قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ سَتُغْلَبُونَ
وَتُحْشَرُونَ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ ۚ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمِهَادُ
قَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ ءَايَةٌ فِى فِئَتَيْنِ
ٱلْتَقَتَا ۖ فِئَةٌ تُقَـٰتِلُ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ
وَأُخْرَىٰ كَافِرَةٌ يَرَوْنَهُم مِّثْلَيْهِمْ
رَأْىَ ٱلْعَيْنِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يُؤَيِّدُ بِنَصْرِهِۦ
مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً
لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرِ
Say to those who disbelieve:
“You will be defeated and
gathered together to Hell, and
worst indeed is that place of rest.”
There has already been a sign
for you in the two armies that met.
One was fighting in the cause
of Allah, and as for the other,
in disbelief. They saw them with
their own eyes twice their number.
And Allah supports with His aid
whom He wills. Verily, in this is
a lesson for those who understand.
Threatening the Jews With Defeat and Encouraging Them to Learn a Lesson From the Battle of Badr
Allah commanded the Prophet Muhammad to proclaim to the disbelievers,
سَتُغْلَبُونَ
You will be defeated
in this life,
وَتُحْشَرُونَ
And gathered together
on the Day of Resurrection,
إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ وَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ
to Hell, and worst indeed is that place of rest
Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar recorded that `Asim bin `Umar bin Qatadah said that when the Messenger of Allah gained victory in the battle of Badr and went back to Al-Madinah, he gathered the Jews in the marketplace of Bani Qaynuqa`.
Therefore, Allah said,
قَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ ءَايَةٌ
There has already been a sign for you
meaning, O Jews, who said what you said! You have an Ayat, meaning proof, that Allah will make His religion prevail, award victory to His Messenger, make His Word apparent and His religion the highest.
فِي فِئَتَيْنِ
In the two armies
meaning, two camps,
الْتَقَتَا
that met in combat (in Badr),
فِئَةٌ تُقَـتِلُ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
One was fighting in the Cause of Allah
the Muslims,
وَأُخْرَى كَافِرَةٌ
And as for the other, in disbelief
meaning, the idolators of Quraysh at Badr. Allah’s statement,
يَرَوْنَهُمْ مِّثْلَيْهِمْ رَأْىَ الْعَيْنِ
They saw them with their own eyes twice their number
means, the idolators thought that the Muslims were twice as many as they were, for Allah made this illusion a factor in the victory that Islam had over them.
It was said that the meaning of Allah’s statement,
يَرَوْنَهُمْ مِّثْلَيْهِمْ رَأْىَ الْعَيْنِ
They saw them with their own eyes twice their number
is that the Muslims saw twice as many idolators as they were, yet Allah gave them victory over the disbelievers. `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, “When we looked at the disbelievers’ forces, we found that they were twice as many as we were. When we looked at them again, we thought they did not have one man more than we had. So Allah’s statement,
وَإِذْ يُرِيكُمُوهُمْ إِذِ الْتَقَيْتُمْ فِى أَعْيُنِكُمْ
قَلِيلاً وَيُقَلِّلُكُمْ فِى أَعْيُنِهِمْ
And (remember) when you met, He showed them to you as few in your eyes and He made you appear as few in their eyes. (Taha 44)”.
When the two camps saw each other, the Muslims thought that the idolators were twice as many as they were, so that they would trust in Allah and seek His help. The idolators thought that the believers were twice as many as they were, so that they would feel fear, horror, fright and despair. When the two camps stood in lines and met in battle, Allah made each camp look smaller in the eyes of the other camp, so that they would be encouraged to fight each other,
لِّيَقْضِيَ اللَّهُ أَمْراً كَانَ مَفْعُولاً
so that Allah might accomplish a matter already ordained. (Taha 42)
meaning, so that the truth and falsehood are distinguishable, and thus the word of faith prevails over disbelief and deviation, so that the believers prevail and the disbelievers are humiliated. In a similar statement, Allah said;
وَلَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِبَدْرٍ وَأَنتُمْ أَذِلَّةٌ
And Allah has already made you victorious at Badr, when you were a weak little force (Al-i’Imran 123). In Al-i’Imran 13 Allah said,
وَاللَّهُ يُؤَيِّدُ بِنَصْرِهِ مَن يَشَآءُ إِنَّ
فِى ذَلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لاوْلِى الاٌّبْصَـرِ
And Allah supports with His victory whom He wills. Verily, in this is a lesson for those who understand
meaning, this should be an example for those who have intelligence and sound comprehension. They should contemplate about Allah’s wisdom, decisions and decree, that He gives victory to His believing servants in this life and on the Day the witnesses stand up to testify.