Al-Fath

إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِينًا ۱

{ إنا فتحنا لك } قضينا بفتح مكة وغيرها في المستقبل عنوة بجهادك { فتحا مبينا } بينا ظاهرا.

Verily We have given you, We have ordained [for you] the conquest (fath) of Mecca, and other places in the future by force, as a result of your struggle, a clear victory, [one that is] plain and manifest;

لِّيَغْفِرَ لَكَ ٱللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِن ذَنۢبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ وَيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكَ وَيَهْدِيَكَ صِرَٰطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا ۲

{ ليغفر لك الله } بجهادك { ما تقدم من ذنبك وما تأخر } منه لترغب أمتك في الجهاد وهو مؤول لعصمة الأنبياء عليهم الصلاة والسلام بالدليل العقلي القاطع من الذنوب واللام للعلة الغائية فمدخولها مسبب لا سبب { ويتم } بالفتح المذكور { نعمته } إنعامه { عليك ويهديك } به { صراطا } طريقا { مستقيما } يثبتك عليه وهو دين الإسلام.

that God may forgive you, by virtue of your struggle, what is past of your sin and what is to come, of it, so that your community might then desire to struggle [like you] — this [verse] also constitutes a justification of the [concept of the] infallibility (‘isma) of prophets, peace be upon them, against sin, by way of a definitive rational proof (the lām [in li-yaghfira, ‘that He may forgive’] is for [indicating] the ultimate reason [for the conquest], so that the content [of this latter statement] constitutes an effect and not the cause), and that He may perfect, by way of the mentioned victory, His favour to you and guide you, thereby, to a straight path, upon which He will confirm you — and this [straight path] is the religion of Islam;

وَيَنصُرَكَ ٱللَّهُ نَصْرًا عَزِيزًا ۳

{ وينصرك الله } به { نصرا عزيزا } ذا عز لا ذل معه.

and that God may grant you, therein, a mighty victory, one of glory, involving no humiliation.

هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ فِى قُلُوبِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِيَزْدَادُوٓا۟ إِيمَـٰنًا مَّعَ إِيمَـٰنِهِمْ ۗ وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا ۴

{ هو الذى أنزل السكينة } الطمأنينة { فى قلوب المؤمنين ليزدادوا إيمنا مع إيمنهم } بشرائع الدين كلما نزل واحدة منها آمنوا بها منها الجهاد { ولله جنود السموت والأرض } فلو أراد نصر دينه بغيركم لفعل { وكان الله عليما } بخلقه { حكيما } في صنعه: أي لم يزل متصفا بذلك.

He it is Who sent down the spirit of Peace, [Divine] reassurance, into the hearts of the believers, that they might add faith to their faith, by way of [their embracing of] the legal stipulations of religion: for every time He revealed one [of these], they would believe in it — including the [command to] struggle. And to God belong the hosts of the heavens and the earth, and so if He wanted to bring victory to His religion by means of others, He would have done so. And God is ever Knower, of His creatures, Wise, in His actions, in other words, He is ever possessed of such attributes;

لِّيُدْخِلَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَيُكَفِّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا ۵

{ ليدخل } متعلق بمحذوف أي أمر بالجهاد { المؤمنين والمؤمنت جنت تجرى من تحتها الأنهر خلدين فيها ويكفر عنهم سيئتهم وكان ذلك عند الله فوزا عظيما }.

so that He may admit (li-yudkhila is semantically connected to an omitted clause, that is to say, amara bi’l-jihād, ‘He has enjoined the struggle [so that He may admit]’) the believing men and believing women into gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide, and that He may absolve them of their misdeeds; for that, in God’s sight, is a supreme triumph;

وَيُعَذِّبَ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتِ وَٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَٱلْمُشْرِكَـٰتِ ٱلظَّآنِّينَ بِٱللَّهِ ظَنَّ ٱلسَّوْءِ ۚ عَلَيْهِمْ دَآئِرَةُ ٱلسَّوْءِ ۖ وَغَضِبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَنَهُمْ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ وَسَآءَتْ مَصِيرًا ۶

{ ويعذب المنفقين والمنفقت والمشركين والمشركت الظانين بالله ظن السوء } بفتح السين وضمها في المواضع الثلاثة، ظنوا أنه لا ينصر محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم والمؤمنين { عليهم دائرة السوء } بالذل والعذاب { وغضب الله عليهم ولعنهم } أبعدهم { وأعد لهم جهنم وساءت مصيرا } أي مرجعا.

and so that He may chastise the hypocrites, men and women, and the idolaters, men and women, and those who make evil assumptions about God (read al-saw’ or al-sū’, ‘evil’, in all three places); they assumed that He will not assist Muhammad (s) and the believers. For them will be an evil turn of fortune, by way of abasement and chastisement; and God is wroth with them, and He has cursed them, He has banished them [far from His mercy], and has prepared for them Hell — and it is an evil destination!, [an evil] place to return to.

وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا ۷

{ ولله جنود السموت والأرض وكان الله عزيزا } في ملكه { حكيما } في صنعه، أي لم يزل متصفا بذلك.

And to God belong the hosts of the heavens and the earth; and God is ever Mighty, in His kingdom, Wise, in His actions, in other words, He is ever possessed of such attributes.

إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ شَـٰهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا ۸

{ إنا أرسلنك شاهدا } على أمتك في القيامة { ومبشرا } لهم في الدنيا بالجنة { ونذيرا } منذرا مخوفا فيها من عمل سوءا بالنار.

Indeed We have sent you as a witness, against your community at the Resurrection, and a bearer of good tidings, to them in this world, and a warner, to threaten those in it who do evil with [the punishment of] the Fire;

لِّتُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَتُعَزِّرُوهُ وَتُوَقِّرُوهُ وَتُسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا ۹

{ ليؤمنوا بالله ورسوله } بالياء والتاء فيه وفي الثلاثة بعده { ويعزروه } ينصروه وقرىء بزاءين مع الفوقانية { ويوقروه } يعظموه وضميرهما لله أو لرسوله { ويسبحوه } أي الله { بكرة وأصيلا } بالغداة والعشي.

that you may believe (li-tu’minū, may also here be read li-yu’minū, ‘that they may believe’; and similarly read either the second person plural or the third person plural in the next three instances) in God and His Messenger, and that you may support Him (tu‘azzirūhu: a variant reading has tu‘azzizūhu) and revere Him (the [third person suffixed] pronoun [-hu, ‘him’] may refer either to God or to His Messenger) and glorify Him, that is, God, morning and evening.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ ٱللَّهَ يَدُ ٱللَّهِ فَوْقَ أَيْدِيهِمْ ۚ فَمَن نَّكَثَ فَإِنَّمَا يَنكُثُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِمَا عَـٰهَدَ عَلَيْهُ ٱللَّهَ فَسَيُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا ۱۰

{ إن الذين يبايعونك } بيعة الرضوان بالحديبية { إنما يبايعون الله } هو نحو

من يطع الرسول فقد أطاع الله

[80:4] { يد الله فوق أيديهم } التي بايعوا بها النبي أي هو تعالى مطلع على مبايعتهم فيجازيهم عليها { فمن نكث } نقض البيعة { فإنما ينكث } يرجع وبال نقضه { على نفسه ومن أوفى بما عهد عليه الله فسيؤتيه } بالياء والنون { أجرا عظيما }.

Truly those who pledge allegiance to you, the ‘Pledge of Beatitude’ (bay‘at al-ridwān) given at al-Hudaybiyya, in fact pledge allegiance to God — this [statement] is akin to: Whoever obeys the Messenger, verily obeys God [Q. 4:80]. The Hand of God is above their hands, [the hands] with which they pledged allegiance to the Prophet, in other words, God, exalted be He, has observed their pledge of allegiance and will requite them in accordance with [their adherence to] it. So whoever reneges, [whoever] breaches the pledge, reneges — [that is] the evil consequences of his breach will eventually be — against his own soul; and whoever fulfils the covenant which he has made with God, He will give him (fa-sa-yu’tīhi; or read fa-sa-nu’tīhi, ‘We will give him’) a great reward.

سَيَقُولُ لَكَ ٱلْمُخَلَّفُونَ مِنَ ٱلْأَعْرَابِ شَغَلَتْنَآ أَمْوَٰلُنَا وَأَهْلُونَا فَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَنَا ۚ يَقُولُونَ بِأَلْسِنَتِهِم مَّا لَيْسَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ ۚ قُلْ فَمَن يَمْلِكُ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيْـًٔا إِنْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ ضَرًّا أَوْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ نَفْعًۢا ۚ بَلْ كَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًۢا ۱۱

{ سيقول لك المخلفون من الأعراب } حول المدينة، أي الذين خلفهم الله عن صحبتك لما طلبتهم ليخرجوا معك إلى مكة خوفا من تعرض قريش لك عام الحديبية إذا رجعت منها { شغلتنا أمولنا وأهلونا } عن الخروج معك { فاستغفر لنا } الله من ترك الخروج معك قال تعالى مكذبا لهم: { يقولون بألسنتهم } أي من طلب الاستغفار وما قبله و { ما ليس فى قلوبهم } فهم كاذبون في اعتذراهم { قل فمن } استفهام بمعنى النفي أي لا أحد { يملك لكم من الله شيئا إن أراد بكم ضرا } بفتح الضاد وضمها { أو أراد بكم نفعا بل كان الله بما تعملون خبيرا } أي لم يزل متصفا بذلك.

Those of the Bedouins who were left behind, around Medina — that is to say, those whom God made to stay behind and not to accompany you when you had asked them to set out with you for Mecca, fearing that Quraysh would attack you upon your return, in the year of al-Hudaybiyya — will say to you, ‘Our possessions and our families kept us occupied, [preventing us] from going forth with you. So ask forgiveness for us!’, of God, for our failure to go forth with you. God, exalted be He, exposes their mendacity by saying: They say with their tongues, that is to say, in asking forgiveness, and in the preceding statement [of theirs], what is not in their hearts, and so they are lying in the excuse which they give. Say: ‘Who can (an interrogative meant [rhetorically] as a negation, that is to say, ‘none [can]’) avail you anything against God should He desire to cause you harm (read darran or durran) or desire to bring you benefit? Nay, but God is ever Aware of what you do, in other words, He is ever possessed of such an attribute.

بَلْ ظَنَنتُمْ أَن لَّن يَنقَلِبَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِيهِمْ أَبَدًا وَزُيِّنَ ذَٰلِكَ فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَظَنَنتُمْ ظَنَّ ٱلسَّوْءِ وَكُنتُمْ قَوْمًۢا بُورًا ۱۲

{ بل } في الموضعين للانتقال من غرض إلى آخر { ظننتم أن لن ينقلب الرسول والمؤمنون إلى أهليهم أبدا وزين ذلك فى قلوبكم } أي أنهم يستأصلون بالقتل فلا يرجعون { وظننتم ظن السوء } هذا وغيره { وكنتم قوما بورا } جمع بائر، أي هالكين عند الله بهذا الظن.

Nay (bal in both instances marks a transition from one subject to another), but you thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to their families, and that [thought] was adorned in your hearts, that is to say, [you thought] that they would be annihilated by being slain and would not return, and you thought evil thoughts, that [just mentioned], and other things, and you were a ruined lot’ (būr is the plural of bā’ir), in other words, [a lot to be] destroyed according to God for [having entertained] such [evil] thoughts.