Tafsir of Surah Al-Anfal - Verse 48

The Idolators leave Makkah, heading for Badr

After Allah commanded the believers to fight in His cause sincerely and to be mindful of Him, He commanded not to imitate the idolators, who went out of their homes

بَطَراً

(boastfully) to suppress the truth,

وَرِئَآءَ النَّاسِ

(and to be seen of men), boasting arrogantly with people. When Abu Jahl was told that the caravan escaped safely, so they should return to Makkah, he commented, "No, by Allah! We will not go back until we proceed to the well of Badr, slaughter camels, drink alcohol and female singers sing to us. This way, the Arabs will always talk about our stance and what we did on that day." However, all of this came back to haunt Abu Jahl, because when they proceeded to the well of Badr, they brought themselves to death; and in the aftermath of Badr, they were thrown in the well of Badr, dead, disgraced, humiliated, despised and miserable in an everlasting, eternal torment. This is why Allah said here,

وَاللَّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ

(and Allah is Muhit (encompassing and thoroughly comprehending) all that they do.) He knows how and what they came for, and this is why He made them taste the worst punishment. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and As-Suddi commented on Allah's statement,

وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ خَرَجُواْ مِن دِيَـرِهِم بَطَراً وَرِئَآءَ النَّاسِ

(And be not like those who come out of their homes boastfully and to be seen of men,) "They were the idolators who fought against the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Badr." Muhammad bin Ka`b said, "When the Quraysh left Makkah towards Badr, they brought female singers and drums along. Allah revealed this verse,

وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ خَرَجُواْ مِن دِيَـرِهِم بَطَراً وَرِئَآءَ النَّاسِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ

(And be not like those who come out of their homes boastfully and to be seen of men, and hinder (men) from the path of Allah; and Allah is Muhit (encompassing and thoroughly comprehending) all that they do.)

Shaytan makes Evil seem fair and deceives the Idolators

Allah said next,

وَإِذْ زَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَـنُ أَعْمَـلَهُمْ وَقَالَ لاَ غَالِبَ لَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَإِنِّي جَارٌ لَّكُمْ

(And (remember) when Shaytan made their (evil) deeds seem fair to them and said, "No one of mankind can overcome you today and verily, I am your neighbor.")

Shaytan, may Allah curse him, made the idolators' purpose for marching seem fair to them. He made them think that no other people could defeat them that day. He also ruled out the possibility that their enemies, the tribe of Bani Bakr, would attack Makkah, saying, "I am your neighbor." Shaytan appeared to them in the shape of Suraqah bin Malik bin Ju`shum, the chief of Bani Mudlij, so that, as Allah described them,

يَعِدُهُمْ وَيُمَنِّيهِمْ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمْ الشَّيْطَـنُ إِلاَّ غُرُوراً

(He Shaytan makes promises to them, and arouses in them false desires; and Shaytan's promises are nothing but deceptions)4:120.

Ibn Jurayj said that Ibn `Abbas commented on this Ayah, (8:48) "On the day of Badr, Shaytan, as well as, his flag holder and soldiers, accompanied the idolators. He whispered to the hearts of the idolators, `None can defeat you today! I am your neighbor.' When they met the Muslims and Shaytan witnessed the angels coming to their aid,

نَكَصَ عَلَى عَقِبَيْهِ

(he ran away), he went away in flight while proclaiming,

إِنِّي أَرَى مَا لاَ تَرَوْنَ

(Verily, I see what you see not.)"

`Ali bin Abi Talhah said, that Ibn `Abbas said about this Ayah,

لاَ غَالِبَ لَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَإِنِّي جَارٌ لَّكُمْ

("No one of mankind can overcome you today and verily, I am your neighbor')

"Shaytan, as well as, his devil army and flag holders, came on the day of Badr in the shape of a Suraqah bin Malik bin Ju`shum, man from Bani Mudlij, Shaytan said to idolators, `None will defeat you this day, and I will help you.' When the two armies stood face to face, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ took a handful of sand and threw it at the faces of the idolators, causing them to retreat. Jibril, peace be upon him, came towards Shaytan, but when Shaytan, while holding the hand of a Mushrik man, saw him, he withdrew his hand and ran away with his soldiers. That man asked him, `O Suraqah! You claimed that you are our neighbor' He said,

إِنِّي أَرَى مَا لاَ تَرَوْنَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ وَاللَّهُ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

(Verily, I see what you see not. Verily, I fear Allah for Allah is severe in punishment)

Shaytan said this when he saw the angels."

The Position of the Hypocrites in Badr

Allah said next,

إِذْ يَقُولُ الْمُنَـفِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ غَرَّ هَـؤُلاءِ دِينُهُمْ

(When the hypocrites and those in whose hearts was a disease (of disbelief) said: "These people (Muslims) are deceived by their religion.")

`Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn `Abbas commented, "When the two armies drew closer to each other, Allah made the Muslims look few in the eyes of the idolators and the idolators look few in the eyes of the Muslims. The idolators said,

غَرَّ هَـؤُلاءِ دِينُهُمْ

(These people (Muslims) are deceived by their religion.) because they thought that Muslims were so few. They believed, without doubt, that they would defeat the Muslims. Allah said,

وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

(But whoever puts his trust in Allah, then surely, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.) Qatadah commented, "They saw a group of believers who came in defense of Allah's religion. We were informed that when he saw Muhammad and his Companions, Abu Jahl said, `By Allah! After this day, they will never worship Allah!' He said this in viciousness and transgression." `Amir Ash-Sha`bi said, "Some people from Makkah were considering embracing Islam, but when they went with the idolators to Badr and saw how few the Muslims were, they said,

غَرَّ هَـؤُلاءِ دِينُهُمْ

(These people (Muslims) are deceived by their religion.)

Allah said next,

وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ

(But whoever puts his trust in Allah), and relies on His grace,

فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ

(then surely, Allah is All-Mighty), and verily, those who take His side in the dispute are never overwhelmed, for His side is mighty, powerful and His authority is All-Great,

حَكِيمٌ

(All-Wise) in all His actions, for He places everything in its rightful place, giving victory to those who deserve it and defeat to those who deserve it.

Commentary

Since its beginning, Surah al-Anfal has been dealing with the actual events and attending circumstances of the battle of Badr along with subsequent lessons learnt and related injunctions given.

One such event from here relates to the Shaitan who misled the disbelievers of Makkah, exhorted them to go to battle against Muslims and then he disengaged, and left them all by themselves right there in the middle of the battlefield. This event has been mentioned at the beginning of verse 48.

Did this deception of the Shaitan take the form of scruples put into the hearts of the Quraysh? Or, did the Shaitan come to them in human form and talked to the Quraysh face to face? Both probabilities exist here. But, the words of the Qur'an seem to support the second eventuality - that the Shaitan misled them by appearing in a human form before them.

According to a narration of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ reported by Imam ibn Jarir, when the army of the Quraysh of Makkah marched out from the city, they were terribly worried about a possible danger from their neighbouring tribe of Banu Bakr, also an enemy. They apprehended that once they went out to confront Muslims, this tribe hostile to them may find an opportunity to attack their homes and hurt their women and children there. No doubt, they had demonstrated their readiness to respond to the plaintive appeal for help made by Aba Sufyan, the leader of their trade caravan, but they were dragging their feet because of this danger. In this perplexing situation, all of a sudden, the Shaitan appeared in the form and guise of Suraqah ibn Malik holding a flag in his hand and flanked by a regiment of tough fighting men. Suraqah ibn Malik was a big chief who controlled the tribal area from where that danger of attack was expected. He stepped forward and addressed the army of Quraysh young men through which he misled them in two ways. First, he said: لَا غَالِبَ لَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ مِنَ النَّاسِ (None of the people is to overpower you today - 48). By this, he meant that he had a good idea of the strength of their adversary and he could also see their own physical and numerical superiority, there-fore, he assured them that they should stop worrying, march ahead and prevail, for no one is going to prevail against them.

Then, he said: إِنِّي جَارٌ‌ لَّكُمْ (I am a protector for you - 48). By saying this, he was referring to their apprehensions against the tribe of Banu Bakr who might attack their homes and families in Makkah during their absence. Here, he was taking the responsibility that nothing of this sort was going to happen as he was their supporter and caretaker. The Quraysh of Makkah already knew about Suraqah ibn Malik being a known and influential personality of the area. Hearing this assurance from him, they became emotionally stable. They dismissed the threat from the tribe of Banu Bakr from their hearts and became all set to go and confront Muslims.

Thus, by employing this dual deception, the Shaitan drove these people to their killing field and what he did for himself is described by the Holy Qur'an in the following words: فَلَمَّا تَرَ‌اءَتِ الْفِئَتَانِ نَكَصَ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ (So, when the two groups [ the disbelievers of Makkah and Muslims ] saw each other [ at Badr ], he turned back on his heels - 48).

Since a force of Shaitans had also assembled in support of the disbelievers of Makkah at the battle of Badr, therefore, Allah Ta` ala sent a force of angels under the command of Jibra'il and Mika'il (علیہما السلام) to meet their challenge. According to a narration of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ reported by Imam Ibn Jarir and others, when the Shaitan who was commanding his force in the human guise of Suraqah ibn Malik at that time saw Arch angel Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) and the force of angels with him, he lost his nerves. At that time, he was standing hand in hand with a Qurayshi warrior, Harith ibn Hisham. All of a sudden, he tried to free his hand clasped into the hand of Harith. When Harith asked him as to why he was doing that, he whacked his chest with a blow and threw him down. Now unchecked, he bolted out from the battlefield. Harith - under the impression that he was Suraqah - shouted at him: 0 Suraqah, chief of Arabia, you had said that you will support us and here you are doing this to us in the middle of a battle! The Shaitan - in the guise of Suraqah - replied: إِنِّي بَرِ‌يءٌ مِّنكُمْ إِنِّي أَرَ‌ىٰ مَا لَا تَرَ‌وْنَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّـهَ (I have nothing to do with you. I am seeing what you do not see. I am scared of Allah - 48). Thus, he disengaged himself from the earlier compact because he was seeing a force of angels and parted ways with the disbelievers on the plea that he feared Allah.

When the Shaitan saw the force of angels, he virtually saw trouble for him as he knew their power. As for his statement that he was scared of Allah, says Tafsir authority Qatadah, this was a lie forged by him. Had he feared Allah, why would he disobey Him? But, other Commentators have suggested that his fear is justified in its own place because he is fully aware of the perfect power of Allah Ta` ala and that He is severe at punishment. Therefore, there is no reason for not fearing. However, bland fear without faith and obedience is useless.

Abu Jahl, when he noticed signs of weakness showing up in his army because of the withdrawal of Suraqah and his force, he tried to avert the awkward situation by appealing that they should not feel being affected by the sudden retreat of Suraqah for he had a secret understanding with Muhammad to do that. In short, after the retreat of the Shaitan, what was due to happen to them did. It was on their return to Makkah that one of them met Suraqah ibn Malik. This person scolded Suraqah telling him that he was responsible for their defeat in the battle of Badr and certainly for all the losses that followed in its wake because he had broken the backs of their fighting men by retreating from the action on the battlefield. Suraqah said: I never went with you, nor did I ever take part in anything you were doing there. In fact, I heard of your defeat only after you had reached Makkah.

After having reported all these narrations in his Tafsir, Imam Ibn Kathir said: It is the customary practice of Shaitan, the accursed, that he would cause man to become involved with evil and then leave him off in the middle of it. The Qur'an has mentioned this habit of the Shaitan repeatedly. One such verse says:

كَمَثَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِذْ قَالَ لِلْإِنسَانِ اكْفُرْ‌ فَلَمَّا كَفَرَ‌ قَالَ إِنِّي بَرِ‌يءٌ مِّنكَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّـهَ رَ‌بَّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿16﴾

It is like the Shaitan when he tells man: "Disbelieve." Then, after he becomes a disbeliever, he says: "I have nothing to do with you. I am scared of Allah, the Lord of all the worlds". (59:16)

The Quraysh of Makkah considered themselves adherents of the Truth and the companions of the Prophet adherents of falsehood. They were so certain about this, that they prayed standing before the Kabah, ‘O God! Give success to the one of these two parties which is in the right and destroy the party which is in the wrong.’ However this faith of theirs was false. This type of faith always develops due to glorification (taz’in) of wrong action. Satan taught the people of Makkah that they were the followers of the recognised, well-known prophets, Abraham and Ishmael, while the Muslims were the followers of a person whose very claim to being a prophet was controversial; they were the inheritors of the Ka‘bah, while the Muslims had been banished from the land of the Ka‘bah. Satan having created such ideas in the hearts of the Makkans, infused false faith in them. They thought that whatever they were doing was done rightly and that, at all events, God would come to their assistance. On the one hand, the Makkan opponents considered their false conviction to be true on the basis of the above-mentioned factors. On the other hand, when they saw that the Prophet’s companions had engaged themselves on the Islamic front with stronger conviction and the will to self-sacrifice, they set about trying to show that their true faith was unreliable by saying that it was merely religious fanaticism; that they were going mad under the influence of the eloquent utterances of the Prophet. But, when there was a clash between the two groups and God’s succour came down in favour of the Muslims, Satan fled, abandoning the opponents of Islam. By the Grace of God, the Muslims’ hearts became strengthened. God certainly helps those who rely on Him. But, God’s help appears only when believers prove their faith in God to such a great extent that those who deny the truth feel justified in saying that they (the Faithful) have gone mad.