Tafsir of Surah Al-Anfal - Verse 11

Slumber overcomes Muslims

Allah reminds the believers of the slumber that He sent down on them as security from the fear they suffered from, because of the multitude of their enemy and the sparseness of their forces. They were given the same favor during the battle of Uhud, which Allah described,

ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّن بَعْدِ الْغَمِّ أَمَنَةً نُّعَاساً يَغْشَى طَآئِفَةً مِّنْكُمْ وَطَآئِفَةٌ قَدْ أَهَمَّتْهُمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ

(Then after the distress, He sent down security for you. Slumber overtook a party of you, while another party was thinking about themselves. ) 3:154

Abu Talhah said, "I was among those who were overcome by slumber during (the battle of) Uhud. The sword fell from my hand several times, and I kept picking it up again, several times. I also saw the Companions' heads nodding while in the rear guard." Al-Hafiz Abu Ya`la narrated that `Ali said, "Only Al-Miqdad had a horse during Badr, and at some point, I found that all of us fell asleep, except the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He was praying under a tree and crying until dawn." `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, "Slumber during battle is security from Allah, but during prayer, it is from Shaytan." Qatadah said, "Slumber affects the head, while sleep affects the heart."

Slumber overcame the believers on the day of Uhud, and this incident is very well-known. As for this Ayah (8:11), it is describing the battle of Badr, indicating that slumber also overcame the believers during Badr. Therefore, it appears that this will occur for the believers, whenever they are in distress, so that their hearts feel safe and sure of Allah's aid, rewards, favor and mercy from Allah with them. Allah said in another Ayah,

فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً - إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً

(Verily, along with every hardship is relief. Verily, along with every hardship is relief.) 94:5-6

In the Sahih, it is recorded that on the day of Badr, while he was in the bunker with Abu Bakr, the Messenger ﷺ and Abu Bakr were invoking Allah. Suddenly, slumber overcame the Messenger and he woke up smiling and declared,

«أَبْشِرْ يَا أَبَابَكْرٍ هَذَا جِبْرِيلُ عَلَى ثَنَايَاهُ النَّقْع»

("Good news, O Abu Bakr! This is Jibril with dust on his shoulders."

He left the shade while reciting Allah's statement,

سَيُهْزَمُ الْجَمْعُ وَيُوَلُّونَ الدُّبُرَ

(Their multitude will be put to flight, and they will show their backs.) 54:45

Rain falls on the Eve of Badr

Allah said next,

وَيُنَزِّلُ عَلَيْكُم مِّن السَّمَآءِ مَآءً

(and He caused rain to descend on you from the sky.)

`Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "When the Prophet arrived at Badr, he made camp. At the time, there was a sandy piece of land between the idolators and the water (the wells at Badr). Muslims felt weak and the Shaytan cast frustration into their hearts. He whispered to them, `You claim that you are Allah's supporters and that His Messenger is among you! However, the idolators have taken over the water resource from you, while you pray needing purity.' Allah sent down heavy rain, allowing the Muslims to drink and use it for purity. Allah also removed Shaytan's whisper and made the sand firm when rain fell on it, and the Muslims walked on the sand along with their animals, until they reached the enemy. Allah supported His Prophet and the believers with a thousand angels on one side, five hundred under the command of Jibril and another five hundred under the command of Mika'il on another side."

An even a better narration is that collected by Imam Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar, author of Al-Maghazi, may Allah have mercy upon him. Ibn Ishaq narrated that, Yazid bin Ruwman narrated to him that, `Urwah bin Az-Zubayr said, "Allah sent rain down from the sky on a sandy valley. That rain made the area where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his Companions camped firmer so that it did not hinder their movement. Meanwhile, the part that the Quraysh were camping on became difficult to move in." Mujahid said, "Allah sent down the rain on the believers before slumber overtook them, and the rain settled the dust, made the ground firmer, made them feel at ease and their feet firmer." Allah said next,

لِّيُطَهِّرَكُمْ بِهِ

(to clean you thereby) using it after answering the call of nature or needing to wash oneself, and this involves cleansing what is on the out side,

وَيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمْ رِجْزَ الشَّيْطَـنِ

(and to remove from you the Rijz of Shaytan,) such as his whispers and evil thoughts, this involves sinner purification, whereas Allah's statement about the residents of Paradise,

عَـلِيَهُمْ ثِيَابُ سُندُسٍ خُضْرٌ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٌ وَحُلُّواْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن فِضَّةٍ

(Their garments will be of fine green silk, and gold embroidery. They will be adorned with bracelets of silver) 76:21 involves outer appearance,

وَسَقَـهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَاباً طَهُوراً

(and their Lord will give them a pure drink.) 76:21 that purifies the anger, envy and hatred that they might have felt. This is the inner purity. Next, Allah said,

وَلِيَرْبِطَ عَلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ

(and to strengthen your hearts, ) with patience and to encourage you to fight the enemies, and this is inner courage,

وَيُثَبِّتَ بِهِ الاٌّقْدَامَ

(and make your feet firm thereby). this involves outer courage. Allah know best.

Allah commands the Angels to fight and support the Believers

Allah said next,

إِذْ يُوحِى رَبُّكَ إِلَى الْمَلَـئِكَةِ أَنِّي مَعَكُمْ فَثَبِّتُواْ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ

((Remember) when your Lord revealed to the angels, "Verily, I am with you, so keep firm those who have believed.")

This is a hidden favor that Allah has made known to the believers, so that they thank Him and are grateful to Him for it. Allah, glorified, exalted, blessed and praised be He, has revealed to the angels -- whom He sent to support His Prophet, religion and believing group -- to make the believers firmer. Allah's statement,

سَأُلْقِى فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ الرُّعْبَ

(I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved.) means, `you -- angels -- support the believers, strengthen their (battle) front against their enemies, thus, implementing My command to you. I will cast fear, disgrace and humiliation over those who defied My command and denied My Messenger, f

فَاضْرِبُواْ فَوْقَ الأَعْنَـقِ وَاضْرِبُواْ مِنْهُمْ كُلَّ بَنَانٍ

(so strike them over the necks, and smite over all their fingers and toes.) strike them on their foreheads to tear them apart and over the necks to cut them off, and cut off their limbs, hands and feet. It was said that,

فَوْقَ الأَعْنَـقِ

(over the necks) refers to striking the forehead, or the neck, according to Ad-Dahhak and `Atiyyah Al-`Awfi. In support of the latter, Allah commanded the believers,

فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ حَتَّى إِذَآ أَثْخَنتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّواْ الْوَثَاقَ

(So, when you meet (in fight Jihad in Allah's cause) those who disbelieve, smite (their) necks till when you have killed and wounded many of them, then bind a bond firmly (on them, take them as captives).) 47:4

Ar-Rabi` bin Anas said, "In the aftermath of Badr, the people used to recognize whomever the angels killed from those whom they killed, by the wounds over their necks, fingers and toes, because those parts had a mark as if they were branded by fire." Allah said,

وَاضْرِبُواْ مِنْهُمْ كُلَّ بَنَانٍ

(and smite over all their fingers and toes.)

Ibn Jarir commented that this Ayah commands, "O believers! Strike every limb and finger on the hands and feet of your (disbelieving) enemies." Al-`Awfi reported, that Ibn `Abbas said about the battle of Badr that Abu Jahl said, "Do not kill them (the Muslims), but capture them so that you make known to them what they did, their ridiculing your religion and shunning Al-Lat and Al-`Uzza (two idols)." Allah than sent down to the angels,

أَنِّي مَعَكُمْ فَثَبِّتُواْ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ سَأُلْقِى فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ الرُّعْبَ فَاضْرِبُواْ فَوْقَ الأَعْنَـقِ وَاضْرِبُواْ مِنْهُمْ كُلَّ بَنَانٍ

(Verily, I am with you, so keep firm those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved, so strike them over the necks, and smite over all their fingers and toes.)

In that battle, Abu Jahl (may Allah curse him) was killed along with sixty-nine men. `Uqbah bin Abu Mua`it was captured and then killed, thus bring the death toll of the pagans to seventy,

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ شَآقُّواْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ

(This is because they defied and disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.) joining the camp that defied Allah and His Messenger not including themselves in the camp of Allah's Law and faith in Him. Allah said,

وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

(And whoever defies and disobeys Allah and His Messenger, then verily, Allah is severe in punishment.) for He will crush whoever defies and disobeys Him. Nothing ever escapes Allah's grasp nor can anything ever stand against His anger. Blessed and exalted He is, there is no true deity or Lord except Him.

ذَلِكُمْ فَذُوقُوهُ وَأَنَّ لِلْكَـفِرِينَ عَذَابَ النَّارِ

(This is (the torment), so taste it; and surely, for the disbelievers is the torment of the Fire.)

This Ayah addresses the disbeliever, saying, taste this torment and punishment in this life and know that the torment of the Fire in the Hereafter is for the disbelievers.

The fourth verse (10) restates this aspect explicitly by saying: وَمَا جَعَلَهُ اللَّـهُ إِلَّا بُشْرَ‌ىٰ وَلِتَطْمَئِنَّ بِهِ قُلُوبُكُمْ. It means: 'Allah has done it only to give you glad tidings and so that your hearts might be at rest thereby.'

The number of angels sent to support Muslims in the battle of Badr has been given as one thousand at this place, while in Surah 'Al-` Imran (3:124) the number mentioned is three thousand and five thousand. The reason for this lies in three different promises made under different circumstances. The first promise was that of one thousand angels, the reason for which was the prayer of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the supporting plaint of common Muslims with him. The second promise of three thousand angels which appears first in Surah 'Al-` Imran was made at a time when Muslims heard about the additional forces coming to join the Quraysh army. It has been reported in Ruh al-Ma'ani as based on a narration of Al-Sha'bi from Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ibn al-Mundhir and others that on the day of the battle of Badr when Muslims heard that Kurz ibn Jabir Muharibi was coming with additional armed support for the disbelievers, they were disturbed and agitated. Thereupon, the verse of 'Al-` Imran: أَلَن يَكْفِيَكُمْ أَن يُمِدَّكُمْ رَ‌بُّكُم بِثَلَاثَةِ آلَافٍ مِّنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُنزَلِينَ : "Shall it not suffice you that your Lord should help you with three thousand of the angels sent down (for you)?" - 3:124) was revealed and referred to wherein is the promise of sending a force of three thousand angels from the heavens in order to support believers.

As for the third promise of five thousand, it was made subject to the condition that should the enemy launch a sudden offensive, a supporting force of five thousand angels will be sent down. That promise appears in the verse which follows verse 124 of Surah 'Al-` Imran (3) cited immediately above. Given here are the words in which it has been mentioned:

بَلَىٰ ۚ إِن تَصْبِرُ‌وا وَتَتَّقُوا وَيَأْتُوكُم مِّن فَوْرِ‌هِمْ هَـٰذَا يُمْدِدْكُمْ رَ‌بُّكُم بِخَمْسَةِ آلَافٍ مِّنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُسَوِّمِينَ ﴿125﴾

"Why not? If you stay patient and fear Allah and they come upon you even in this heat of theirs, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand of the angels having distinct marks" (3:125).

Some Commentators have said that this promise had three conditions: (1) Fortitude, (2) Taqwa or fear of Allah and (3) Sudden and all-out attack by the opposing forces. Out of these, the first two conditions were already fulfilled by the noble Companions ؓ for no departure from these was witnessed in this battlefield from the beginning to the end.

But, what did not take place was the third condition of a sudden attack. Therefore, things did not reach the point where the army of five thousand angels was to be inducted.

So, this matter remained revolving between one and three thousand which also lends to the probability that the figure of three thousand may mean the one thousand sent earlier to which an additional force of two thousand was added and made to be three thousand - and it is also probable that these three thousand were in addition to the first one thousand.

At this stage, it is also interesting to note that the promise of sending three groups of angels in these three verses (8:9; 3:124; 3:125) mentions a quality particular to each group. In the present verse, verse 9 of Surah Al-Anfal, where the promise is for one thousand, the word used to describe the quality of these angels is مُرْ‌دِفِينَ (murdifin: translated here as 'one following the other' ). Perhaps, the indication already given within the text is that there are others too coming behind these angels. Then, in the first verse of Surah 'Al-` Imran (3:124) quoted above, the quality of the angels has been given as: مُنزَلِينَ (munzalin : translated as 'sent down [ for you ] ' ). The sense is that these angels will be made to descend from the heavens. In this, there is a hint towards the special arrangement made in this connection - that the angels already present on the earth will not be employed for this mission, instead of which, it will be by special appointment and dispatch that these angels will be sent down from the heavens to fulfill the assignment they have been sent to carry out. After that, we have the second verse (3:125) of Surah 'Al-` Imran where the figure of five thousand has been mentioned. There, the quality of the angels has been stated to be: مُسَوِّمِينَ (musawwimin: translated as 'having distinct marks' ) that is, they shall be appearing in a particular dress and distinctive signs and marks. This is corroborated by Hadith narrations which report that the headgear of angels that descended during the battle of Badr was white and that of the angels who were sent down to help believers in the battle of Hunayn was red.

Finally, towards the end of the verse (10), it was said: وَمَا النَّصْرُ‌ إِلَّا مِنْ عِندِ اللَّـهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ (And the help is from none but Allah. Surely, Allah is Mighty, Wise). Here, Muslims have been warned that all help, whatever and from wherever it may be, open or secret, is from Allah Ta` ala alone and issues forth through His power and control only. The help and support of angels is also subject to nothing but His command. Therefore, all believers must look up to none but the most pristine Being of Allah who is One and with Whom there is no partner or associate - because, He is the possessor of Power and Wisdom at its greatest.

The battle of Badr took place under very critical conditions. Only 313 Muslims were pitted against about one thousand well-armed enemies. The Muslims were scantily armed. The enemies had already reached the venue of battle (Badr) and had captured a vantage point and the spring of water. Seeing this, the Muslims were beset by doubts that perhaps they would not be supported by God in the mission for which they had been sacrificing their lives. Had truth been on their side, God would not have helped the enemies on this critical occasion and all the favourable opportunities would have slipped from their grasp and passed on to their enemies. But at that time, Almighty God caused heavy rains to fall in the area of Badr. Muslims made ponds and stored the water. The enemy had deprived Muslims of the water of the land; God then arranged for them to have water from the sky. God furthermore blessed them with an extraordinary favour—that of sleep. Sleep is very necessary for a man to be refreshed, but the conditions in the battlefield are so terrible that it is impossible to have sound sleep. In spite of this, Almighty God blessed them with His special succour; on the eve of the battle, He made it possible for them to have sound sleep. In the night they slept free of all mental pressure and got up in the morning fully refreshed. Out of conditions which were causing Muslims to have misgivings, God created such possibilities that they developed new faith and a sense of self-reliance.