The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2)

The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 681

PT. 10 AL-ANFĀL CH. 8 مِنْ شَيْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمُ whatever you spend in the way وَاَنْتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُوْنَ of Allah, it shall be repaid to you in full and you shall not be wronged. 1148 وَإِن جَنَحُوا لِلسَّلْمِ فَاجْنَحْ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلْ And if they incline towards. 62 عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ peace, incline thou also towards it, and put thy trust in Allah. Surely, it is He Who is All- Hearing, All-Knowing. 1149 "2:273; 9:121; 64:18; 65:8. 1148. Important Words: mounted pickets at the) رباط الخيل خيل means, frontier). For by see 3:201. is derived from Ji. e. he thought or fancied. J means, he was proud and haughty. horses collectively, so called because of the pride and conceit in their gait; also horsemen (Lane). Commentary: This verse teaches Muslims that efficient preparation is the best means of preventing war. It teaches them that they should not only keep a sufficient fighting force in the country but also an adequate number of troops on the frontier so that the enemy might refrain from attack, thus enabling the Faithful to live in peace. The verse also points to the necessity of spending freely in war. It is worthy of note that the verse does not simply say "your enemy" but the enemy of Allah and your enemy, thus hinting that disbelievers had become hostile to Muslims for the sole reason that the latter had accepted Islam, the religion of God. These words throw interesting light 1121 on the causes of early Islamic wars. The verse further informs Muslims that the pagan Arabs were not the only enemies of Islam. There were other nations also which would attack Muslims in the future, as the Arabs had already done. So Muslims were told to keep their frontiers strong and well-protected and to spend freely in the cause of Allah. This prophecy referred to the Greeks and the Persians with whom Muslims came in contact soon after the death of the Holy Prophet. 1149. Commentary: This verse, besides embodying an important principle about the formation of peace-treaties, throws interesting light on the character of the wars undertaken by Islam. Muslims did not resort to war to force men to embrace Islam, but simply to maintain peace. Hence, if any people after making war against Muslims sued for peace, the latter were enjoined to desist from war and make peace with them, in spite of their being disbelievers. Even the consideration that the enemy might