(Revealed after Hijrah)

Date of Revelation and Context
The Surah is also known as Qital (war) because it devotes a large portion of its text to the subject of war-its causes, ethics and consequences. Baidawi, Zamakhshari, Sayuti and others hold that the Surah was revealed after the Hijrah -a large part of it having been revealed probably before the Battle of Badr, in the early days of the Holy Prophet's life at Medina. Towards the end of the last Surah it was unambiguously and emphatically stated that opposition to the Divine Message, however powerful, organized and persistent, can never succeed and that Truth must prevail in the long run. The subject assumes a certain definiteness in this Surah and disbelievers are told that the cause of Islam will, after overcoming all difficulties and impediments, triumph.

Subject-Matter
The Surah opens with the challenging statement that all the efforts of disbelievers to retard and arrest the progress of Islam will come to naught and the condition of the Prophet's followers will improve day by day, and then proceeds to say that since disbelievers have drawn the sword against the Holy Prophet they shall perish by the sword. After holding out to Muslims a definite promise of success against their enemies, the Surah briefly lays down important rules of war, as, for instance, prisoners can be taken only after regular fighting in which the enemy is decisively beaten,and that after the war is over, they are to be set free either as an act of favor, or, after taking proper ransom. Thus the Surah in a short verse, has struck most effectively at the evil practice of slavery. It is further stated that falsehood eventually must suffer defeat. This is a lesson writ large on the pages of history; and the evil fate of peoples nearer home such as 'Ad, Thamud, Midian and the people of Lot should open the eyes of the Meccans.

Next, the Surah says a few words of comfort and good cheer to the Holy Prophet telling him that though he is being driven out of his native place, friendless and apparently helpless, to seek refuge in a distant place among alien people, yet his cause will triumph. Then it briefly mentions the aims and objects of war according to Islam and closes with an exhortation to Muslims to be prepared to spend whatever they possess for the cause they hold so dear, because not to spend when the cause requires its votaries to spend with both hands, is calculated not only to injure the common cause but also the individual himself.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم
[47:1] In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.

الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَضَلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ
[47:2] Those who disbelieve and hinder men from the way of Allah — He renders their works vain[2737].

وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَآمَنُوا بِمَا نُزِّلَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ كَفَّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَأَصْلَحَ بَالَهُمْ

[47:3] But as for those who believe and do good works and believe in that which has been revealed to Muhammad — and it is the truth from their Lord — He removes from them their sins and improves their condition.

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا اتَّبَعُوا الْبَاطِلَ وَأَنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّبَعُوا الْحَقَّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ كَذَلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ أَمْثَالَهُمْ

[47:4] That is because those who disbelieve follow falsehood while those who believe follow the truth from their Lord. Thus does Allah set forth for men their similitudes.

فَإِذا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ حَتَّى إِذَا أَثْخَنتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ذَلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لاَنتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ

[47:5] And when you meet in regular battle those who disbelieve, smite their necks; and, when you have overcome them[2738], bind fast the fetters — then afterwards either release them as a favour or by taking ransom — until the war lays down its burdens. That is the ordinance[2739]. And if Allah had so pleased, He could have punished them Himself, but He has willed that He may try[2740] some of you by others. And those who are killed in the way of Allah — He will never render their works vain.[2741]

سَيَهْدِيهِمْ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَهُمْ
[47:6] He will guide[2742] them and improve their condition,

وَيُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ عَرَّفَهَا لَهُمْ
[47:7] And admit them into the Garden which He has made known[2743] to them.

يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ
[47:8] O ye who believe! if you help the cause of Allah, He will help you and will make your steps firm.

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَتَعْسًا لَهُمْ وَأَضَلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ
[47:9] But as for those who disbelieve, perdition is their lot; and He will make their works vain.[2744]

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَرِهُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ
[47:10] That is because they hate what Allah has revealed; so He has made their works futile.

أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ دَمَّرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ أَمْثَالُهَا

[47:11] Have they not travelled in the earth and seen what was the end of those who were before them[2745]? Allah utterly destroyed them, and for the disbelievers there will be the like thereof.

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ مَوْلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَأَنَّ الْكَافِرِينَ لاَ مَوْلَى لَهُمْ
[47:12] That is because Allah is the Protector of those who believe, and as for the disbelievers, there is no protector for them.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَتَمَتَّعُونَ وَيَأْكُلُونَ كَمَا تَأْكُلُ الأَنْعَامُ وَالنَّارُ مَثْوًى لَهُمْ

[47:13] Verily, Allah will make those who believe and do good works enter the Gardens underneath which rivers flow; while those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat even as the cattle eat[2746], and the Fire will be their resort.

وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ هِيَ أَشَدُّ قُوَّةً مِنْ قَرْيَتِكَ الَّتِي أَخْرَجَتْكَ أَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ فَلاَ نَاصِرَ لَهُمْ
[47:14] And how many a township, more powerful than thy town which has driven thee out[2747], have We destroyed, and they had no helper!

أَفَمَنْ كَانَ عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّهِ كَمَنْ زُيِّنَ لَهُ سُوءُ عَمَلِهِ وَاتَّبَعُوا أَهْوَاءَهُمْ
[47:15] Is he then who stands upon a clear proof from his Lord like those to whom the evil of their deeds is made to look beautiful and who follow their evil inclinations?

مَثَلُ الْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُونَ فِيهَا أَنْهَارٌ مِنْ مَاءٍ غَيْرِ آسِنٍ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِنْ لَبَنٍ لَمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ طَعْمُهُ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِنْ خَمْرٍ لَذَّةٍ لِلشَّارِبِينَ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِنْ عَسَلٍ مُصَفًّى وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ كَمَنْ هُوَ خَالِدٌ فِي النَّارِ وَسُقُوا مَاءً حَمِيمًا فَقَطَّعَ أَمْعَاءَهُمْ

[47:16] A description of the Garden promised to the righteous: therein are rivers of water which corrupts not; and rivers of milk of which the taste changes not; and rivers of wine, a delight to those who drink, and rivers of clarified[2748] honey. And in it will they have all kinds of fruit, and forgiveness from their Lord. Can those who enjoy such bliss be like those who abide in the Fire and who are given boiling water to drink so that it tears their bowels?

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ حَتَّى إِذَا خَرَجُوا مِنْ عِنْدِكَ قَالُوا لِلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ مَاذَا قَالَ آنِفًا أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاتَّبَعُوا أَهْوَاءَهُمْ

[47:17] And among them are some who listen to thee till, when they go forth from thy presence, they say to those who have been given knowledge, ‘What has he been talking about just now?[2749]’ These are they whose hearts Allah has sealed, and who follow their own evil inclinations.

وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْواهُمْ
[47:18] But as for those who follow guidance, He adds to their guidance, and bestows on them their righteousness[2750].

فَهَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلاَّ السَّاعَةَ أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمْ بَغْتَةً فَقَدْ جَاءَ أَشْرَاطُهَا فَأَنَّى لَهُمْ إِذَا جَاءَتْهُمْ ذِكْرَاهُمْ
[47:19] They wait not but for the Hour, that it should come upon them suddenly. The signs[2751] thereof have already come. But of what avail will their admonition be to them when it has actually come upon them?

فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْبِكَ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكُمْ وَمَثْوَاكُمْ

[47:20] Know, therefore, that there is no God other than Allah, and ask forgiveness for thy frailties[2752], and for believing men and believing women. And Allah knows the place where you move about and the place where you stay[2753].

وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَوْلاَ نُزِّلَتْ سُورَةٌ فَإِذَا أُنزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ مُحْكَمَةٌ وَذُكِرَ فِيهَا الْقِتَالُ رَأَيْتَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ نَظَرَ الْمَغْشِيِّ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ الْمَوْتِ فَأَوْلَى لَهُمْ

[47:21] And those who believe say, ‘Why is not a Surah revealed?’ But when a decisive Surah is revealed and fighting is mentioned therein, thou seest those in whose hearts is a disease looking towards thee with the look of one who is fainting on account of approaching death. So ruin seize them!

طَاعَةٌ وَقَوْلٌ مَعْرُوفٌ فَإِذَا عَزَمَ الأَمْرُ فَلَوْ صَدَقُوا اللَّهَ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ
[47:22] Obedience and a kind word is better for them. And when the matter is determined upon, it is good for them if they were true to Allah.

فَهَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ أَنْ تُفْسِدُوا فِي الأَرْضِ وَتُقَطِّعُوا أَرْحَامَكُمْ
[47:23] Would you then, if you are placed in authority, create disorder in the land and sever your ties of kinship[2754]?

أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ فَأَصَمَّهُمْ وَأَعْمَى أَبْصَارَهُمْ
[47:24] It is these whom Allah curses so that He makes them deaf and makes their eyes blind.

أَفَلاَ يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ أَمْ عَلَى قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَا
[47:25] Will they not, then, ponder over the Qur’an, or is it that on the hearts are their locks?

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ ارْتَدُّوا عَلَى أَدْبَارِهِمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْهُدَى الشَّيْطَانُ سَوَّلَ لَهُمْ وَأَمْلَى لَهُمْ
[47:26] Surely, those who turn their backs after guidance has become manifest to them, Satan has seduced them, and holds out to them false hopes.

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا لِلَّذِينَ كَرِهُوا مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ سَنُطِيعُكُمْ فِي بَعْضِ الأَمْرِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِسْرَارَهُمْ
[47:27] That is because they said to those who hate what Allah has revealed, ‘We will obey you in some matters[2755];’ and Allah knows their secrets.

فَكَيْفَ إِذَا تَوَفَّتْهُمْ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَارَهُمْ
[47:28] But how will they fare when the angels will cause them to die, smiting their faces and their backs?

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ اتَّبَعُوا مَا أَسْخَطَ اللَّهَ وَكَرِهُوا رِضْوَانَهُ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ
[47:29] This is because they followed that which displeased Allah, and hated that which pleased Him. So He rendered their works vain.

أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ أَنْ لَنْ يُخْرِجَ اللَّهُ أَضْغَانَهُمْ
[47:30] Do those in whose hearts is a disease suppose that Allah will not bring to light their malice?

وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لَأَرَيْنَاكَهُمْ فَلَعَرَفْتَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ وَلَتَعْرِفَنَّهُمْ فِي لَحْنِ الْقَوْلِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ أَعْمَالَكُمْ
[47:31] And if We pleased, We could show them to thee so that thou shouldst know them by their marks. And thou shalt surely recognize them by the tone of their speech[2756]. And Allah knows your deeds.

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ حَتَّى نَعْلَمَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ مِنْكُمْ وَالصَّابِرِينَ وَنَبْلُوَ أَخْبَارَكُمْ
[47:32] And We will surely try you until We distinguish those among you who strive for the cause of God and those who are steadfast. And We will make known[2757] the facts about you.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَشَاقُّوا الرَّسُولَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الهُدَى لَنْ يَضُرُّوا اللَّهَ شَيْئًا وَسَيُحْبِطُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ

[47:33] Those who disbelieve and hinder men from the way of Allah and oppose the Messenger after guidance has become manifest to them, shall not harm Allah in the least; and He will make their works fruitless.

يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَلاَ تُبْطِلُوا أَعْمَالَكُمْ
[47:34] O ye who believe! obey Allah and obey the Messenger and let not your works go vain.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ
[47:35] Verily, those who disbelieve and hinder men from the way of Allah, and then die while they are disbelievers — Allah certainly will not forgive them.

فَلاَ تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ وَأَنْتُمْ الأَعْلَوْنَ وَاللَّهُ مَعَكُمْ وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ
[47:36] So be not slack and sue not for peace[2758]; for you will certainly have the upper hand. And Allah is with you, and He will not deprive you of the reward of your actions.

إِنَّمَا الحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا يُؤْتِكُمْ أُجُورَكُمْ وَلاَ يَسْأَلْكُمْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ
[47:37] The life of this world is but a sport and a pastime, and if you believe and be righteous, He will give you your rewards, and will not ask of you your possessions.[2759]

إِنْ يَسْأَلْكُمُوهَا فَيُحْفِكُمْ تَبْخَلُوا وَيُخْرِجْ أَضْغَانَكُمْ
[47:38] If He ask them of you, and press you, you would be niggardly, and He would bring to light your malice.[2760]

هَاأَنْتُمْ هَؤُلاَءِ تُدْعَوْنَ لِتُنفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يَبْخَلُ وَمَنْ يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَاللَّهُ الْغَنِيُّ وَأَنْتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ وَإِنْ تَتَوَلَّوْا يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُمْ

[47:39] Behold, you are those who are called upon to spend in the way of Allah; but of you there are some who are niggardly. And whoso is niggardly, is niggardly only against his own soul[2761]. And Allah is Self- Sufficient, and it is you that are needy. And if you turn your backs, He will bring in your stead a people other than you, then they will not be like you.[2762]

2737. Works of disbelievers are rendered vain in that their efforts to arrest the progress of Islam produce no results.

2738. Athkhana fil Ardi means, he caused much slaughter in the land.

2739. The verse, in a nutshell, lays down some important rules about the ethics of war and its conduct and incidentally deals a deathblow to slavery. Briefly, these are: (a) When they are engaged in regular battle in defense of their faith, honor, lives or property, Muslims are enjoined to fight bravely and relentlessly (8:13-17). (b) When war is once started, it should continue till peace is established and freedom of conscience secured (8:40). (c) Prisoners are to be taken from the enemy only after regular and pitched battle has been fought, and the enemy is decidedly and positively beaten. Thus regular war is declared to be the only reason for taking prisoners; for no other reason free men can be deprived of their liberty. (d) When war is over, prisoners should be released, either as an act of favor, or on taking ransom from them or by negotiating mutual exchange. They should not be held permanently in captivity or treated as slaves. The Holy Prophet set at liberty about a hundred families of Bani Mustaliq and several thousand prisoners of Hawazin after both these tribes had been decisively beaten in battle. After the Battle of Badr ransom was accepted from the prisoners, and those who could not pay their ransom in money but were literate, were required to teach reading and writing to Muslims. The verse thus has struck very effectively at the roots of slavery, abolishing it completely and for ever.

2740. Allah got the believers engaged in fighting with disbelievers so that on the one hand their own good qualities of character should have an opportunity to come into play, and on the other, the bad qualities of disbelievers should become exposed. Perhaps in no other aspect of life was the moral superiority of the Companions of the Holy Prophet so clearly demonstrated as in their treatment of their fallen foes.

2741. The sacrifice of Muslims slain in the field of battle will not be wasted. In fact, it was their sacrifice that firmly laid the foundation of Islam in Arabia.

2742. Since Hidayah means, to follow the right path till one reaches one's destination and achieves the object of one's quest (Lane), the verse purports to say that by their death the martyred Muslims achieved the object for which they gave their lives which was the triumph of the cause of Islam.

2743. The believers had a foretaste of the blessings of Paradise in this life in the sense that they enjoyed in their physical form all those spiritual blessings and favors which are mentioned in the Qur'an as having been promised to them in the next world. Or the verse may mean that the believers had a spiritual foretaste of "the Garden" because they saw with their own eyes the promise made to them in the Qur'an about Paradise being fulfilled in this very life.

2744. Three times in the few previous verses it is stated that 'God has made the works of disbelievers vain.' This signifies that disbelievers had bent all their energies of mind and body to the achievement of one supreme desire-to see Islam fail and come to naught. But Islam triumphed. It progressed and prospered and the disbelievers failed to see their desire fulfilled.

2745. AS many as fifteen times, the disbelievers of the Holy Prophet have been told in the Qur'an to travel in the earth and see for themselves the sad end to which the disbelievers of former Prophets had come. How can they, the verse warns them, expect to escape a similar fate? Divine punishment will, surely, overtake them in various forms and shapes.

2746. Whereas believers eat to live in order to serve God and man, the disbelievers live to eat and have no nobler objects to pursue. They do not rise above the level of animals as their whole concept of life is materialistic.

2747. The verse was revealed while the Holy Prophet was on his way from Mecca to Medina, having been driven out of his beloved native place, with a price on his head. He was hourly in fear of being caught, as Medina was far away and the countryside swarmed with adventurers who sought to bring him dead or alive to get the much-coveted prize. The Holy Prophet was Divinely promised a safe journey.

2748. Believers are promised, in this and the next life, rivers of pure water, rivers of milk of which the taste does not change, rivers of wine which gives delight and rivers of clarified honey. The word Anhar, which has been used four times in the verse, besides other senses; signifies light and amplitude; and 'Asal, among other things, means a good or righteous deed which wins for the doer the love and esteem of men. In view of this signification of these two words the verse may mean that the four things mentioned will be given to the righteous in plenty. Water is the source of all life (21:31); milk gives health and vigor to the body; wine gives pleasant sensations and forgetfulness of worries, and honey cures many a disease. Taken in the physical sense, the verse would signify that in the present life the believers will have in plenty all those things which make life pleasant, delightful and useful; and taken symbolically and in a spiritual sense, it would mean that believers will have a full life-they will be endowed with spiritual knowledge, will drink the wine of God's love and will do deeds that will win for them love and esteem of men.

2749. A hypocrite being a double-faced person generally uses language susceptible of double meaning. This he does in order to extricate himself from an awkward position, so that, should one construction of his speech land him in trouble, he might be able to avoid its consequences by putting quite a different construction on it. The above expression is an appropriate instance of the equivocal language used by the Hypocrites of Medina. If one of them, after a meeting with the Holy Prophet, happened to meet a Muslim, he would say, 'What was it that the Prophet said just now,' meaning what beautiful and highly useful things the Prophet had said. But if he chanced to meet a Hypocrite like himself he would use the same expression but meaning 'what nonsense talk the Prophet had indulged in.'

2750. The Quranic expression may mean: (a) God makes them righteous; (b) He discloses to them the ways and means by employing which they could attain righteousness.(c) Allah bestows upon believers favours and blessings which are the result of a life of righteousness.

2751. The reference in the word, Ashrat (signs), seems to be to the Holy Prophet's flight from Mecca which proved to be the prelude to the appearance of many other Signs.

2752. See 2612 and 2765.

2753. The words, Mutaqallabakum and Mathwakum, may mean, 'When you move about transacting your affairs and when you take rest, or the former word may apply to this world and the latter to the next.

2754. Muslims were allowed to fight, because if the power of disbelievers had not been broken they would have created disorder in the land and have severed all ties of kinship and trampled under foot all rightful claims.

2755. The Hypocrites of Medina would not side with disbelievers openly and unreservedly. A hypocrite is too wily a person to burn his boats. He faces both ways.

2756. A hypocrite never talks straight. He always indulges in ambiguous and equivocal speech in order that it should convey one sense to one person and quite another sense to another person. It is to this crooked manner of speech of the hypocrites that reference has also been made in 2:105.

2757. 'Arafa is synonymous with 'Alima, but 'Ilm is wider and more general in signification than Ma'rifah. The root meaning of 'Ilm is that of a mark or sign by which one thing is distinguished from another (Lane). Knowledge or 'Ilm is of two kinds: (a) knowledge about a thing before its occurrence; and (b) knowledge about it after it has actually happened. The knowledge referred to in the verse under comment belongs to the latter category.

2758. Muslims are enjoined here that once fighting has started, they should never sue for peace, whatever form or shape the fortunes of war may take. They are to win either victory or martyrdom. No other choice is left to them.

2759. The verse purports to say that as Muslims have been enjoined to fight in the cause of Allah, they will have to bear the expenses of war also and for that purpose they will have to make sacrifice of money. But Allah does not need their money. It is for their own benefit that sacrifice of life and money is demanded of them because no success is possible without such sacrifice. True believers must understand and realize this supreme lesson.

2760. The verse particularly applies to the hypocrites.

2761. Miserliness is a deadly moral disease that eats into the vitals of man's moral and spiritual well-being. Elsewhere, the Qur'an has used very strong language about such people (9:35).

2762. When the Holy Prophet was once asked as to whom the words, 'He will bring instead a people other than you,' referred, he is reported to have said, 'If Faith were to go up to the Pleiades, a man of Persian descent will bring it back to the earth' (Rub al-Ma'ani).