Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 33 Al-Ahzab, Ayat 9-27

يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوا اذۡكُرُوۡا نِعۡمَةَ اللّٰهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ اِذۡ جَآءَتۡكُمۡ جُنُوۡدٌ فَاَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ رِيۡحًا وَّجُنُوۡدًا لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَا​ ؕ وَكَانَ اللّٰهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ بَصِيۡرًا ۚ‏ ﴿33:9﴾ اِذۡ جَآءُوۡكُمۡ مِّنۡ فَوۡقِكُمۡ وَمِنۡ اَسۡفَلَ مِنۡكُمۡ وَاِذۡ زَاغَتِ الۡاَبۡصَارُ وَبَلَغَتِ الۡقُلُوۡبُ الۡحَـنَـاجِرَ وَتَظُنُّوۡنَ بِاللّٰهِ الظُّنُوۡنَا ؕ‏ ﴿33:10﴾ هُنَالِكَ ابۡتُلِىَ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ وَزُلۡزِلُوۡا زِلۡزَالًا شَدِيۡدًا‏ ﴿33:11﴾ وَاِذۡ يَقُوۡلُ الۡمُنٰفِقُوۡنَ وَالَّذِيۡنَ فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِهِمۡ مَّرَضٌ مَّا وَعَدَنَا اللّٰهُ وَرَسُوۡلُهٗۤ اِلَّا غُرُوۡرًا‏ ﴿33:12﴾ وَاِذۡ قَالَتۡ طَّآئِفَةٌ مِّنۡهُمۡ يٰۤـاَهۡلَ يَثۡرِبَ لَا مُقَامَ لَكُمۡ فَارۡجِعُوۡا​ ۚ وَيَسۡتَاۡذِنُ فَرِيۡقٌ مِّنۡهُمُ النَّبِىَّ يَقُوۡلُوۡنَ اِنَّ بُيُوۡتَنَا عَوۡرَة​ٌ  ​ۛؕ وَمَا هِىَ بِعَوۡرَةٍ  ۛۚ اِنۡ يُّرِيۡدُوۡنَ اِلَّا فِرَارًا‏  ﴿33:13﴾ وَلَوۡ دُخِلَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡ مِّنۡ اَقۡطَارِهَا ثُمَّ سُـئِلُوا الۡفِتۡنَةَ لَاٰتَوۡهَا وَمَا تَلَبَّثُوۡا بِهَاۤ اِلَّا يَسِيۡرًا‏ ﴿33:14﴾ وَلَقَدۡ كَانُوۡا عَاهَدُوا اللّٰهَ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ لَا يُوَلُّوۡنَ الۡاَدۡبَارَ​ ؕ وَكَانَ عَهۡدُ اللّٰهِ مَسۡـُٔوۡلًا‏ ﴿33:15﴾ قُلْ لَّنۡ يَّنۡفَعَكُمُ الۡفِرَارُ اِنۡ فَرَرۡتُمۡ مِّنَ الۡمَوۡتِ اَوِ الۡقَتۡلِ وَاِذًا لَّا تُمَتَّعُوۡنَ اِلَّا قَلِيۡلًا‏ ﴿33:16﴾ قُلۡ مَنۡ ذَا الَّذِىۡ يَعۡصِمُكُمۡ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ اِنۡ اَرَادَ بِكُمۡ سُوۡٓءًا اَوۡ اَرَادَ بِكُمۡ رَحۡمَةً ​ؕ وَلَا يَجِدُوۡنَ لَهُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ وَلِيًّا وَّلَا نَصِيۡرًا‏ ﴿33:17﴾ قَدۡ يَعۡلَمُ اللّٰهُ الۡمُعَوِّقِيۡنَ مِنۡكُمۡ وَالۡقَآئِلِيۡنَ لِاِخۡوَانِهِمۡ هَلُمَّ اِلَيۡنَا​ ۚ وَلَا يَاۡتُوۡنَ الۡبَاۡسَ اِلَّا قَلِيۡلًا ۙ‏ ﴿33:18﴾ اَشِحَّةً عَلَيۡكُمۡ ​​ۖۚ فَاِذَا جَآءَ الۡخَوۡفُ رَاَيۡتَهُمۡ يَنۡظُرُوۡنَ اِلَيۡكَ تَدُوۡرُ اَعۡيُنُهُمۡ كَالَّذِىۡ يُغۡشٰى عَلَيۡهِ مِنَ الۡمَوۡتِ​ ۚ فَاِذَا ذَهَبَ الۡخَـوۡفُ سَلَقُوۡكُمۡ بِاَ لۡسِنَةٍ حِدَادٍ اَشِحَّةً عَلَى الۡخَيۡـرِ​ ؕ اُولٰٓـئِكَ لَمۡ يُؤۡمِنُوۡا فَاَحۡبَطَ اللّٰهُ اَعۡمَالَهُمۡ​ ؕ وَكَانَ ذٰ لِكَ عَلَى اللّٰهِ يَسِيۡرًا‏ ﴿33:19﴾ يَحۡسَبُوۡنَ الۡاَحۡزَابَ لَمۡ يَذۡهَبُوۡا​ ۚ وَاِنۡ يَّاۡتِ الۡاَحۡزَابُ يَوَدُّوۡا لَوۡ اَنَّهُمۡ بَادُوۡنَ فِى الۡاَعۡرَابِ يَسۡـاَ لُوۡنَ عَنۡ اَنۡۢبَآئِكُمۡ​ ؕ وَلَوۡ كَانُوۡا فِيۡكُمۡ مَّا قٰتَلُوۡۤا اِلَّا قَلِيۡلًا‏ ﴿33:20﴾ لَقَدۡ كَانَ لَكُمۡ فِىۡ رَسُوۡلِ اللّٰهِ اُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَنۡ كَانَ يَرۡجُوا اللّٰهَ وَالۡيَوۡمَ الۡاٰخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللّٰهَ كَثِيۡرًا ؕ‏ ﴿33:21﴾ وَلَمَّا رَاَ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ الۡاَحۡزَابَ ۙ قَالُوۡا هٰذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا اللّٰهُ وَرَسُوۡلُهٗ وَ صَدَقَ اللّٰهُ وَرَسُوۡلُهٗ وَمَا زَادَهُمۡ اِلَّاۤ اِيۡمَانًـا وَّتَسۡلِيۡمًا ؕ‏ ﴿33:22﴾ مِنَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوۡا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللّٰهَ عَلَيۡهِ​ۚ فَمِنۡهُمۡ مَّنۡ قَضٰى نَحۡبَهٗ وَمِنۡهُمۡ مَّنۡ يَّنۡتَظِرُ​ ۖ  وَمَا بَدَّلُوۡا تَبۡدِيۡلًا ۙ‏ ﴿33:23﴾ لِّيَجۡزِىَ اللّٰهُ الصّٰدِقِيۡنَ بِصِدۡقِهِمۡ وَيُعَذِّبَ الۡمُنٰفِقِيۡنَ اِنۡ شَآءَ اَوۡ يَتُوۡبَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ​ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ كَانَ غَفُوۡرًا رَّحِيۡمًا ۚ‏ ﴿33:24﴾ وَرَدَّ اللّٰهُ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا بِغَيۡظِهِمۡ لَمۡ يَنَالُوۡا خَيۡرًا​ ؕ وَكَفَى اللّٰهُ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ الۡقِتَالَ​ ؕ وَكَانَ اللّٰهُ قَوِيًّا عَزِيۡزًا ۚ‏ ﴿33:25﴾ وَاَنۡزَلَ الَّذِيۡنَ ظَاهَرُوۡهُمۡ مِّنۡ اَهۡلِ الۡكِتٰبِ مِنۡ صَيَاصِيۡهِمۡ وَقَذَفَ فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِهِمُ الرُّعۡبَ فَرِيۡقًا تَقۡتُلُوۡنَ وَتَاۡسِرُوۡنَ فَرِيۡقًا ۚ‏ ﴿33:26﴾ وَاَوۡرَثَكُمۡ اَرۡضَهُمۡ وَدِيَارَهُمۡ وَ اَمۡوَالَهُمۡ وَاَرۡضًا لَّمۡ تَطَـُٔوۡهَا​ ؕ وَكَانَ اللّٰهُ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ قَدِيۡرًا‏ ﴿33:27﴾

(33:9) Believers,18 call to mind Allah's favour to you when enemy hosts invaded you. Then We sent against them a wind and hosts that you did not see although19 Allah was observing all that you were then doing. (33:10) When they came upon you from above you and from below you,20 when your eyes were stupefied with horror and your hearts leapt to your throats, and you began to entertain diverse thoughts about Allah. (33:11) The believers were then put to a severe test and were most violently convulsed.21 (33:12) And call to mind when the hypocrites and all those with diseased hearts said: “All that Allah and His Messenger had promised us22 was nothing but deceit.” (33:13) And when a section of them said: “(O people of Yathrib), now there is no place for you to stay, so turn back.”23 (And call to mind) when a section of them was seeking permission from the Prophet to leave, saying: “Our houses are exposed (to attack),”24 although they were not exposed (to attack); 25 they only wished to flee (from the battle-front). (33:14) If the enemy were to enter the town from various directions, and they were summoned to act treacherously,26 they would have succumbed to it and would have shown little reluctance in doing so. (33:15) They had earlier covenanted with Allah that they would not turn their backs in flight. And a covenant made with Allah must needs be answered for.27 (33:16) (O Prophet), tell them: “If you run away from death or slaying, this flight will not avail you. You will have little time after that to enjoy28 (the pleasures of life).” (33:17) Say (to them): “Who can protect you from Allah if He desires an evil for you? And who can prevent Him if He desires to show mercy to you?” They shall find none other than Allah to be their protector or helper. (33:18) Allah knows well those of you who create obstructions (in war efforts) and say to their brethren: “Come and join us.”29 They hardly take any part in battle. (33:19) They are utterly niggardly30 (in coming to your aid). Whenever there is danger, you will see them looking at you, their eyes rolling as though they were on the verge of fainting at the approach of death. But when the danger passes away, their greed for wealth prompts them to greet you with their sharp, scissor-like tongues.31 These are the ones who never truly believed, and so Allah has caused their deeds to be reduced to naught.32 That is easy enough for Allah.33 (33:20) They think that the invading confederates have not yet gone. But if the confederates were to mount another assault, they would wish to be in the desert among the bedouins and keep themselves informed about you from there. But even if they remained in your midst, hardly would they fight. (33:21) Surely there was a good example for you in the Messenger of Allah,34 for all those who look forward to Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah much.35 (33:22) As for the true believers,36 when they saw the invading confederates, they cried out: “This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and what Allah and His Messenger said was absolutely true.”37 This only increased their faith and submission. 38 (33:23) Among the believers there are those who have remained true to the covenant they made with Allah. Among those some of them have fulfilled their vow and others await the appointed time.39 They have not changed in the least. (33:24) (All this is) in order that Allah may reward the truthful for their truthfulness, and either punish the hypocrites or, if He so wills, accept their repentance. Verily Allah is Most Pardoning, Most Compassionate. (33:25) Allah sent back the unbelievers empty-handed, their hearts seething with rage. Allah sufficed the believers in their fight. Allah is Most Powerful, Most Mighty. (33:26) Allah brought down from their fortresses those People of the Book who had supported the invading confederates40 and cast such terror into their hearts that some of them you kill and some of them you take captive. (33:27) Allah made you inherit their land, their dwellings, and their goods, and a piece of land on which you had not yet trodden. Verily Allah has power over all things.

Notes

18. In( Ayats 9-27), an appraisal has been made of the battle of the Trench and the raid against the Bani Quraizah. These were revealed at the end of the raid. One should keep the details of these events in view as given in the introduction above.

19. The windstorm did not lash the enemy forces immediately on their arrival but it occurred while the siege of Al-Madinah had lasted about a month. “Armies whom you did not see” implies the hidden powers which operate in the affairs of men under Allah’s command and of which men are totally unaware. Man regards the occurrence of events and incidents as resulting from apparent causes and does not take into account the hidden forces at work, whereas in most cases these very hidden forces play the decisive role. As these forces function under the command of Allah’s angels, the “armies” may imply the angels as well though there is no indication here of sending the armies of the angels.

20. It may mean: The enemies came upon you from every side, and also that those coming from Najd and Khaiber came from above and those coming from Makkah from below you.”

21. “The believers”: All those who accepted the Prophet (peace be upon him) as Allah’s Messenger and became included among his followers, which comprised both the true believers and the hypocrites. In this paragraph Allah has made mention of the Muslim community as a whole. In the following three paragraphs the attitude of the hypocrites has been commented upon, and the next two deal with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the true believers.

22. That is, “Promises to the effect that the believers will get Allah’s support and succor and will be helped to attain victory in the end.”

23. This sentence has two meanings: The apparent meaning is that there is no chance for them to stay at the Trench against the polytheists; therefore, they should return to the city. And the hidden meaning is that there is no chance for them to remain in Islam; therefore, they should return to their ancestral religion, so that they might escape the danger in which they had involved themselves by earning the hostility of the whole of Arabia. The hypocrites uttered such mischievous things so that they could make the one who would listen to them understand the intended hidden meaning, but in case someone took exception to their words, they could say they had been misunderstood.

24. That is, when the Bani Quraizah also joined the invaders, the hypocrites had a good excuse for defection and they started asking the Prophet (peace be upon him) for leave to go and protect their houses and families, which, they said, had been endangered, whereas at that time the Prophet (peace be upon him) was responsible for the defense and protection of all the people of Al-Madinah. After the treachery of the Quraizah it was for the Prophet (peace be upon him) to devise plans for the protection of the city and its people and not of the soldiers of the army individually.

25. That is, the Prophet (peace be upon him) had already made arrangements for protection against the danger, which were a part of the collective scheme of defense being implemented by him as commander of the Islamic forces. Therefore, there was no immediate danger in the face of which these people could justifiably make such an excuse.

26. “Exhorted to treachery”: Urged by the disbelievers to join them to vanquish the Muslims after entering the city as conquerors.

27. That is, they had felt regret at the weakness they had shown on the occasion of the battle of Uhud and pledged to Allah that they would compensate for their error in any trial that they would confront in the future. But Allah cannot be deceived by empty words. He puts to one or the other test everyone who makes a pledge with Him so that his sincerity of intention or otherwise is found out. Therefore, just after two years of the battle of Uhud, He made them confront an even more serious danger and discovered how far they were sincere in their pledge.

28. That is, this flight of yours will not add anything to your life. In no case will you live forever and gain the whole wealth of the world. Hardly a few years will you live after your flight and enjoy life only as long as it is destined for you.

29. That is, abandon this Prophet (peace be upon him) and do not become involved in dangers and afflictions only for the sake of the faith and truth. Live a life of ease and comfort as we do.

30. “Being miserly”: Those who are not at all willing to spend their energies, their time, their wealth, etc. in any way in which the true believers are spending whatever they have. Not to speak of exerting themselves and braving the dangers, they do not want to cooperate with the believers in anything with an open heart.

31. Lexically, this verse has two meanings:

(1) When you return victorious from a war, they receive you warmly, and try to impress you with a sweet tongue that they too are sincere believers and they too have made their contribution to promote the cause of Islam, and therefore, they deserve a share from the booty.

(2) If victory is attained, these people show great powers of the tongue at the time of the division of the spoils and make great demands for their shares, recounting their services for the cause of Islam.

32. That is, Allah will make null and void all the prayers that they offered, all the fasts that they observed, the zakat that they paid, and other good works that they did after embracing Islam, and will give them no reward for these. For Allah does not judge actions and deeds according to their external form but on the basis of the faith and sincerity underlying them. When the actions are altogether devoid of this quality, there will be mere show and, therefore, meaningless. Here, one thing is especially noteworthy. A clear verdict has been given about the people who professed to believe in Allah and His Messenger, offered the Prayers, observed the fast, gave the Zakat and cooperated with the Muslims in other good works, to the effect that they did not believe at all. This verdict has been given because when they were put to the test during the conflict between Islam and un-Islam, they showed double standard, preferred selfish interests above the interests of the faith, and shirked offering their selves and their wealth and their energies for the protection of Islam. This shows that the real criterion of the judgment are not the apparent deeds but the loyalties of man. If a person is not loyal to God and His way, his profession of the faith and his worship and other good deeds are worthless.

33. That is, as their deeds and actions do not carry any value, Allah renders them fruitless without the slightest hesitation; and as they do not have any power to resist. Allah has no difficulty in destroying their deeds altogether.

34. In view of the context in which this verse occurs, the object of presenting the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) conduct and way of life as a model was to teach a lesson to the people, who had been motivated by considerations of selfish interests and personal safety on the occasion of the battle of the Trench. They are being addressed, as if to say: “You claimed to be the believers and Muslims and followers of the Messenger (peace be upon him). You should have seen how the Messenger (peace be upon him), whose followers you claimed to be, conducted himself on the occasion. If the leader of a group is himself a seeker of personal security, is lazy and indolent, gives preference to personal interests to everything else, and is ever ready to flee danger, it would be reasonable to expect manifestation of such weakness from his followers. But here the case was different. The Prophet (peace be upon him) endured along with others every toil and labor that he asked others to endure, and endured more than others; there was no trouble which others might have experienced and he himself did. not. He was among those who dug the trench, and endured hunger and other afflictions just as the common Muslims did. He did not leave the battlefront even for a moment during the siege nor retreated an inch. After the betrayal of the Bani Quraizah his own family had also been exposed to danger even as the families of the other Muslims were. He did not make any special arrangement for his own and his family’s protection, which did not exist for others. He was always in the forefront to offer maximum sacrifices for the great objectives for which he was constantly asking others to make sacrifices. Therefore, whoever made a claim of being his follower should have followed the practical example set by the leader.

This is the meaning of the verse in the context here. But its words are general and there is no reason why it should be confined to these meanings only. Allah does not say that only in this respect His Messenger’s (peace be upon him) life is a model for the Muslims to follow, but has regarded it as a model absolutely. Therefore, the verse demands that the Muslims should take the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life as a model for themselves in every affair of life and should mold their character and personality according to it.

35. That is, the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life is no model for the person who is forgetful of God, but it certainly is a model for him who remembers Allah much and consistently and not only occasionally just by chance. Likewise, this life is no model for him who has no hope from Allah and does not expect resurrection to take place, but it is most surely a model for the person who is hopeful of Allah’s grace and His favors, and who is also mindful that the Day of Judgment will come when his well-being will wholly depend on how closely his conduct resembled the conduct and character of the Messenger (peace be upon him) of Allah in this world.

36. After drawing attention to the model of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Allah now presents the model of his companions so that the character of the false claimants to faith and of the sincere followers of the Messenger (peace be upon him) is clearly contrasted.

Although both were alike apparently in the affirmation of the faith, both were counted as Muslims, and both attended at the Prayers, they were separated from each other as soon as the time of the trial approached, and it became clear who were loyal to Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) and who were Muslims only in name.

37. Here, one should keep( verse 12) in view. There it was said that when the hypocrites and the people with diseased hearts found themselves surrounded by a huge force of ten to twelve thousand men from the front and by the Bani Quraizah from behind, they openly started saying: “The promises that Allah and His Messenger had made with us were nothing but a delusion. We were promised that if we believed in Allah’s religion, His succor would be at our back and we would rule Arabia and the world outside and all the wealth of Caesar and Chosroes will be ours, but here we are that the whole of Arabia is bent upon exterminating us, and there is no sign yet of the armies of the angels in sight, who would save us and protect us against this grave calamity.” Now they are being told: “One meaning of the promise of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) was that which was understood by these false claimants to faith. The other meaning is that which is understood by the sincere and true Muslims. When they saw the storms of danger gathering, they too remembered the promises of Allah, but these promises did not mean that as soon as they affirmed the faith they would overwhelm and subdue the whole world without the slightest effort, and the angels would come to perform their coronation, but the promises actually meant that they would have to pass through severe trials, endure extreme hardships and afflictions, offer supreme sacrifices; then only will Allah bless them with His grace and they will be granted successes of the world and the Hereafter, which Allah has promised to His believing servants.

“Do you think that you will enter Paradise without undergoing such trials as were experienced by the believers before you? They met with adversity and afflictions and were so shaken by trials that the Prophet of the time and his followers cried out: When will Allah’s help come?” “Yes, Allah’s help is near.” (Surah Al-Baqarah: Ayat 214).

“Do the people think that they will be left alone after they have once said, We have believed, and they will not be tested? The fact is that We have put to the test all those who have gone before them. Surely, Allah has to see who are the truthful and who the liars.” (Surah Al-Ankabut: Ayats 2-3).

38. That is, “On seeing the hard times of affliction approaching, they did not waver in their faith but were strengthened in it all the more, and instead of giving up Allah’s obedience, they became ready to resign and surrender to Him whatever they had with complete conviction and satisfaction of the heart.”

Here, one should fully understand that faith and resignation is indeed a quality of the self which is put to trial and test at every command and demand of the faith. At every step in life man comes across situations where the faith either enjoins something or forbids something, or requires one to make sacrifices of life and wealth and time and desires of the self. At every such occasion the faith and conviction of the person who deviates from obedience will suffer decline and the faith and conviction of him who submits to the command and demand will be strengthened and enhanced. Although in the beginning a man becomes a believer and Muslim only by embracing the fundamental creed (Kalimah) of Islam, yet his state of faith does not remain static but is open to both deterioration and development. Decline in sincerity and the spirit of obedience causes it to deteriorate; so much so that constant retrogression may cause the person to reach the last limits of the faith where the slightest move backward may turn him from a believer to a hypocrite. Contrary to this, the more sincere a person is, the more perfect his obedience and the greater his devotion and dedication to the cause of the true faith, the stronger and more sound will he grow in faith and may even attain the supreme rank of the truthful. But this increase and decrease in the faith has only the moral significance which can be judged and reckoned by none but Allah. As for the man, faith is simply the act of affirmation by which a Muslim enters Islam and is regarded as a Muslim as long as he remains steadfast to it. In this regard, we cannot say that so and so is half a Muslim, or one third a Muslim, and another one a double Muslim or a triple Muslim. Likewise, in legal rights the Muslims are equal and alike. It cannot be that one is regarded a greater believer and given more rights and another one a lesser believer and given less rights. In these aspects there can be no question of the increase and decrease in the faith, and in fact, in this very sense has Imam Abu Hanifah said: “faith in Islam neither increases nor decreases.”

39. That is, “Someone has already offered his life in the way of Allah, and someone is awaiting the time when he will offer it for the sake of his faith.”

40. That is, Jews of the Bani Quraizah.