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 4 (Verses 48:27–48:29): Ultimate Triumph of Islam
Translation:
لَقَدۡ صَدَقَ اللّٰہُ رَسُوۡلَہُ الرُّءۡیَا بِالۡحَقِّ ۚ لَتَدۡخُلُنَّ الۡمَسۡجِدَ الۡحَرَامَ اِنۡ شَآءَ اللّٰہُ اٰمِنِیۡنَ ۙ مُحَلِّقِیۡنَ رُءُوۡسَکُمۡ وَ مُقَصِّرِیۡنَ ۙ لَا تَخَافُوۡنَ ؕ فَعَلِمَ مَا لَمۡ تَعۡلَمُوۡا فَجَعَلَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ ذٰلِکَ فَتۡحًا قَرِیۡبًا ﴿۲۷﴾
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 do not know, so He has ordained a near victory before that.1
ہُوَ الَّذِیۡۤ اَرۡسَلَ رَسُوۡلَہٗ بِالۡہُدٰۦ وَ دِیۡنِ الۡحَقِّ لِیُظۡہِرَہٗ عَلَی الدِّیۡنِ کُلِّہٖ ؕ وَ کَفٰی بِاللّٰہِ شَہِیۡدًا ﴿ؕ۲۸﴾
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.2
مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُوۡلُ اللّٰہِ ؕ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ مَعَہٗۤ اَشِدَّآءُ عَلَی الۡکُفَّارِ رُحَمَآءُ بَیۡنَہُمۡ تَرٰىہُمۡ رُکَّعًا سُجَّدًا یَّبۡتَغُوۡنَ فَضۡلًا مِّنَ اللّٰہِ وَ رِضۡوَانًا ۫ سِیۡمَاہُمۡ فِیۡ وُجُوۡہِہِمۡ مِّنۡ اَثَرِ السُّجُوۡدِ ؕ ذٰلِکَ مَثَلُہُمۡ فِی التَّوۡرٰىۃِ ۚۖۛ وَ مَثَلُہُمۡ فِی الۡاِنۡجِیۡلِ ۚ۟ۛ کَزَرۡعٍ اَخۡرَجَ شَطۡـَٔہٗ فَاٰزَرَہٗ فَاسۡتَغۡلَظَ فَاسۡتَوٰی عَلٰی سُوۡقِہٖ یُعۡجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِیَغِیۡظَ بِہِمُ الۡکُفَّارَ ؕ وَعَدَ اللّٰہُ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ مِنۡہُمۡ مَّغۡفِرَۃً وَّ اَجۡرًا عَظِیۡمًا ﴿٪۲۹﴾
48:29 Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm of heart against the disbelievers,3 compassionate among themselves. You see 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 a seed that puts forth its shoot, 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.
Commentary:
- 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 Hudaibiyah, 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. The near victory before that, i.e., before the vision was fulfilled during the following year, is the conquest of Khaibar which happened in the month of Safar in 7 A.H. ↩
- 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. See also 9:33; 61:9. ↩
- The word ashiddā’ used here means firm, strong, powerful, as well as brave, firm of heart. The translation fierce, vehement, or harsh, adopted in many 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. ↩