Illusion of Power and the Unseen Aid

9. Surah At Tawbah

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللّهُ فِي مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ...   

9: 25.  Assuredly Allah did help you in many battlefields

...وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ ...

and on the day of Hunayn:

C1274. Hunayn is on the road to Taif from Makkah about fourteen miles to the east of Makkah. It is a valley in the mountainous country between Makkah and Taif.

Immediately after the conquest of Makkah, (A.H. 8), the Pagan idolaters, who were surprised and chagrined at the wonderful reception which Islam was receiving, organized a great gathering near Taif to concert plans for attacking the Prophet.

The Hawazin and the Thaqif tribes took the lead and prepared a great expedition for Makkah, boasting of their strength and military skill. There was on the other hand a wave of confident enthusiasm among the Muslims at Makkah, in which the new Muslims joined. The enemy forces numbered about 4,000 but the Muslim force reached a total of ten or twelve thousand, as every one wished to join. The battle was joined at Hunain, as described in the next note.

... إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنكُمْ شَيْئًا...

Behold! your great numbers elated you, but they availed you naught:

...وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ...

the land, for all that it is wide, did constrain you,

...ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُم مُّدْبِرِينَ ﴿٢٥﴾  

and ye turned back in retreat.

C1275. For the first time the Muslims had at Hunayn tremendous odds in their favour. But this itself constituted a danger. Many in their ranks had more enthusiasm than wisdom, more a spirit of elation than of faith and confidence in the righteousness of their cause.

The enemy had the advantage of knowing the ground thoroughly. They laid an ambush in which the advance guard of the Muslim forces was caught. The country is hilly, in which the enemy concealed himself. As soon as the Muslim vanguard entered the Hunain valley, the enemy fell upon them with fury and caused havoc with their arrows from their places of concealment.

In such ground the numbers of the Muslims were themselves a disadvantage. Many were slain, and many turned back in confusion and retreat. But the Prophet, as ever, was calm in his wisdom and faith. He rallied his forces and inflicted the most crushing defeat on the enemy.

ثُمَّ أَنَزلَ اللّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَعَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ...   

9: 26.  But Allah did pour His calm on the Messenger and on the believers

C1276. Sakin: calm, peace, security, tranquility.

Cf. 2:248.

The Prophet never approved of over-weening confidence, or reliance merely upon human strength, or human resources or numbers. In the hour of danger and seeming disaster, he was perfectly calm, and with cool courage relied upon the help of Allah. Whose standard he carried. His calmness inspired all around him, and stopped the rout of those who had turned their backs.

It was with Allah's help that they won, and their victory was complete. They followed it up with an energetic pursuit of the enemies, capturing their camps, their flocks and herds, and their families, whom they had boastfully brought with them in expectation of an easy victory.

...وَأَنزَلَ جُنُودًا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَعذَّبَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ...

and sent down forces which ye saw not:

He punished the unbelievers:

...وَذَلِكَ جَزَاء الْكَافِرِينَ ﴿٢٦﴾  

thus doth He reward those without faith.

ثُمَّ يَتُوبُ اللّهُ مِن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ عَلَى مَن يَشَاء...   

9: 27.  Again will Allah, after this, turn (in mercy) to whom He will:

C1277. Examples of Allah's mercy and grace in difficult circumstances in one case illustrate His grace and mercy at all times to those who have faith.

...وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٢٧﴾  

for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Asad’s Version:

9: 25 Indeed, God has succored you on many battlefields, [when you were few] and [He did so too on the Say of Hunayn, when you took pride in your great numbers and they proved of no avail whatever to you – for the earth, despite all its vastness, became [too] narrow for you and you turned back, retreating:

9: 26 whereupon God bestowed from on high His [gifts of ] inner peace upon His Apostle and upon the believers, and bestowed [upon you] from on high forces which you could not see, and chastised those who were bent on denying the truth: for such is the recompense of all who deny the truth!

See Asad notes

9; 27 But with all this, God will turn His mercy unto whom He wills; for God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.