Surah Ale-Imran (The Family Of Imran ) 3 : 123

Overview  (Verses 123 -129)

A Reminder of Past Victory
 
The sūrah takes up the discussion of the battle in which, though they were close to victory, the Muslims did not prevail. It begins with a reference to the hypocrite
 
`Abdullāh ibn Ubayy and his followers, who put their own selfish interests ahead of the interests of the faith. It alludes to the two Muslim groups who almost lost heart and withdrew, and concludes with the archers’ desertion of their positions, driven by greed in pursuit of booty. The exemplary conduct of some Muslims on the battlefield did not spare the Muslim camp the final and dismal outcome. This was the result of flaws in their ranks and confusion in their thinking.
 
Before the sūrah goes on to analyse and review the events of Uĥud, however, the Muslims are reminded of their victory at the Battle of Badr. This provides them with the opportunity to compare the two situations and to reflect on the root causes and results of both victory and defeat, as also on their own weaknesses and strengths. They have to realise that victory and defeat are the result of Divine providence, brought about for a specific, predetermined purpose. They have to believe that, after all, everything is in God’s hands in all circumstances. The sūrah says in this respect:
 
God gave you victory at Badr when you were utterly weak. Therefore fear God, that you may have cause to be grateful. You said to the believers: “Is it not enough for you [to know] that your Lord should send down three thousand angels to support you? Indeed, He will, if you are patient in adversity and fear God, and if they [the non- believers] suddenly attack you, your Lord will supply you with five thousand angels swooping down. “God made this only as a happy news for you, so that your hearts might take comfort from it. Victory comes only from God, the Mighty, the Wise. It is in order to destroy some of the non-believers, and so abase others that they lose and withdraw. You have no say in the matter. [It is for Him] to accept their repentance or punish them. They are wrongdoers. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth; He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. God is Forgiving and Merciful. (Verses 123-129)
 
The victory the Muslims scored at Badr had a hint of miracle about it. There were certainly no conventional reasons behind it, especially when one considers that the two sides were not equally balanced. There were around one thousand men on the side of the idolaters assembled to rescue Abū. Sufyān and his caravan. They were well equipped and strongly motivated by the wish to save their wealth and defend their pride. The Muslims, on the other hand, numbered little over three hundred men who had left Madinah in pursuit of the caravan and with no intention or preparation for fighting. Furthermore, they were very poorly equipped. Back in Madinah, there were still many who had not converted to Islam, some powerful “hypocrites”, and Jews awaiting the right moment to strike at the Muslims. The Muslims themselves represented a small island in a vast sea of hostility throughout Arabia. Most of them were new immigrants from Makkah, people who had hardly had time to settle down in their new environment.
 
The sūrah reminds the Muslims of all these facts and explains to them the real reason for their triumph at Badr. “God gave you victory at Badr when you were utterly weak. Therefore fear God, that you may be grateful.” (Verse 123)
 
It was God Who brought them victory, and for a purpose shortly to be revealed. They had no other helper or patron, and it is He Whom they should fear and consider. He has the power and authority to grant them victory or leave them to be vanquished. Perhaps if they were to fear God they might learn to thank Him properly and appreciate the favour He bestows on them.
 
After this opening stroke, the sūrah goes on to recall some scenes from Badr itself. “You said to the believers: ‘Is it not enough for you [to know] that your Lord should send down three thousand angels to support you? Indeed, He will, if are patient in adversity and fear God, and if they [the non-believers] suddenly attack you, your Lord will supply you with five thousand angels swooping down.’” (Verses 124-125)
 
These were the comforting words the Prophet conveyed to the Muslims when they embarked on their expedition to intercept the caravan, not knowing they would be confronting a formidable fighting force. He conveyed to them the good news of God’s support to reassure their hearts and give them strength. He also told them the condition on which that support would be given: that they should persevere and rise to the challenge of the enemy, and fear God and be mindful of Him at all times.
 
Indeed, He will, if you are patient in adversity and fear God, and if they [the non- believers] suddenly attack you, your Lord will supply you with five thousand angels swooping down. (Verse 125)
 
Then God imparts the fact that everything happens as a result of His will and wisdom. God is the power behind all events. The angels were dispatched to assist the Muslims and lend them moral as well as material support. Victory is determined by God Almighty and results from His will without intervention from anyone or any other cause or means. “God made this only as a happy news for you, so that your hearts might take comfort from it. Victory comes only from God, the Mighty, the Wise.” (Verse 126)
 
The Qur’ān makes this point very strongly so as not to leave any doubt whatsoever in the minds of the Muslims. All things happen by God’s absolute, unrestricted, effective and direct will. Causes and reasons cease to have any effect and become mere tools in the hands of God Who employs and operates them according to His will and command. The Qur’ān emphasises this concept in such a forceful way as to maintain that direct link between the believer and His Lord and to make the believer’s heart always conscious of God’s limitless, unhampered will.
 
With these repeated directives and exhortations, the Qur’ān emphasises this important fact in a wonderfully gentle, yet profound and enlightened manner.
 
The believers were made aware that God alone is the cause of everything. They realised that they were obliged to strive by all means to live up to their commitments. They understood the message and complied with the Divine instructions and thus achieved the most effective balance between the two. This was only achieved over a period of time and after numerous experiences and events, and with constant direction and education, as we see in this sūrah.
 
In this passage, the Qur’ān recalls the scenes at Badr as the Prophet promises the Muslims that God will support them with the angels if they would only fear Him, show patience and live up to the conditions of battle when they meet the idolaters. He then identifies the real power behind that action as God to Whose will everything is subjected and with Whose leave victory is achieved. He is the “Mighty” with the power to achieve victory, and He is the “Wise” Whose will decides that victory.
 
Then the sūrah explains the purpose behind that victory, pointing out that the way God deals with the unbelievers is of no concern to any human being: “It is in order to destroy some of the non-believers, and so abase others that they lose and withdraw. You have no say in the matter. [It is for Him] to accept their repentance or punish them. They are wrongdoers.” (Verses 127-128)
 
Victory is granted by God for a particular purpose. Neither the Prophet nor the Muslim fighters had any say in that purpose or any personal interest in it. Furthermore, they had no part in achieving it, but were the instruments of the Divine will. They are neither the causes behind, nor the makers of victory; they have no claim to it nor can they exploit it. It is the will of God achieved through His servants, with His support for a particular purpose He has predetermined.
 
“It is in order to destroy some of the non-believers, or so abase others that they lose and withdraw. You have no say in the matter. [It is for Him] to accept their repentance or punish them. They are wrongdoers.” God will punish the idolaters by granting the believers victory over them, or by making them fall captive in Muslim hands, or by letting them die without having the privilege of becoming believers. This would be the punishment for their disbelief, their hostility towards the Muslim community, their perpetration of corruption, and their opposition to Islam and its way of life.
 
That, in any case, is God’s judgement, and no one can influence it, not even the Prophet Muĥammad himself. It is His sole, unshared prerogative, as the one God of all creation.
 
Thus the Muslims, as individuals, have no influence over this victory, its causes or results. They are, therefore, free of all the feelings of arrogance and self-delusion usually associated with military victories. They truly feel that they had no hand in their victory and that it was all up to God’s Divine will and power.
 
The Qur’ān assigns the destiny of all people, believers or unbelievers, to God’s will. The fate and future of Islam, and those who accept or reject it are determined by God. The Prophet and his followers can only fulfil their obligations and leave the outcome to God. They will receive their just reward, for their loyalty and the efforts they make in support of God’s cause.

This reminder of what happened at Badr, and the accompanying admonition, are complemented with a more universal and fundamental truth: the destiny of the whole cosmos is in the hands of God, He forgives and punishes people as He wills. “To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth; He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. God is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Verse 129)
 
His will and power are absolute and stem from His absolute possession and control of everything. By virtue of this universal ownership, God has the total and complete right to do as He pleases with people’s lives and destinies. There is no injustice or partiality in the way He allots forgiveness and punishment. He decides with care and compassion, equitably and wisely because “God is Forgiving and Merciful.”
 
The doors are wide open to God’s servants to win His forgiveness and mercy. They should place their trust and confidence in Him, put their destiny in His hands, fulfil their commitments and obligations, and leave everything else to His judgement and His absolute will and power that lie behind every cause and every result.

A Comprehensive Outlook
 
Before the sūrah moves on to refer specifically to the Battle of Uĥud, we have a short passage of seven verses which speak about usury and its transactions, obeying God and His Messenger, spending money in God’s cause at times of prosperity and adversity, the Islamic co-operative system as opposed to the evil usurious system, controlling one’s anger, forgiving other people’s mistakes, praying to God for forgiveness and turning to Him in repentance when a mistake is committed.
 
These directives are given immediately before the discussion of the military confrontation by way of implicit reference to a basic characteristic of the Islamic faith. Islam is a single and comprehensive system which caters for every aspect of human life and makes every human activity revolve around one essential value, namely, submission to God as represented by worshipping Him alone and dedicating everything in human life to Him. In every sphere of human life, we must first make sure of what God bids us and willingly do His bidding. The fact that these instructions are so grouped together in the sūrah is a clear reference to the fact that all aspects of human activity are mutually interdependent, and their interdependence has a considerable effect on the total sum of human activity.
 
The Islamic system deals with man as a whole entity. It organises the whole life of the Muslim community in a totally comprehensive way which it considers preferable to anything piecemeal. It is in this light that we should view this combination of preparation for a military engagement on the one hand, and the purification of souls and hearts, controlling desires and spreading love and friendliness within the community, on the other. All these aspects have mutual effects on one another. When we discuss them in detail, taking each directive individually we are bound to recognise their essential role in the life of the Muslim community and their bearing on the power and the potentials of that community on the battlefield as in all spheres of life.