3:125 Aal-i-Imraan (The Family of Imraan)

{ ألن يكفيكم أن يمدكم ربكم بثلاثة آلاف من الملائكة منزلين بلى إن تصبروا وتتقوا ويأتوكم من فورهم هذا } أي: من مقصدهم هذا، وهو وقعة بدر { يمددكم ربكم بخمسة آلاف من الملائكة مسومين } أي: معلمين بعلامة الشجعان، فشرط الله لإمدادهم ثلاثة شروط: الصبر، والتقوى، وإتيان المشركين من فورهم هذا، فهذا الوعد بإنزال الملائكة المذكورين وإمدادهم بهم، وأما وعد النصر وقمع كيد الأعداء فشرط الله له الشرطين الأولين كما تقدم في قوله: { وإن تصبروا وتتقوا لا يضركم كيدهم شيئا }

قوله تعالى "بلى إن تصبروا وتتقوا" يعني تصبروا على مصابرة عدوكم وتتقوني وتطيعوا أمري. وقوله تعالى "ويأتوكم من فورهم هذا" قال الحسن وقتادة والربيع والسدي: أي من وجههم هذا. وقال مجاهد وعكرمة وأبو صالح أي من غضبهم هذا. وقال الضحاك: من غضبهم ووجههم. وقال العوفي عن ابن عباس: من سفرهم هذا ويقال من غضبهم هذا. وقوله تعالى "يمددكم ربكم بخمسة آلاف من الملائكة مسومين" أي معلمين بالسيما. وقال أبو إسحق السبيعي عن حارثة بن مضرب عن علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه قال: كان سيما الملائكة يوم بدر الصوف الأبيض وكان سيماهم أيضا في نواصي خيولهم رواه ابن أبي حاتم. ثم قال حدثنا أبو زرعة حدثنا هدبة بن خالد حدثنا حماد بن سلمة عن محمد بن عمرو بن علقمة عن أبي سلمة عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه في هذه الآية "مسومين" قال: بالعهن الأحمر وقال مجاهد: "مسومين" أي محذفة أعرافها معلمة نواصيها بالصوف الأبيض في أذناب الخيل وقال العوفي عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنه قال: أتت الملائكة محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم مسوّمين بالصوف فسوم محمد وأصحابه أنفسهم وخيلهم على سيماهم بالصوف وقال قتادة وعكرمة "مسومين" أي بسيما القتال. وقال مكحول: مسومين بالعمائم. وروى ابن مردويه من حديث عبدالقدوس بن حبيب عن عطاء بن أبي رباح عن ابن عباس قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى قوله "مسوّمين" قال "معلمين" وكان سيما الملائكة يوم بدر عمائم سود ويوم حنين عمائم حمر. وروي من حديث حسين بن مخارق عن سعيد عن الحكم عن مقسم عن ابن عباس قال: لم تقاتل الملائكة إلا يوم بدر وقال ابن إسحق حدثني من لا أتهم عن مقسم عن ابن عباس قال: كان سيما الملائكة يوم بدر عمائم بيض قد أرسلوها في ظهورهم ويوم حنين عمائم حمر. ولم تضرب الملائكة في يوم سوى يوم بدر وكانوا يكونون عددا ومددا لا يضربون ثم رواه عن الحسن بن عمارة عن الحكم عن مقسم عن ابن عباس فذكر نحوه. وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا الأحمسي حدثنا وكيع حدثنا هشام بن عروة عن يحيي بن عباد: أن الزبير رضي الله عنه كان عليه يوم بدر عمامة صفراء معتجرا بها فنزلت الملائكة عليهم عمائم صفر رواه ابن مردويه من طريق هشام بن عروة عن أبيه عن عبدالله بن الزبير فذكره.

The Support of the Angels

The scholars of Tafsir differ over whether the promise contained in these Ayat referred to the battle of Badr or Uhud. The First View

There are two opinions about this, one of them saying that Allah's statement,

إِذْ تَقُولُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

((Remember) when you said to the believers) 3:124, is related to His statement,

وَلَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِبَدْرٍ

(And Allah has already made you victorious at Badr) 3:123.

This was reported from Al-Hasan Al-Basri, `Amr Ash-Sha`bi, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and several others, Ibn Jarir also agreed with this opinion. `Abbad bin Mansur said that Al-Hasan said that Allah's statement,

إِذْ تَقُولُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَلَنْ يَكْفِيكُمْ أَن يُمِدَّكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ بِثَلاَثَةِ ءَالاَفٍ مِّنَ الْمَلَـئِكَةِ

((Remember) when you said to the believers, "Is it not enough for you that your Lord should help you with three thousand angels") 3:124, is about the battle of Badr; Ibn Abi Hatim also recorded this statement.

Ibn Abi Hatim then reported that `Amr Ash-Sha`bi said, "On the day of Badr, the Muslims received information that Kurz bin Jabir (a prominent tribe chief) was aiding the idolators, and this news was hard on them, so Allah revealed;

أَلَنْ يَكْفِيكُمْ أَن يُمِدَّكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ بِثَلاَثَةِ ءَالاَفٍ مِّنَ الْمَلَـئِكَةِ مُنزَلِينَ

("Is it not enough for you that your Lord (Allah) should help you with three thousand angels sent down"), until,

مُسَوِّمِينَ

(having marks (of distinction)) 3:124,125.

The news of the defeat of the idolators at Badr reached Kurz and he did not reinforce them, and thus, Allah did not reinforce the Muslims with the five (thousands of angels)."

As for Ar-Rabi` bin Anas, he said, "Allah supported the Muslims with one thousand (angels), then the number reached three thousand, then five thousand." If one asks, according to this opinion, how can we combine between this Ayah and Allah's statement about Badr,

إِذْ تَسْتَغِيثُونَ رَبَّكُمْ فَاسْتَجَابَ لَكُمْ أَنِّي مُمِدُّكُمْ بِأَلْفٍ مِّنَ الْمَلَـئِكَةِ مُرْدِفِينَ

((Remember) when you sought help of your Lord and He answered you (saying): "I will help you with a thousand angels, each behind the other (following one another) in succession.") 8:9, until,

أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

(Verily! Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise) We say that the one thousand mentioned here does not contradict the three thousand mentioned in the above Ayah 3:124. The word "in succession" means they follow each other and thus indicates that thousands more will follow them. The two Ayat above 8:9 and 3:124 are similar in meaning and it appears that they both were about the battle of Badr, because the angels did fight in the battle of Badr, as the evidence indicates. Allah knows best. Allah's statement,

بَلَى إِن تَصْبِرُواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ

(But if you hold on to patience and have Taqwa,) 3:125 means, if you observe patience while fighting the enemy, all the while fearing Me and obeying My command. Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ar-Rabi` and As-Suddi said that Allah's statement,

وَيَأْتُوكُمْ مِّن فَوْرِهِمْ هَـذَا

(and they will come rushing) means, they (angels) will rush to you instantaneously. Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas said that the Ayah means, "All at once". It is also said that it means, before their anger subsides (against the disbelievers). The Second View

The second opinion stipulates that the promise mentioned here concerning the angels participating in battle is related to Allah's statement,

وَإِذْ غَدَوْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ تُبَوِّىءُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَقَاعِدَ لِلْقِتَالِ

(And (remember) when you left your household in the morning to post the believers at their stations for the battle) of Uhud. However, we should add, the angels did not come to the aid of Muslims at Uhud, because Allah made it conditional,

بَلَى إِن تَصْبِرُواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ

(But if you hold on to patience and have Taqwa) 3: 125.

The Muslims were not patient at Uhud. Rather, they ran away and, consequently, did not receive the support of even one angel.

Allah's statement,

يُمْدِدْكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ بِخَمْسَةِ ءَالافٍ مِّنَ الْمَلَـئِكَةِ مُسَوِّمِينَ

(your Lord will help you with five thousand angels having marks), of distinction.

Abu Ishaq As-Subay`i said; from Harithah bin Mudarrib said that `Ali bin Abi Talib said, "The angels were distinguished by wearing white wool at Badr." The angels also had special markings distinguishing their horses.

Yea it is sufficient for you. In sūrat al-Anfāl it is stated with a thousand Q. 89 because at first He reinforced them with this thousand then it became three thousand then five thousand as God says if you are patient in encountering the enemy and fear God in not contravening His command and they the idolaters come against you instantly your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels accoutred’ read musawimmīn or musawammīn that is to say distinctively marked for the battle. Indeed they were patient and God fulfilled His promise to them so that the angels fought together with them riding upon piebald horses wearing yellow or white turbans let loose down to their shoulders.

Commentary

In the previous verses, the battle of Badr was cited in relation to the battle of Uhud. Briefly stated there was the unseen support from Allah Almighty given to Muslims. In the present verses, some details of that support have been mentioned. Also stated is the wisdom behind the sending of angels.

One may naturally ask a question here. When Allah Almighty has endowed His angels with such power that just one of them could over-turn an entire habitation, very much like what happened with the land of the people of Lut (علیہ السلام) which was overturned single-handedly by the angel Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) ، why was it necessary to send out an army of angels? In addition to that, given the introduction of angels onto the battlefield, the obvious result should have been the total annihilation of every single infidel.

The Holy Qur'an has, itself, given the answer in the verse وَمَا جَعَلَهُ اللَّـهُ إِلَّا بُشْرَ‌ىٰ. It means that the purpose behind the sending of angels was not really to help score a victory on the battlefield. Instead, the purpose was to give the believers the good news of victory to comfort them and to strengthen their hearts. This is very clear from the words إِلَّا بُشْرَ‌ىٰ (only that it be a good news) and لِتَطْمَئِنَّ قُلُوبُكُم (that your hearts may be at rest) in the text. Far more clear are the words of Surah a1-Anfal about this event فَثَبِّتُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا (So, make those who believe firm - 8:12). Here, the address is to the angels and they have been asked to see that Muslims do not get anxious and that their hearts stay firm.

How can hearts be made to stay firm? There are many possible ways, one of them could be through their spiritual input, something not too dissimilar to the direct beaming of attention as practiced by mystic shaykhs.

The possibility of doing this in several less complex forms also exists. For instance, they may simply assure the believers that angels are standing ready to help them - by appearing before them, by their voice signs or by some other method - as was witnessed in the battle of Badr where all these methods were used. In fact, in one exegetic explanation of the verse فَاضْرِ‌بُوا فَوْقَ الْأَعْنَاق (So, strike over the necks - 8:12), this address is to the angels. According to some hadith narrations, when an angel decided to attack a disbeliever, the head of the disbeliever slid of his body all by itself.1 It has also been reported that some noble Companions heard the voice of Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) saying, 'Charge, Haizum!'2 Some of them saw some angels (Muslim). All these sensory experiences are part of the same chain of Divine support. Evidences prove that the angels of Allah did a few things to impress upon Muslims that the angels too are participating in fighting as a sort of assurance that His support through the angels is there. As said earlier, their objective was far from winning a war for the believers. Their real mission was to comfort Muslims and to give their hearts strength. That the obligation of Jihad has been placed on men in this mortal world, and that is how they are enabled to deserve merits and ranks in the Hereafter, is a clear proof of this view. If Allah Almighty had willed that countries be conquered through armies of angels, the very name of disbelief and disbelievers would have been effaced from the face of the earth, not to say much about governments and empires. But, in this system of the material world, Allah Almighty has not just willed it so. Here, disbelief and faith, obedience and sin shall continue to exist side by side. The great divide shall come on the Day of Resurrection when the true and the false shall become all distinct.

1. From Sabi ibn Hanif vide Al-Hkim and Baihaqi.

2. The steed of Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) .

The rationale of the promises:

Let us now turn to the promises of angelic help in the battle of Badr. The verse of Surah al-Anfal carries the promise of one thousand angels. In the present verse of Surah 'Al-` Imran, the promise begins with three thousand, then goes up to five. What is the wisdom behind this?

The fact is that Muslims noticed the thousand-strong force of the enemy in the battle of Badr, as stated in Surah al-Anfal, and compared it with their total count of three hundred and thirteen, so they invoked the help of Allah Almighty against such heavy odds. Thereupon, came the promise of one thousand angels, implying thereby that the number of their enemy shall be matched by an identical number of angels. The words of the verse are:

إِذْ تَسْتَغِيثُونَ رَ‌بَّكُمْ فَاسْتَجَابَ لَكُمْ أَنِّي مُمِدُّكُم بِأَلْفٍ مِّنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُرْ‌دِفِينَ ﴿9﴾

When you were calling your Lord for help, so He responded to you (saying): I am going to support you with one thousand of the angels, one following the other. (8:9)

Even after this verse, the same purpose behind the sending of angels was made clear by saying:

وَمَا جَعَلَهُ اللَّـهُ إِلَّا بُشْرَ‌ىٰ وَلِتَطْمَئِنَّ بِهِ قُلُوبُكُمْ

"And Allah did it, only that it be a good news for you, and that your hearts may be at rest with it."

Then comes the present verse of Surah 'Al-` Imran. Here, the promise of three thousand angels was probably made due to the reports received by Muslims that Kurz ibn Jabir. Muharibi was marching towards the battlefield of Badr with his tribal forces in support of the disbelievers of Makkah (as in Ruh al-Ma` ani). The actual position in the confrontation was that the enemy forces were already three times larger than those of Muslims, who were somewhat disturbed by this news. Thereupon, a promise of three thousand angels was made so that the ratio is reversed and the number of Muslims goes three times higher than that of the enemy.

After that, right there towards the end of this verse, this number was increased, subject to conditions, to five thousand. The conditions were:

A. That Muslims shall hold on firmly to the great qualities of صبر sabr (patience) and تقوی Taqwa (fear of Allah).

B. That they come under enemy attack all of a sudden.

Out of these two conditions, the second one did not just materialize, therefore, the promise of the number, five thousand, did not remain effective. Granted that the second condition of the promise did not come to pass, major commentators and historians differ as to the actual fulfillment of the promise - was it in the form of five thousand or three thousand only? All these positions have been mentioned in Ruh al-Ma'ani.

From the verse لَيْسَ لَكَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ‌ شَيْءٌ (You have no authority in the matter) (128), the text returns to the main event of Uhud after a brief mention of the event of Badr in between. This verse was revealed in the background of the battle of Uhud where the Holy Prophet ﷺ lost one of his teeth, the lower right premolar, to be exact. His face injured, he is reported to have uttered: 'How shall such people prosper, people who do this to their prophet, although that prophet is calling them towards God?'. Thereupon, this verse was revealed.

According to yet another story from the Sahih al-Bukhari, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have invoked evil fate for some disbelievers, whereupon came the revelation of this verse in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been counseled to remain patient and forbearing.1

1. Bayan al-Qura'n.