33. Al-Ahzab (The Confederates)[73 verses]

Medina Period 90 [3-5 Hijrah]


The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:


لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ...

33: 21. Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern of (conduct)

...لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ ...

for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day,

C3694. We now have the psychology of the Believers,-God-fearing men, led by that pattern of men and of leaders, Muhammad Al-Mustafa.

... وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا ﴿٢١﴾

and who engages much in the praise of Allah.

C3695. Cf. 26:227: see especially the last clause of that verse in a Makkan Surah, which was amply fulfilled in Madinah.

وَلَمَّا رَأَى الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْأَحْزَابَ قَالُوا...

33: 22. When the Believers saw the Confederate forces, they said:

...هَذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ...

"This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and his Messenger told us what was true."

C3696. This is in contrast to what the Hypocrites said in verse 12 above.

The divine promise of help and success is contingent upon our striving and faith. Nothing comes to the poltroon and the skeptical idler. Dangers and difficulties, and conflict with Evil, are foretold us, and we must meet them with fortitude and courage.

...وَمَا زَادَهُمْ إِلَّا إِيمَانًا وَتَسْلِيمًا ﴿٢٢﴾

And it only added to their faith and their zeal in obedience.

مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ...

33: 23. Among the Believers are men who have been true to their Covenant with Allah:

...فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَى نَحْبَهُ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَنتَظِرُ...

of them some have completed their vow to (the extreme), and some (still) wait:

C3697. In the fight for truth were (and are) many who sacrificed their all-resources, knowledge, influence, life itself-in the Cause, and never wavered.

If they won the crown of martyrdom, they were blessed. Such a one was Sa'd ibn Muaz, the chief of the Aus tribe, the intrepid standard-bearer of Islam, who died of a wound he had received in the Battle of the Trench. Other heroes fought valiantly and lived, always ready to lay down their lives.

Both classes were staunch: they never changed or wavered.

...وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلًا ﴿٢٣﴾

but they have never changed (their determination) in the least:

لِيَجْزِيَ اللَّهُ الصَّادِقِينَ بِصِدْقِهِمْ...

33: 24. That Allah may reward the men of Truth for their Truth

...وَيُعَذِّبَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ إِن شَاء أَوْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ...

and punish the Hypocrites if that be His Will, or turn to them in Mercy:

C3698. Before Allah's Mercy there is always room for repentance and forgiveness, even after treason and crime; but the forgiveness will be according to Allah's Will and Plan, which will judge the penitent's sincerity and capacity for good to the nicest degree in his favour.

Cf. also 33:17 above.

...إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا ﴿٢٤﴾

for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.



Asad’s Version:

33:21 VERILY, in the Apostle of God you have a good example for everyone who looks forward (with hope and awe] to God and the Last Day, and remembers God unceasingly. 24


33:22 And [so,] when the believers saw the Confederates (advancing against them], they said, "This is what God and His Apostle have promised us!" - and, "Truly spoke God and His Apostle!" 25 - and all this but increased their faith and their readiness to surrender themselves unto God.


33:23 Among the believers are men who have [always] been true to what they have vowed before God; M and among them are such as have [already] redeemed their pledge by death, and such as yet await (its fulfilment] without having changed [their resolve] in the least.


33:24 [Such trials are imposed upon man] so that God may reward the truthful for having been true to their word, and cause the hypocrites to suffer - if that be His will - or [if they repent,] accept their repentance: 27 for, verily, God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!


[[25 These seem to be allusions to 29:2 (which may have been one of the last Meccan revelations) as well as to 2:155 and 214 (i.e., verses of the first surah of the Medina period).


26 Specifically, this verse is said to apply to certain of the Companions who vowed, at the time of the early campaigns, that they would fight until death at the Prophet's side (Zamakhshari); in its wider sense, however, it relates to all efforts involving a supreme sacrifice in God's cause.


27 Cf. 6:12 - "God, who has willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy" - and the corresponding note 10.


28 I.e., the pagans among the Confederates (see note 13 above); their Jewish allies are mentioned separately in the next verse.


29 Lit., "them", i.e., the tribes allied against Muhammad and his community. The "followers of earlier revelation" (ahi al-kitab) referred to here were the Jews of the tribe of Banu Qurayzah, who despite their monotheistic faith had betrayed the Muslims and made common cause with the pagan Confederates. After the dismal rout of the latter, the Banu Qurayzah, anticipating the vengeance of the community which they had betrayed, withdrew to their fortresses in the vicinity of Medina. After a siege lasting twenty-five days they surrendered to the Muslims, forfeiting all that they possessed.


30 I.e., lands which the Muslims were to conquer and hold in the future. This clause - with its allusion to yet more prosperous times to come - provides a connection between the present passage and the next. ]]