them: "Who can intervene on your behalf with Allah if it be His will to do you harm or He pleases to do you good? Allah is well aware of your actions.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Those of the wandering Arabs who were left behind will tell thee: Our possessions and our households occupied us, so ask forgiveness for us! They speak with their tongues that which is not in their hearts. Say: Who can avail you aught against Allah, if he intend you hurt or intend you profit? Nay, but Allah is ever Aware of what ye do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Nay, you thought that the Apostle and the believers would never return to their kith and kin: and this seemed goodly to your hearts.¹² And you entertained [such] evil thoughts because you have always been people devoid of all good!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Implying that the real sympathies of those bedouin were with the pagan Quraysh rather than with the Muslims.

Rather you thought that the Rasool and the believers would never return to their families; this fancy seemed pleasing to your hearts. You conceived evil thoughts and thus incurred damnation."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Nay, but ye deemed that the messenger and the believers would never return to their own folk, and that was made fair seeming in your hearts, and ye did think an evil thought, and ye were worthless folk.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Now as for those who will not believe in God and His Apostle - verily, We have readied a blazing flame for all [such] deniers of the truth!

  - Mohammad Asad

He who does not believe in Allah and His Rasool, We have prepared a blazing fire for such unbelievers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And as for him who believeth not in Allah and His messenger Lo! We have prepared a flame for disbelievers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But God's is the dominion over the heavens and the earth: He forgives whomever He wills, and imposes suffering on whomever He wills - and [withal,] He is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.¹³

  - Mohammad Asad

Implying that He may forgive even the most hardened sinners if they truly repent and mend their ways: an allusion to what the Prophet was to say according to verse {16}.

To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth: He forgives whom He pleases and He punishes whom He wills. Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. He forgiveth whom He will, and punisheth whom He will. And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

As soon as you [O believers] are about to set forth on a war that promises booty,¹⁴ those who stayed behind [aforetime] will surely say, "Allow us to go with you" - [thus showing that] they would like to alter the Word of God.¹⁵ Say: "By no means shall you go with us: God has declared aforetime¹⁶ [to whom all spoils shall belong]." Thereupon they will [surely] answer, "Nay, but you begrudge us [our share of booty]!" Nay, they can grasp but so little of the truth!

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "set forth to take booty": i.e., any expedition other than against the Quraysh of Mecca, with whom the Prophet had just concluded a truce. This is generally taken as an allusion to the forthcoming war against the Jews of Khaybar (in the year 7 H.), but the meaning may well be more general.

Evidently a reference to 8:1 - "All spoils of war belong to God and the Apostle" - which, as pointed out in note [1] on that verse, implies that no individual warrior can have any claim to the booty obtained in war. Moreover, fighting for the sake of booty contravenes the very principle of a "war in God's cause", which may be waged only in defence of faith or liberty (cf. surah {2}, note [167]), "until there is no more oppression and all worship is devoted to God alone" (see 2:193 and the corresponding note [170]). It is to these principles, too, that the Prophet's anticipated answer mentioned in the sequence, refers.

I.e., in the first verse of Al-Anfal, which was revealed in the year 2 H. (see preceding note).

When you set forth to take the spoils of war, those who stayed behind will say: "Let us come with you." They wish to change Allah's decree. Tell them plainly: "You shall not come with us. Allah has already said this before." Then they will say: "Nay! But you are jealous of us." Whereas there is no question of jealousy, but little do they understand such things.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Those who were left behind will say, when ye set forth to capture booty: Let us go with you. They fain would change the verdict of Allah. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Ye shall not go with us. Thus hath Allah said beforehand. Then they will say: Ye are envious of us. Nay, but they understand not, save a little.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say unto those bedouin who stayed behind: "In time you will be called upon [to fight] against people of great prowess in war:¹⁷ you will have to fight against them [until you die] or they surrender. And then, if you heed [that call], God will bestow on you a goodly reward; but if you turn away as you turned away this time,¹⁸ He will chastise you with grievous chastisement.

  - Mohammad Asad

This is evidently a prophecy relating to the future wars against Byzantium and Persia.

Lit., "before", i.e., at the time of the expedition which resulted in the Truce of Hudaybiyyah.

Tell the beduin Arabs who stayed behind: "You shall soon be called upon to fight against a mighty people then either you will fight or they will embrace Islam. Then if you obey, Allah will grant you a good reward, but if you turn away as you have done before, He will inflict on you a painful penalty."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say unto those of the wandering Arabs who were left behind: Ye will be called against a folk of mighty prowess, to fight them until they surrender; and if ye obey, Allah will give you a fair reward; but if ye turn away as ye did turn away before, He will punish you with a painful doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

No blame attaches to the blind, nor does blame attach to the lame, nor does blame attach to the sick [for staying away from a war in God's cause];¹⁹ but whoever heeds [the call of] God and His Apostle [in deed or in heart²⁰], him will He admit into gardens through which running waters flow; whereas him who turns away will He chastise with grievous chastisement.

  - Mohammad Asad

These three categories circumscribe metonymically all kinds of infirmities or disabilities which may prevent a person from actively participating in a war in God's cause.

This latter applies, by obvious implication, to such as are unable to participate in the fighting physically, but are in their hearts with those who fight.

There is no blame on the blind, the lame, and the sick if they stay behind. He that obeys Allah and His Rasool shall be admitted to gardens beneath which the rivers flow, and he that turns away shall be punished with a painful punishment.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

There is no blame for the blind, nor is there blame for the lame, nor is there blame for the sick (that they go not forth to war). And whoso obeyeth Allah and His messenger, He will make him enter Gardens underneath which rivers flow; and whoso turneth back, him will He punish with a painful doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

INDEED, well-pleased was God with the believers when they pledged their allegiance unto thee [O Muhammad] under that tree,²¹ for He knew what was in their hearts; and so He bestowed inner peace upon them from on high, and rewarded them with [the glad tiding of] a victory soon to come²²

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., at Hudaybiyyah (see introductory note).

Most of the commentators assume that this relates to the conquest of Khaybar, which took place a few months after the Truce of Hudaybiyyah. It is probable, however, that the implication is much wider than that - namely, a prophecy of the almost bloodless conquest of Mecca in the year 8 H., the victorious establishment of Islam in all of Arabia and, finally, the tremendous expansion of the Islamic Commonwealth under the Prophet's immediate successors.

Allah was well pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquillity upon them and He rewarded them with a speedy victory,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah was well pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance unto thee beneath the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down peace of reassurance on them, and hath rewarded them with a near victory;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and [of] many war-gains which they would achieve: for God is indeed almighty, wise.

  - Mohammad Asad

and many spoils which they will soon acquire. Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And much booty that they will capture. Allah is ever Mighty, Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[O you who believe!] God has promised you many war-gains which you shall yet achieve; and He has vouchsafed you these [worldly gains] well in advance,²³ and has stayed from you the hands of [hostile] people, so that this [your inner strength] may become a symbol to the believers [who will come after you²⁴], and that He may guide you all on a straight way.

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "of what is to come to you in the hereafter".

Thus Razi.

Allah has promised you many spoils which you shall acquire, and has given you these spoils of Khayber with all promptness. He has restrained the hands of enemies from you, so that it may serve as a sign to the believers and that He may guide you to the Right Way.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah promiseth you much booty that ye will capture, and hath given you this in advance, and hath withheld men's hands from you, that it may be a token for the believers, and that He may guide you on a right path.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And there are yet other [gains] which are still beyond your grasp,²⁵ [but] which God has already encompassed [for you]: for God has the power to will anything.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., the achievement of final bliss in the life to come.

Besides, He promises you other spoils as well, which are not yet within your reach but Allah has surely encompassed them. Allah has power over everything.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And other (gain), which ye have not been able to achieve, Allah will compass it. Allah is Able to do all things.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And [now,] if they who are bent on denying the truth should fight against you, they will indeed turn their backs [in flight], and will find none to protect them and none to bring them succour:²⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

This divine promise was fulfilled in the unbroken sequence of Muslim victories after the Truce of Hudaybiyyah, ultimately leading to the establishment of an empire which extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the confines of China. - For the conditional nature of the above promise, see note [82] on 3:111 .

Even if the unbelievers had fought with you, they would have been put to flight, and would have not found any protector or helper.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if those who disbelieve join battle with you they will take to flight, and afterward they will find no protecting friend nor helper.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

such being God's way which has ever obtained in the past - and never wilt thou find any change in God's way!²⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

This reference to "God's way" (sunnat Allah) is twofold: on the one hand, "you are bound to rise high if you are [truly] believers" ( 3:139 ), and, on the other, "God does not change men's condition unless they change their inner selves" ( 13:11 ), in both the positive and negative connotations of the concept of "change".

Such has been the practice of Allah in the past; and you shall find no change in the practice of Allah.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

It is the law of Allah which hath taken course aforetime. Thou wilt not find for the law of Allah aught of power to change.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And He it is who, in the valley of Mecca, stayed their hands from you, and your hands from them, after He had enabled you to vanquish them; and God saw indeed what you were doing.²⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

Shortly before the Truce of Hudaybiyyah was concluded, a detachment of Quraysh warriors - variously estimated at between thirty and eighty men - attacked the Prophet's camp, but his practically unarmed followers overcame them and took them prisoner; after the signing of the treaty the Prophet released them unharmed (Muslim, Nasa'i, Tabari).

It is He Who has restrained their hands from you and your hands from them in the valley of Makkah, through the Peace Treaty of Hudeybiyah, after that He had given you victory over them, and Allah was watching all your actions.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And He it is Who hat withheld men's hands from you, and hath withheld your hands from them, in the valley of Mecca, after He had made you victors over them. Allah is Seer of what ye do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[It was not for your enemies' sake that He stayed your hands from them:²⁹ for] it was they who were bent on denying the truth, and who debarred you from the Inviolable House of Worship³⁰ and prevented your offering from reaching its destination.³¹ And had it not been for the believing men and believing women [in Mecca], whom you might have unwittingly trampled underfoot,³² and on whose account you might have become guilty, without knowing it, of a grievous wrong -: [had it not been for this, you would have been allowed to fight your way into the city: but you were forbidden to fight³³] so that [in time] God might admit to His grace whomever He wills.³⁴ Had they [who deserve Our mercy and they whom We have condemned] been clearly discernible [to you],³⁵ We would indeed have imposed grievous suffering [at your hands] on such of them as were bent on denying the truth.

  - Mohammad Asad

This interpolation is based on Razi's explanation of the connection between this and the preceding verse.

I.e., the Ka'bah, which, until the year 7 H., the Muslims were not allowed to approach.

See surah {2}, note [175].

I.e., killed. After the Prophet's and his followers' exodus to Medina, a number of Meccans both men and women - had embraced Islam, but had been prevented by the pagan Quraysh from emigrating (Tabari, Zamakhshari). Their identities were not generally known to the Muslims of Medina.

Thus Zamakhshari, supported by Razi, Ibn Kathir, and other commentators.

I.e., so that the believers might be spared, and that in time many a pagan Meccan might embrace Islam, as actually happened.

Lit., "had they been separated from one another": i.e., the believers and the pagans among the Meccans. In its wider sense, the above implies that man never really knows whether another human being deserves God's grace or condemnation.

They are the ones who disbelieved and obstructed you from the Masjid-al-Haram (Sacred Mosque - Ka'bah) and prevented your offerings from reaching their destination. Had there not been believing men and believing women in the city of Makkah, whom you did not know, and their possibility of being trampled under your feet and thus incurred unwitting guilt on their account. Allah would have allowed you to fight, but He held back your hands, so that He may admit to His mercy whom He will. Had the believers stood apart from them, We would certainly have punished the disbelievers among them with painful punishment.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

These it was who disbelieved and debarred you from the Inviolable Place of Worship, and debarred the offering from reaching its goal. And if it had not been for believing men and believing women, whom ye know not--lest ye should tread them under foot and thus incur guilt for them unknowingly; that Allah might bring into His mercy whom He will--If (the believers and the disbelievers) had been clearly separated We verily had punished those of them who disbelieved with painful punishment.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall