English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

Chapter 48: Al-Fath — The Victory (Revealed at Madinah: 4 sections, 29 verses)

Section 3 (Verses 48:18–48:26): More Victories for Islam

Translation:

لَقَدۡ رَضِیَ اللّٰہُ عَنِ الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ اِذۡ یُبَایِعُوۡنَکَ تَحۡتَ الشَّجَرَۃِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِیۡ قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ فَاَنۡزَلَ السَّکِیۡنَۃَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ وَ اَثَابَہُمۡ فَتۡحًا قَرِیۡبًا ﴿ۙ۱۸﴾

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

وَّ مَغَانِمَ کَثِیۡرَۃً یَّاۡخُذُوۡنَہَا ؕ وَ کَانَ اللّٰہُ عَزِیۡزًا حَکِیۡمًا ﴿۱۹﴾

48:19 and many gains which they will acquire.1 And Allah is ever Mighty, Wise.

وَعَدَکُمُ اللّٰہُ مَغَانِمَ کَثِیۡرَۃً تَاۡخُذُوۡنَہَا فَعَجَّلَ لَکُمۡ ہٰذِہٖ وَ کَفَّ اَیۡدِیَ النَّاسِ عَنۡکُمۡ ۚ وَ لِتَکُوۡنَ اٰیَۃً لِّلۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ وَ یَہۡدِیَکُمۡ صِرَاطًا مُّسۡتَقِیۡمًا ﴿ۙ۲۰﴾

48:20 Allah promised you many gains which you will acquire, then He hastened this on for you, and held back the hands of people from you; and that it may be a sign for the believers and that He may guide you on a right path,2

وَّ اُخۡرٰی لَمۡ تَقۡدِرُوۡا عَلَیۡہَا قَدۡ اَحَاطَ اللّٰہُ بِہَا ؕ وَ کَانَ اللّٰہُ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدِیۡرًا ﴿۲۱﴾

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.3

وَ لَوۡ قٰتَلَکُمُ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا لَوَلَّوُا الۡاَدۡبَارَ ثُمَّ لَا یَجِدُوۡنَ وَلِیًّا وَّ لَا نَصِیۡرًا ﴿۲۲﴾

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

سُنَّۃَ اللّٰہِ الَّتِیۡ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ ۚۖ وَ لَنۡ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّۃِ اللّٰہِ تَبۡدِیۡلًا ﴿۲۳﴾

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

وَ ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ کَفَّ اَیۡدِیَہُمۡ عَنۡکُمۡ وَ اَیۡدِیَکُمۡ عَنۡہُمۡ بِبَطۡنِ مَکَّۃَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ اَنۡ اَظۡفَرَکُمۡ عَلَیۡہِمۡ ؕ وَ کَانَ اللّٰہُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ بَصِیۡرًا ﴿۲۴﴾

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.4

ہُمُ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا وَ صَدُّوۡکُمۡ عَنِ الۡمَسۡجِدِ الۡحَرَامِ وَ الۡہَدۡیَ مَعۡکُوۡفًا اَنۡ یَّبۡلُغَ مَحِلَّہٗ ؕ وَ لَوۡ لَا رِجَالٌ مُّؤۡمِنُوۡنَ وَ نِسَآءٌ مُّؤۡمِنٰتٌ لَّمۡ تَعۡلَمُوۡہُمۡ اَنۡ تَطَـُٔوۡہُمۡ فَتُصِیۡبَکُمۡ مِّنۡہُمۡ مَّعَرَّۃٌۢ بِغَیۡرِ عِلۡمٍ ۚ لِیُدۡخِلَ اللّٰہُ فِیۡ رَحۡمَتِہٖ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ۚ لَوۡ تَزَیَّلُوۡا لَعَذَّبۡنَا الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا مِنۡہُمۡ عَذَابًا اَلِیۡمًا ﴿۲۵﴾

48:25 It is they who disbelieved and debarred you from the Sacred Mosque — and the offering withheld from reaching its destination. And if it were not for the believing men and the believing women, whom, not knowing them, you might have trodden down so that a harm might have afflicted you on their account unknowingly — that Allah may admit to His mercy whom He pleases. If they had been apart, We would surely have punished those who disbelieved from among them with a painful punishment.5

اِذۡ جَعَلَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا فِیۡ قُلُوۡبِہِمُ الۡحَمِیَّۃَ حَمِیَّۃَ الۡجَاہِلِیَّۃِ فَاَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ سَکِیۡنَتَہٗ عَلٰی رَسُوۡلِہٖ وَ عَلَی الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ وَ اَلۡزَمَہُمۡ کَلِمَۃَ التَّقۡوٰی وَ کَانُوۡۤا اَحَقَّ بِہَا وَ اَہۡلَہَا ؕ وَ کَانَ اللّٰہُ بِکُلِّ شَیۡءٍ عَلِیۡمًا ﴿٪۲۶﴾

48:26 When those who disbelieved harboured disdain in their hearts, the disdain of (the days 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.

Commentary:

  1. 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. ↩
  2. By this truce the hands of people 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. ↩
  3. This refers to the great Muslim conquests under the successors of the Holy Prophet. The defeat of the enemy is plainly spoken of in the next verse. ↩
  4. This is again a reference to the Hudaibiyah truce. Three times already had the disbelievers attacked Madinah with very strong forces to crush Islam, and 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. 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 (Bukhari, 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. ↩
  5. 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 Madinah, 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. ↩

Top