33:25 Al-Ahzaab (The Clans)

{ وَرَدَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِغَيْظِهِمْ لَمْ يَنَالُوا خَيْرًا } أي: ردهم خائبين، لم يحصل لهم الأمر الذي كانوا حنقين عليه، مغتاظين قادرين ]عليه[ جازمين، بأن لهم الدائرة، قد غرتهم جموعهم، وأعجبوا بتحزبهم، وفرحوا بِعَدَدِهمْ وعُدَدِهِمْ.فأرسل اللّه عليهم، ريحًا عظيمة، وهي ريح الصبا، فزعزعت مراكزهم، وقوَّضت خيامهم، وكفأت قدورهم وأزعجتهم، وضربهم اللّه بالرعب، فانصرفوا بغيظهم، وهذا من نصر اللّه لعباده المؤمنين.{ وَكَفَى اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْقِتَالَ } بما صنع لهم من الأسباب العادية والقدرية، { وَكَانَ اللَّهُ قَوِيًّا عَزِيزًا } لا يغالبه أحد إلا غُلِبَ، ولا يستنصره أحد إلا غَلَبَ، ولا يعجزه أمر أراده، ولا ينفع أهل القوة والعزة، قوتهم وعزتهم، إن لم يعنهم بقوته وعزته.

يقول تعالى مخبرا عن الأحزاب لما أجلاهم عن المدينة بما أرسل عليهم من الريح والجنود الإلهية ولو أن الله جعل رسوله رحمة للعالمين لكانت هذه الريح عليهم أشد من الريح العقيم التي أرسلها على عاد ولكن قال تعالى "وما كان الله ليعذبهم وأنت فيهم "سلط عليهم هواء فرق شملهم كما كان سبب اجتماعهم من الهوى وهم أخلاط من قبائل شتى أحزاب وآراء فناسب أن يرسل عليهم الهواء الذي فرق جماعتهم وردهم خائبين خاسرين بغيظهم وحنقهم لم ينالوا خيرا لا في الدنيا مما كان في أنفسهم من الظفر والمغنم ولا في الآخرة بما تحملوه من الآثام في مبارزة الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم بالعداوة وهمهم بقتله واستئصال جيشه ومن هم بشيء وصدق همه بفعله فهو في الحقيقة كفاعله. وقوله تبارك وتعالى "وكفى الله المؤمنين القتال "أي لم يحتاجوا إلى منازلتهم ومبارزتهم حتى يجلوهم عن بلادهم بل كفى الله وحده ونصر عبده وأعز جنده ولهذا كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول "لا إله إلا الله وحده صدق وعده ونصر عبده وأعز جنده وهزم الأحزاب وحده فلا شيء بعده "أخرجاه من حديث أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه وفي الصحيحين من حديث إسماعيل بن أبي خالد عن عبد الله بن أبي أوفى رضي الله عنه قال: دعا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على الأحزاب فقال "اللهم منزل الكتاب سريع الحساب اهزم الأحزاب اللهم اهزمهم وزلزلهم "وفي قوله عز وجل "وكفى الله المؤمنين القتال "إشارة إلى وضع الحرب بينهم وبين قريش وهكذا وقع بعدها لم يغزهم المشركون بل غزاهم المسلمون في بلادهم قال محمد بن إسحاق لما انصرف أهل الخندق عن الخندق قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيما بلغنا "لن تغزوكم قريش بعد عامكم هذا ولكنكم تغزونهم "فلم تغز قريش بعد ذلك وكان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هو يغزوهم بعد ذلك حتى فتح الله تعالى مكة. وهذا الحديث الذي ذكره محمد بن إسحاق حديث صحيح كما قال الإمام أحمد حدثنا يحيى عن سفيان حدثني أبو إسحاق قال سمعت سليمان بن صرد رضي الله عنه يقول: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم الأحزاب "الآن نغزوهم ولا يغزونا "وهكذا رواه البخاري في صحيحه حديث الثوري وإسرائيل عن أبي إسحاق به وقوله تعالى "وكان الله قويا عزيزا "أي بحوله وقوته ردهم خائبين لم ينالوا خيرا وأعز الله الإسلام وأهله وصدق وعده ونصر رسوله وعبده فله الحمد والمنة.

Allah drove back the Confederates disappointed and lost

Allah tells us how he drove the Confederates away from Al-Madinah by sending against them a wind and troops of angels. If Allah had not made his Messenger a Mercy to the Worlds, this wind would have been more severe than the barren wind which He sent against `Ad, but Allah says:

وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ

(And Allah would not punish them while you are amongst them) (8:33). So, Allah sent them a wind which dispersed them after they had gathered on the basis of their whims. They were a mixture of tribes and parties with a variety of opinions, so it was befitting that a wind should be sent against them that would scatter them and break up their gathering, driving them back disappointed and lost in their hatred and enmity. They did not achieve any worldly good such as the victory and booty that they had hoped for, nor did they achieve any good in the Hereafter, because of their sin of declaring enmity against the Messenger and seeking to kill him and destroy his army. Whoever wants and seriously intends to do a thing is the same as one who actually does it.

وَكَفَى اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْقِتَالَ

(Allah sufficed for the believers in the fighting.) means, they did not have to fight them in order to expel them from their land, but Allah Alone sufficed them and helped His servant and granted victory to His troops. Hence the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say,

«لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ، صَدَقَ وَعْدَهُ، وَنَصَرَ عَبْدَهُ وَأَعَزَّ جُنْدَهُ، وَهَزَمَ الْأَحْزَابَ وَحْدَهُ، فَلَا شَيْءَ بَعْدَه»

(None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, Alone, He was true to His promise, and He helped His servant, and He gave might to His soldiers and defeated the Confederates alone and there is nothing after Him.) This was reported from a Hadith of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him. In the Two Sahihs it was recorded that `Abdullah bin Abi `Awfa, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ invoked Allah against the Confederates and said:

«اللَّهُمَّ مُنْزِلَ الْكِتَابِ سَرِيعَ الْحِسَابِ، اهْزِمِ الْأَحْزَابَ، اللَّهُمَّ اهْزِمْهُمْ وَزَلْزِلْهُم»

(O Allah, Who revealed the Book and is swift in bringing to account, defeat the Confederates, O Allah defeat them and shake them.)

وَكَفَى اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْقِتَالَ

(Allah sufficed for the believers in the fighting.) This Ayah indicates that there would be a cessation of war between them and Quraysh; after this, the idolators did not attack the Muslims, on the contrary, the Muslims attacked them in their own land. Imam Ahmad recorded that Sulayman bin Surad, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "On the day of Al-Ahzab, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«الْآنَ نَغْزُوهُمْ وَلَا يَغْزُونَا»

(Now we will attack them and they will not attack us.) This was also recorded by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih.

وَكَانَ اللَّهُ قَوِيّاً عَزِيزاً

(And Allah is Ever All-Strong, All-Mighty.) means, by His power and might He drove them back disappointed and lost, and they did not achieve anything, and Allah granted victory to Islam and its followers, and fulfilled His promise and helped His servant and Messenger; to Him be blessings and praise.

And God repulsed those who were disbelievers namely the confederates in their rage without their attaining any good without achieving their desire in any way to triumph over the believers. And God spared the believers from fighting by unleashing the wind and the angels. And truly God is Strong in bringing about what He wants Mighty prevailing with His way.

The second state mentioned here is that of the hypocrites for they had started saying that the promises of Allah and His Rasul ﷺ were a web of deception: إِذْ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَ‌ضٌ مَّا وَعَدَنَا اللَّـهُ وَرَ‌سُولُهُ إِلَّا غُرُ‌ورً‌ا (And (remember) when the hypocrites and those having malady in their hearts were saying, "Allah and His messenger did not promise us but deceitfully; -12). This was an externalized demonstration of their inner disbelief. Onward from here, mention has been made of two groups of hypocrites who were practically a part of the Jihad effort along with Muslims, though outwardly only. One of the two groups started running without any permission saying: وَإِذْ قَالَت طَّائِفَةٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَا أَهْلَ يَثْرِ‌بَ لَا مُقَامَ لَكُمْ فَارْ‌جِعُوا (and when a group of them said, "0 people of Yathrib (Madinah), there is no place for you to stay; so go back. - 13" And the other group requested the permission of the Holy Prophet ﷺ to go back on the basis of false excuses. Their conduct has been mentioned as: وَيَسْتَأْذِنُ فَرِ‌يقٌ مِّنْهُمُ النَّبِيَّ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَ‌ةٌ (And a group of them was seeking permission (to leave) from the prophet, saying, "In fact our homes are vulnerable," while they were not vulnerable - 13). Thus, the Qur'an exposed the hollowness of their excuses as a pack of lies. The truth of the matter was no more than that they intended to run from the battlefront:إِن يُرِ‌يدُونَ إِلَّا فِرَ‌ارً‌ا (They wanted nothing but to escape - 13). Taken up in the next several verses is their mischief-making and enmity with Muslims following which their sad end has been pointed out.

After that, the text mentions sincere believers and praises their firmness and fortitude. In the same connection, there comes a strong assertion of the need to obey and follow the Holy Prophet ﷺ almost in the form of a legal rule of conduct: لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَ‌سُولِ اللَّـهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ (There is indeed a good model for you in the Messenger of Allah - 21). From here it stands proved that all sayings and doings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ have to be followed. But, the Shari'ah authorities have explained the rule about the different degrees of following required from a Muslim. The rule is that any act or omission of the Holy Prophet ﷺ proved to have been done as an obligation would have to be obeyed and followed as wajib (obligatory, necessary). And any act or omission on his part that is proved to have been done as a preferable conduct (istihbab) and not as an obligatory one, should be followed by us too as a commendable (mustahab) conduct and not as a necessary obligation This, in other words, means that its contravention will not be declared to be a sin. (For a detailed discussion, see al-Jassas in Ahkam ul-Qur'an)

The last three (25-27) of the cited verses refer to the event relating to Banu Quraizah. In verse 26: وَأَنزَلَ الَّذِينَ ظَاهَرُ‌وهُم مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مِن صَيَاصِيهِمْ it was said that Allah Ta’ ala had, by putting the awe of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his Muslim followers into the hearts of the people of the Book who had helped the Confederate forces, made them come down from their strong fortresses and had thus made Muslims the inheritors of their properties, homes and areas of concentration.

In the last verse (27), good news of future victories has been given. Gone is the time when disbelievers attacked. Now the cycle of Muslim victories will begin and they will come to be on lands their feet have not touched yet. And this prophecy unfolded itself during the tenure of the noble Sahabah and everyone witnessed the spectacle of great empires ruled by Cyrus and Caesar come under them. And Allah does what He wills.