English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (1951/2002)

48:1 Surely We have granted thee a clear victory,^a

1a (Commentary on 48:1) The victory referred to is that gained by the truce at Ḥudaibiyah in 6 A.H. (B. 64:37). The fact that there was no actual fighting at Ḥudaibiyah has led many to think that the words contain a prophecy about the conquest of Makkah, which, however, is referred to later on in the third section of this chapter. The truce at Ḥudaibiyah was surely a real victory for the Muslims, because it opened the way for the propagation of Islam among the disbelievers, and by putting a stop to hostilities gave the opponents an occasion to ponder over the merits of the religion against which they had hitherto struggled in vain on the field of battle. As a result of this truce large numbers came over to Islam, and the words are thus prophetical, and their truth was demonstrated long after their revelation. It may be added here that ‘Umar had some misgivings as to the good of the truce concluded at Ḥudaibiyah; he thought that the truce was not honourable for the Muslims, for the conditions to which they yielded were disadvantageous to them. One of the conditions of the truce was that, if anyone from among the Makkans came over to the Holy Prophet, he would return him to the Quraish, though he were a Muslim, while the Quraish were not bound to return anyone who deserted the Prophet and joined the Quraish. The Muslims felt it very hard that one of their brethren should be returned to suffer persecution at the hands of the disbelievers; but, as the Quraish refused to make a truce unless this condition was included, the Holy Prophet accepted it. Immediately afterwards Divine revelation dispelled all those misgivings, and declared the truce to be a great victory leading to glorious results, as it actually proved to be.

48:2 That Allah may cover for thee thy (alleged) shortcomings in the past and those to come,^a and complete His favour to thee and guide thee on a right path,^b

2a (Commentary on 48:2) For ghafr meaning covering or protecting, see 2:286a. The word dhanbi-ka occurring here has been misunderstood as meaning thy sin. In the first place dhanb means any shortcoming, not necessarily a sin; see 3:11a. Secondly, the Prophet never committed a sin and his istighfār meant the asking of Divine protection against the commission of sins; see 40:55a. Even before he was raised to the dignity of prophethood, he was known in Arabia as al-Amīn or the faithful one. Dhanbi-ka therefore here means not the sin committed by thee but the sin committed against thee, or the shortcomings attributed to thee, as ithmī in 5:29 means not the sin committed by me but the sin committed against me, for which see 5:29a. Other examples of a similar use of iḍāfah are met with in the Holy Quran. For instance, see 6:22, where shurakā’u-kum does not mean your partners but the partners set up by you, and in 16:27 shurakā’ī does not mean My partners but the partners which you set up with Me. The iḍāfah in dhanbi-ka carries a similar significance, and the word means thy alleged shortcomings. It is only in this sense that we can speak of sins in the past and those to come. These were the shortcomings attributed to the Prophet by his enemies, by those who were contemporaneous with him and those who were yet to come after him. Notwithstanding the fact that the Prophet was respected throughout Arabia for his righteousness and truthfulness before he laid claim to prophethood, the twenty years of opposition to the Truth which he brought had poisoned the minds of the Arabs to such an extent that they now drew a very dark picture of him, heaping all kinds of abuses on him. Their poets now indulged in vituperating him, thus poisoning the minds of the masses. The battles that were now being fought had, further, made it impossible for the Muslims to present a true picture of Islam to the Arabs. After several years of conflict, the Ḥudaibiyah truce brought about a change in the relations of the two parties and the truth about the Prophet now began to dawn on their minds. They now saw that the Prophet was not the man of terror as their leaders had pictured to them. They saw the great transformation which he had wrought and the life which he had infused into a dead nation. It was in this sense that God covered the shortcomings and failures which his opponents attributed to him. Their effect on the public mind was removed by the Ḥudaibiyah truce, which gave his enemies an occasion to ponder over the beauties of Islam. In the words those to come, there is a reference to the latter-day carpings of the enemies of Islam. As already stated, this chapter deals not only with the immediate triumph of Islam, but prophesies also its ultimate triumph in the whole world (v. 28). Hence there is a promise here that not only would those misunderstandings which already existed be corrected, but even those that remained behind and would be spread at a later date by the enemies of Islam, would also be dispelled, and Islam would thus shine in its full lustre not only in Arabia but in the whole world.

2b (Commentary on 48:2) The completion of favours was accomplished by the spread of Islam, and the guiding on the right path signified the right way to success.

48:3 And that Allah might help thee with a mighty help.^a

3a (Commentary on 48:3) Large numbers becoming converts to Islam proved a mighty help in its cause. While proceeding to Ḥudaibiyah the Holy Prophet was accompanied by 1,500 men; two years later, when advancing on Makkah, 10,000 men marched under his banner, which shows how fast Islam spread after the Ḥudaibiyah truce.

48:4 He it is Who sent down tranquillity into the hearts of the believers that they might add faith to their faith. And Allah’s are the hosts of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is ever Knowing, Wise —

48:5 That He may cause the believing men and the believing women to enter Gardens wherein flow rivers to abide therein and remove from them their evil. And that is a grand achievement with Allah,

48:6 And (that) He may chastise the hypocritical men and the hypocritical women, and the polytheistic men and the polytheistic women, the entertainers of evil thoughts about Allah. On them is the evil turn, and Allah is wroth with them and has cursed them and prepared hell for them; and evil is the resort.

48:7 And Allah’s are the hosts of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is ever Mighty, Wise.

48:8 Surely We have sent thee as a witness and as a bearer of good news and as a warner,

48:9 That you may believe in Allah and His Messenger and may aid him and revere him. And (that) you may declare His glory, morning and evening.

48:10 Those who swear allegiance to thee do but swear allegiance to Allah. The hand of Allah is above their hands. So whoever breaks (his faith), he breaks it only to his soul’s injury. And whoever fulfils his covenant with Allah, He will grant him a mighty reward.^a

10a (Commentary on 48:10) The swearing of allegiance referred to here took place before the truce was concluded. The Holy Prophet had started with his men with the object of performing a pilgrimage, but when he reached Ḥudaibiyah, the Makkans opposed his entry into Makkah. Thereupon the companions of the Holy Prophet swore allegiance to him (under a tree as stated in v. 18), that they would defend him at all costs and die fighting at his side (B. 64:37). The necessity for this seems to have arisen from the fact that the Quraish advanced to fight the Muslims, who were unprepared for war.

It may be noted here that the companions of the Holy Prophet swore allegiance to him twice at Makkah before the Flight — the swearers being in both cases the citizens of Madīnah. Both these are known by the name of Bai‘at al-‘Aqabah. On the first occasion twelve men only were present, and the swearing of their allegiance implied only their belief in the truth of Islam, the promise given being: “We will not serve anyone but Allah; we will not steal; we will not commit adultery; we will not kill our children; we will not slander, and we will not disobey the Prophet in anything that is right” (B. 2:10). The second pledge at ‘Aqabah, which came a year later, was given by seventy-three Madinites, including two women, who undertook to defend the Holy Prophet, “as we defend our own backs”. The third occasion on which an oath of allegiance was taken was the Ḥudaibiyah, and this is known as the Bai‘at al-riḍwān (see v. 18). Women swore allegiance on one occasion, for which see 60:12a.

48:11 Those of the dwellers of the desert who lagged behind will say to thee:^a Our property and our families kept us busy, so ask forgiveness for us. They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Say: Then who can control aught for you from Allah, if He intends to do you harm or if He intends to do you good. Nay, Allah is ever Aware of what you do.

11a (Commentary on 48:11) The reference is to those who lagged behind in the Ḥudaibiyah expedition.

48:12 Nay, you thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to their families,^a and that was made fair-seeming in your hearts, and you thought an evil thought, and you are a people doomed to perish.

12a (Commentary on 48:12) Even as late as the sixth year of the Hijrah the Muslims were so weak, as compared with their enemies, that whenever they had to go into the field, the weak-hearted thought that the Muslims were going into the very jaws of death.

48:13 And whoever believes not in Allah and His Messenger — then surely We have prepared burning Fire for the disbelievers.

48:14 And Allah’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases. And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

48:15 Those who lagged behind will say, when you set forth to acquire gains: Allow us to follow you. They desire to change the word of Allah. Say: You shall not follow us. Thus did Allah say before.^a But they will say: Nay, you are jealous of us. Nay, they understand not but a little.

15a (Commentary on 48:15) The reference here is not to 9:83, which is a much later revelation. It appears that an order similar to that contained in 9:83 was given by the Holy Prophet to the laggards on the occasion of Ḥudaibiyah.

48:16 Say to those of the dwellers of the desert who lagged behind: You will soon be called against a people of mighty prowess to fight against them until they submit. Then if you obey, Allah will grant you a good reward; but, if you turn back as you turned back before, He will chastise you with a painful chastisement.^a

16a (Commentary on 48:16) The power of the Makkan enemy was now broken, as was proved by the advance on Makkah two years later. Hence, the defaulters are told that they would be called on to join the forces of Islam against another powerful enemy. This appears to be a reference to the wars against the Roman and Persian empires in the time of the early Caliphs, again referred to in v. 21.

48:17 There is no blame on the blind, nor is there blame on the lame, nor is there blame on the sick. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will cause him to enter Gardens wherein flow rivers. And whoever turns back, He will chastise him with a painful chastisement.

48:18 Allah indeed was well pleased with the believers, when they swore allegiance to thee under the tree,^a and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquillity on them and rewarded them with a near victory,^b

18a (Commentary on 48:18) It should be noted that the 1,500 men who swore allegiance at Ḥudaibiyah are here declared to be those with whom Allah is well pleased. These words should set at rest the doubts of the adherents of a great schism in Islam as to the sincerity of the companions of the Holy Prophet. The Prophet was sitting under a tree when allegiance was sworn to him at Ḥudaibiyah (B. 65:xlviii, 5).

18b (Commentary on 48:18) The near victory prophesied here was obtained at Khaibar, soon after the return from Ḥudaibiyah.

48:19 And many gains which they will acquire. And Allah is ever Mighty, Wise.^a

19a (Commentary on 48:19) These many gains predict the later conquests of the Muslims, beginning with the conquest of Makkah which made the Muslims masters of Arabia, and then extending to other countries, both in the East and the West.

48:20 Allah promised you many gains which you will acquire, then He hastened this on for you, and held back the hands of men from you; and that it may be a sign for the believers and that He may guide you on a right path,^a

20a (Commentary on 48:20) What was hastened on was the Ḥudaibiyah truce, which is called “a clear victory” in the very first verse of this chapter. By this truce the hands of men were held back from the Muslims, i.e., the Muslims were not persecuted any more. So persecution having ceased, people began to enter Islam in large numbers. This was moreover an indication that the promised conquests of Islam were not only conquests of countries but also conquests of hearts.

48:21 And others which you have not yet been able to achieve — Allah has surely encompassed them. And Allah is ever Powerful over all things.^a

21a (Commentary on 48:21) This reference is to the great Muslim conquests under the successors of the Holy Prophet. The vanquishment of the enemy is plainly spoken of in the next verse.

48:22 And if those who disbelieve fight with you, they will certainly turn (their) backs, then they will find no protector nor helper.

48:23 (Such has been) the course of Allah that has run before, and thou wilt not find a change in Allah’s course.

48:24 And He it is Who held back their hands from you and your hands from them in the valley of Makkah after He had given you victory over them. And Allah is ever Seer of what you do.^a

24a (Commentary on 48:24) This is again a reference to the Ḥudaibiyah truce. Thrice already had the disbelievers attacked Madīnah with very strong forces to crush Islam, and the Muslims had repulsed them every time, inflicting severe loss on them. This is referred to in the words, after He had given you victory over them. Yet they offered terms which were humiliating to the Muslims and the Prophet accepted them to avoid bloodshed, so deeply did he love peace. Thus the hands of both sides were held back. Authentic reports state clearly that ‘Umar openly gave vent to his injured feelings (B. 54:15). The chief terms of the agreement were: (1) That the Muslims should return without performing a pilgrimage. (2) That they should be allowed to perform a pilgrimage next year, but should not stay for more than three days. (3) That if a disbeliever, being converted, went over to the Muslims, he should be returned, but if a Muslim went over to the disbelievers he should not be given back to the Muslims (B. 54:15). The last term of the agreement was specially dissatisfying to the Muslims; but it shows the strong conviction which the Holy Prophet had in the truth of Islam, for he was confident that none of his companions would go over to disbelief and join the Quraish; and also that those who became converts to Islam would not desert it on account of persecution. Thus it happened that the converts to Islam from among the Makkans, not being allowed to settle at Madīnah, formed an independent colony of their own (B. 54:15), proving thereby the genuineness of their convictions and the strength of their faith.

48:25 It is they who disbelieved and debarred you from the Sacred Mosque — and the offering withheld from reaching its goal. And were it not for the believing men and the believing women, whom, not having known, you might have trodden down and thus something hateful might have afflicted you on their account without knowledge — so that Allah may admit to His mercy whom He pleases. Had they been apart, We would surely have chastised those who disbelieved from among them with a painful chastisement.^a

25a (Commentary on 48:25) One of the reasons given here for the truce is that the welfare of the Muslims demanded it, inasmuch as there were Muslims at Makkah who were unknown even to their brethren at Madīnah, and that, if a battle had taken place, they would have suffered along with the enemy. This shows how Islam was making silent progress at Makkah itself, even without the guidance of a preacher, and in spite of persecution.

48:26 When those who disbelieved harboured disdain in their hearts, the disdain of Ignorance, but Allah sent down His tranquillity on His Messenger and on the believers and made them keep the word of observance of duty, and they were entitled to it and worthy of it. And Allah is ever Knower of all things.

48:27 Allah indeed fulfilled the vision for His Messenger with truth. You shall certainly enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah please, in security, your heads shaved and hair cut short, not fearing. But He knows what you know not, so He has ordained a near victory before that.^a

27a (Commentary on 48:27) The Holy Prophet’s journey to Makkah to perform a pilgrimage with 1,500 of his companions was undertaken on the basis of the vision stated here. In a vision, the Prophet had seen himself and his companions performing a pilgrimage. Convinced of the truth of his vision, he set out with about 1,500 of his companions with the object of performing a pilgrimage. The Makkans, however, opposed him at Ḥudaibiyah, and a truce was there arranged, according to which the Holy Prophet had to return without performing a pilgrimage. The truth of the vision is therefore asserted here. It is made clear that the Prophet’s return did not falsify the vision, which had to be, and was, fulfilled next year. This was the answer which the Holy Prophet gave to ‘Umar when he objected to returning without performing a pilgrimage (B. 54:15). The near victory referred to here as coming before that, i.e., before the vision was fulfilled by the actual performance of the pilgrimage during the following year, is the conquest of Khaibar which happened in the month of Ṣafar in the seventh year of the Hijrah.

48:28 He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the Religion of Truth that He may make it prevail over all religions. And Allah is enough for a witness.^a

28a (Commentary on 48:28) This prophecy of the prevalence of Islam over all other religions is a prophecy which extends into the distant future, while Arabia saw its fulfilment in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet. The prevalence of Islam does not, however, mean the political supremacy of its adherents at all times, nor does the prophecy signify that other religions would at any time entirely disappear. It only indicates that the superiority of the religion of Islam over all other religions will at last be established, and Islam will be the religion of the majority of the nations of the earth. No other scripture prophesies the triumph of the religion it preaches in such unmistakable terms. See also 9:33; 61:9.

48:29 Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm of heart against the disbelievers,^a compassionate among themselves. Thou seest them bowing down, prostrating themselves, seeking Allah’s grace and pleasure. Their marks are on their faces in consequence of prostration. That is their description in the Torah — and their description in the Gospel — like seed-produce that puts forth its sprout, then strengthens it, so it becomes stout and stands firmly on its stem, delighting the sowers that He may enrage the disbelievers on account of them. Allah has promised such of them as believe and do good, forgiveness and a great reward.

29a (Commentary on 48:29) Ashiddā’ is plural of shadīd, which means firm, strong, powerful, as well as brave, firm of heart (LA, Q, LL). Shiddat, the root word, also signifies firmness of heart (T). The translation fierce, or vehement, adopted in English translations, is not correct here. The Muslims stood firm against the disbelievers but they were never fierce or hard in their treatment towards them.