The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2)

The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 684

CH. 8 AL-ANFĀL PT. 10 اَلْنَ خَفَّفَ اللهُ عَنْكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ For the present Allah has. 67 lightened your burden, for He ضَعْفًا فَإِنْ تَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ مِائَةٌ صَابِرَةٌ knows that there is weakness in you. So, if there be a hundred of يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ وَاِنْ تَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أَلْفَ you who are steadfast, they shall overcome two hundred; يَغْلِبُوا الْفَيْنِ بِإِذْنِ اللهِ وَاللهُ مَعَ and if there be a thousand of الصبرين مَا كَانَ لِنَبِي أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ أَسْرَى حَتَّى يُثْخِنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ تُرِيدُونَ عَرَضَ captives until he engages in you, they shall overcome two thousand by the command of Allah. And Allah is with those who are steadfast. 1154 68. "It does not behove a Prophet that he should have regular fighting in the land. "47:5. strength, and they were forbidden to prophecy that Muslims will prevail flee. The question of retiring before the enemy is not to be decided by the men but by their officers, who may act as they may think best in the interest of war. See also 8:16. 1154. Commentary: This verse does not abrogate the previous verse, but only temporarily relieves Muslims in view of the then existing condition of their faith. Their faith, though sincere and true, was "weak" as compared with its future condition when it was to grow stronger by their witnessing more and more heavenly signs and by their becoming more and more organized. The words, For the present Allah has lightened your burden, show that the previous verse contains not a prophecy, but a commandment. It does not announce by way of 1124 over an enemy ten times their number; it simply gives the injunction that if twenty believers have to face 200 disbelievers, they must fight them, and that if they turn their backs, they will be sinners. In the present verse, however, in view of the then weak condition of Muslims, the limit of disparity has been reduced to twice the number of the believers. History tells us that in later times, Muslims had sometimes to fight an enemy even more than ten times their number and still they were victorious. Thus, at the Battle of Yarmuūk the Muslim army numbered 30,000, according to the lowest calculation, while the enemy numbered at least 600,000 (the highest figures being respectively 60,000 and 1,000,000) and the battle ended in a decisive victory for the Muslims.