Surah Sad (Sad) 38 : 11

Explanatory Note

This sarcastic remark is followed by a statement of fact describing their real status: “Whatever hosts, of any affiliation, may be raised will suffer defeat.” They are no more than the remnants of a defeated army left aside. They have no ability to change or object to God’s will. The phraseology of this verse makes it hard to capture its sense in translation. The subject, ‘whatever hosts’, refers to something insignificant that no identity can be assigned to. The verbal phrase, ‘will suffer defeat’, is expressed in the Arabic original in one adjectival word, mahzūm, which suggests that defeat is an essential characteristic of such hosts and that they cannot get rid of it. This is a very true description. God’s enemies can never be in any position other than the one indicated by this Qur’ānic expression which connotes powerlessness and absolute lack of control, no matter how mighty they may appear or when they appear.