Al-Ahzab 33:9
The Combined Forces · Juz 21 · Page 419
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ إِذۡ جَآءَتۡكُمۡ جُنُودٞ فَأَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ رِيحٗا وَجُنُودٗا لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَاۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرًا ٩
O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allāh upon you when armies came to [attack] you and We sent upon them a wind and armies [of angels] you did not see. And ever is Allāh, of what you do, Seeing.
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Tazkirul Quran
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Commentary on 33:9–11
At the battle of Ahzab (in the fifth year of Hijrah) there was a combined attack by Arab tribes and Jews on Madinah. The number of attackers in this battle was about thirteen thousand and the Muslims were not capable of fighting this huge army. But, Almighty God, by His special devices, caused Islam’s enemies to become so terror-stricken that they themselves abandoned the siege of Madinah and retreated. Such difficulties befall the Islamic mission firstly in order to separate the sincere from the insincere and secondly to show to the enemy forces that God Himself is a supporter of His religion. He will not allow it to be vanquished.
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33:7
وَإِذۡ أَخَذۡنَا مِنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ مِيثَٰقَهُمۡ وَمِنكَ وَمِن نُّوحٖ وَإِبۡرَٰهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَى ٱبۡنِ مَرۡيَمَۖ وَأَخَذۡنَا مِنۡهُم مِّيثَٰقًا غَلِيظٗا ٧
And [mention, O Muḥammad], when We took from the prophets their covenant and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary; and We took from them a solemn covenant
33:8
لِّيَسۡـَٔلَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ عَن صِدۡقِهِمۡۚ وَأَعَدَّ لِلۡكَٰفِرِينَ عَذَابًا أَلِيمٗا ٨
That He may question the truthful about their truth.1 And He has prepared for the disbelievers a painful punishment.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., that He may ask the prophets what they conveyed to their people and what response they received. "The truthful" may also refer to those who believed in the message conveyed by the prophets and imparted it to others. ↩
33:9
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ إِذۡ جَآءَتۡكُمۡ جُنُودٞ فَأَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ رِيحٗا وَجُنُودٗا لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَاۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرًا ٩
O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allāh upon you when armies came to [attack] you and We sent upon them a wind and armies [of angels] you did not see. And ever is Allāh, of what you do, Seeing.
33:10
إِذۡ جَآءُوكُم مِّن فَوۡقِكُمۡ وَمِنۡ أَسۡفَلَ مِنكُمۡ وَإِذۡ زَاغَتِ ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرُ وَبَلَغَتِ ٱلۡقُلُوبُ ٱلۡحَنَاجِرَ وَتَظُنُّونَ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلظُّنُونَا۠ ١٠
[Remember] when they came at you from above you and from below you, and when eyes shifted [in fear], and hearts reached the throats, and you assumed about Allāh [various] assumptions.
33:11
هُنَالِكَ ٱبۡتُلِيَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَزُلۡزِلُواْ زِلۡزَالٗا شَدِيدٗا ١١
There the believers were tested and shaken with a severe shaking.
33:12
وَإِذۡ يَقُولُ ٱلۡمُنَٰفِقُونَ وَٱلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٞ مَّا وَعَدَنَا ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥٓ إِلَّا غُرُورٗا ١٢
And [remember] when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease said, "Allāh and His Messenger did not promise us except delusion,"
33:13
وَإِذۡ قَالَت طَّآئِفَةٞ مِّنۡهُمۡ يَٰٓأَهۡلَ يَثۡرِبَ لَا مُقَامَ لَكُمۡ فَٱرۡجِعُواْۚ وَيَسۡتَـٔۡذِنُ فَرِيقٞ مِّنۡهُمُ ٱلنَّبِيَّ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوۡرَةٞ وَمَا هِيَ بِعَوۡرَةٍۖ إِن يُرِيدُونَ إِلَّا فِرَارٗا ١٣
And when a faction of them said, "O people of Yathrib,1 there is no stability for you [here], so return [home]." And a party of them asked permission of the Prophet, saying, "Indeed, our houses are exposed [i.e., unprotected]," while they were not exposed. They did not intend except to flee.
1 translator’s note
- The name by which al-Madīnah was known before the arrival of the Prophet (ﷺ). ↩
33:14
وَلَوۡ دُخِلَتۡ عَلَيۡهِم مِّنۡ أَقۡطَارِهَا ثُمَّ سُئِلُواْ ٱلۡفِتۡنَةَ لَأٓتَوۡهَا وَمَا تَلَبَّثُواْ بِهَآ إِلَّا يَسِيرٗا ١٤
And if they had been entered upon from all its [surrounding] regions and fitnah [i.e., disbelief] had been demanded of them, they would have done it and not hesitated over it except briefly.
33:15
وَلَقَدۡ كَانُواْ عَٰهَدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مِن قَبۡلُ لَا يُوَلُّونَ ٱلۡأَدۡبَٰرَۚ وَكَانَ عَهۡدُ ٱللَّهِ مَسۡـُٔولٗا ١٥
And they had already promised Allāh before not to turn their backs [i.e., flee]. And ever is the promise to Allāh [that about which one will be] questioned.