Concept that strength of enemy is few in number

Lesson # 1005 from Noble Quran

Concept that strength of enemy is few in number

Surah ‘ANFAAL (SPOILS OF WAR) – Chapter – 8)

Stage – 2, Verse – 43 of 75, Section – 5 of 10 (Part - 10)

BisMIllaahir-Rahmaanir-Rahiim

In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful

43.  When Allah showed them unto thee (O Muhammad) in thy dream as few in number, and if He had shown them to thee as many, ye (Muslims) would have faltered and would have quarreled over the affair, but Allah saved (you). Lo! He knoweth what is in the breasts (of men).

43.  ‘Iz  yuriika  -humUllaahu  fii  manaa-mika  qaliilaa.  Wa  law  ‘araa-kahum  kasiiral-la-fashiltum  wa  lata-naaza’-tum  fil-‘amri  wa  laakin-nAllaaha   sallam.  ‘InnaHuu  ‘Aliimum-  bizaatis-suduur.

Lesson

Fashiltum – (you would have faltered), it is past tense. Fashal means “to become languid or enfeebled, to be lazy during work”.

Tanaaza’-tum – (you would have quarreled), past tense from the word tanaaza’, which has been derived from naza’. Naza’ means “withdraw, quarrel with one another, contention, snatching forcibly, and mutual brawl”. It aims that you would have begun to quarrel among yourselves.

‘Amri – (the affair), this word has many usages. Here it aims “that work which was before them at that time i.e. fight against unbelievers”.  

Zaatis-suduur – (in the breasts), zaat means “the keeper”. Suduur is plural of sadar, which means breast. The heart is in the breast. Therefore, here it aims “the hearts”. Zaatis-suduur means “those matters which come in the hearts/minds of the people”.

It has been commanded in this verse that it was the Will of God Almighty that you should fight the infidels and defeat them, because He is Aware of the expedience of all people. He showed His Messenger (grace, glory, blessings and peace be upon Him) in the dream that the disbelievers (against whom the Muslims have to fight) are few in number.

The expedience in it was that the Muslims should be encouraged; weakness and laziness should not come in their minds. If the Messenger of God Almighty (grace, glory, blessings and peace be upon Him) would have seen more strength of disbelievers in His dream; as it actually was, and the Muslims would have heard about such dream, then they would have lost their spirit and their intents would have been mean spirited.

Any individual of them would have talked “how can we fight face to face too much big Army? It is not good to come out against them”. Any other would have said: No! We should move against them. When there is mutual misunderstanding in any work that whether it should be done or otherwise, then that situation is not good. Allah Almighty arranged to save them.

God Almighty showed in the dream of His Messenger (grace, glory, blessings and peace be upon Him) that the strength of infidels is very less. It meant that although they are more in number but this strength is useless, because they will be defeated badly in such a way which happens with few people.

Transliterated Holy Qur’an in Roman Script & Translated from Arabic to English by Marmaduke Pickthall, Published by Pak Company, 17-Urdu Bazaar, Lahore, Lesson collected from Dars e Qur’aan published By Idara Islaah wa Tableegh, Lahore (translated Urdu to English by Muhammad Sharif)