Overview (Verses 5 - 6)

Better than the Believer’s Desire
 
Now that the sūrah has established at the outset the nature of true faith, it refers to the battle which allowed the Muslim community to gain the spoils of war that became the subject of their dispute to the extent that their behaviour was not all that becoming, as the Prophet’s Companion, `Ubādah ibn al-Şāmit, candidly states. The sūrah refers in a general way to the various events that took place, and how the Prophet’s companions felt and behaved in response. This reference makes it clear that the Prophet’s Companions were merely the means through which God’s will was accomplished. It is clear that all those events, and the situation that arose from them, including the spoils of war over which they disputed, were only made possible through God’s will, His planning and the help He gave to those believers. What they had hoped to achieve from this battle was only a small, limited gain. It could not be compared to what God wanted for them, to be the ones through whom the great divide between truth and falsehood is established in the heavens and on earth. It is this great criterion which is the main preoccupation of the Supreme Society in heaven as well as the preoccupation of the people on earth and human history generally. The sūrah reminds them that a group of them went into the battle against their preferred choice. Another party did not like that the spoils of war should be divided among them. Now God wanted them to realize that what they had preferred is not to be compared with what God prefers or what He chooses to accomplish. He knows the results of all matters.
 
Just as your Lord brought you forth from your home for the truth, even though some of the believers were averse to it. They would argue with you about the truth even after it had become manifest, just as if they were being driven to certain death and saw it with their very eyes. God promised you that one of the two hosts would fall to you. It was your wish that the one which was not powerful to be yours, but it was God’s will to establish the truth in accordance with His words and to wipe out the unbelievers. Thus He would certainly establish the truth firmly and show falsehood to be false, however hateful this might be to the evildoers. When you implored your Lord for help, He answered: I will reinforce you with a thousand angels advancing in ranks.’ God made this only as good news with which to reassure your hearts, for victory comes only from God. Indeed, God is Almighty, Wise. He made slumber fall upon you, as an assurance from Him, and He sent down water from the sky to cleanse you and to remove from you Satan’s filth, to strengthen your hearts and steady your footsteps. Your Lord inspired the angels, saying: I am with you. So, give courage to the believers. I shall cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers. Strike, then, their necks and strike off their every fingertip.’ This is because they have defied God and His Messenger. Whoever defies God and His Messenger [will find out that] God is severe in retribution. This is for you, [enemies of God]! Taste it, then. The unbelievers shall be made to suffer the torment of fire. (Verses 5-14)
 
God willed that the spoils of war be totally left to God and His Messenger, so that the Messenger (peace be upon him) would distribute them equally among them after retaining one-fifth which would be spent in a way to be outlined later in the sūrah. That would ensure that the community of believers would no longer entertain any thoughts about the spoils of war, which would mean that no dispute would ever arise over them. The Prophet would have complete authority over their distribution, in accordance with what God taught him. Thus, those who actually took the spoils of war and found themselves receiving the same shares as others would not entertain any ill feeling.
 
God gives them this example of what they wanted for themselves and what He wanted for them, and accomplished through them. Thus, they know now that God’s choice is best for them, whether it relates to the spoils of war or to anything else. People know only what they have in front of them. Their knowledge does not stretch far beyond their own immediate world. The example given is taken from their practical situation, the battle that gave them their booty. What did they hope for when they went into battle? What did God want to establish for and through them? How do the two compare? The gulf between the two eventualities is wide indeed, stretching far beyond what human beings can visualize.
 
Just as your Lord brought you forth from your home for the truth, even though some of the believers were averse to it. They would argue with you about the truth even after it had become manifest, just as if they were being driven to certain death and saw it with their very eyes. (Verses 5-6)
 
Giving authority over the spoils of war to God and His Messenger, their subsequent distribution equally among all soldiers, despite expressed reservations by some of them is similar in a sense to the fact that God brought His Messenger forth from his home to fight the well-armed host when some of the believers were very reluctant to go into such a battle.
 
In our narration of the events of the battle, as related in history books, we mentioned that Abū Bakr and `Umar spoke well and the Prophet consulted his companions after the trade caravan of the Quraysh was able to slip away and evade its pursuers. The battle looked imminent after it was known that the Quraysh had raised a large, well- equipped army. Al-Miqdād ibn `Amr also spoke well, saying: “Messenger of God, go ahead and do whatever you feel is best. We will never say to you as the Israelites had said to Moses: `Go with your Lord and fight the enemy while we stay behind!’ What we will say is: go with your Lord and fight the enemy and we will fight alongside you.” We also mentioned that all this determination was expressed by people from among the Muhājirīn. When the Prophet asked again for the views of his Companions, the Anşār recognized that he wanted to hear their view. Sa`d ibn Mu`ādh spoke out in a very decisive and highly assuring manner.
 
But all that was said by Abū Bakr, `Umar, al-Miqdād and Sa`d ibn Mu`ādh (may God be pleased with them all) was not shared by all those who came out of Madinah with the Prophet. Some of them were very reluctant to fight. They did not have the necessary equipment and did not have the necessary preparation for a major battle. They came out chasing a trade caravan, expecting to confront only a relatively small band that guarded it. When they learned that the Quraysh had mobilized its forces and brought forth its best fighters, they strongly disliked the prospect of confronting that army. Their dislike is described so vividly in the inimitable style of the Qur’ān: “Just as your Lord brought you forth from your home for the truth, even though some of the believers were averse to it. They would argue with you about the truth even after it had become manifest, just as if they were being driven to certain death and saw it with their very eyes.” (Verses 5-6)
 
A report by Abū Ayyūb al-Anşārī runs as follows: “God’s Messenger said to us when we were in Madinah: `I have been told that the great caravan led by Abū Sufyān is on its way. What would you say to going out to intercept it? It may be that God will gift it to us.’ We agreed and went out with him. After we had marched for a day or two, he said to us: `What do you say to fighting the enemy? They have been told about you coming out to intercept the caravan.’ We said most firmly that we were not a match for the enemy, and that we wanted the trade caravan. He then repeated the same question, asking us what we would say to fighting the enemy. We repeated the same answer. Al-Miqdād ibn `Amr, however, said: `We will not say to you, Messenger of God, what Moses was told by his people when they said, “Go with your Lord and fight while we stay behind.” We, the Anşār, wished that we had said the same as al-Miqdād ibn `Amr. That would have been far more preferable to us than being in great wealth.” God then revealed to His Messenger the verses starting with: “Just as your Lord brought you forth from your home for the truth, even though some of the believers were averse to it.” (Verse 5)
 
Such, then, were the feelings of some Muslims. To them fighting was unwelcome. The Qur’ān describes their attitude in these words: “As if they were being driven to certain death and saw it with their very eyes.” (Verse 6) That was the situation when the truth was clearly manifest, and when they knew that God had promised them that one of the two enemy hosts would fall to them. They realized that they had no choice left after one host, the trade caravan, had escaped them. Their only choice was to confront the other host, the Quraysh army, which God willed to fall to them, regardless of the disparity between the two parties in terms of fighters and military equipment.
 
This is a situation where human weakness is exposed in the face of imminent danger. Here we see the effect of actual confrontation, despite firm conviction. The picture the Qur’ān paints should make us more realistic when we assess the requirements of conviction in the face of practical pressures. We must not overlook human ability at the time of confrontation. We must not despair when people generally, including our own group, shake as they face danger, although they are true believers at heart. It is sufficient that people proceed along the proper way and face up to the danger, making a solid stand after the initial hesitation. Those people were the ones who fought the Battle of Badr and concerning whom the Prophet said: “How can you tell? It may be that God has looked at the people of Badr and said: `Do as you please, for I have forgiven you all.” That is all that may be said here.