Overview  (Verses 146 -148)

Lessons from the History of the Prophets

God  then  gives  the  Muslims  an  example  drawn  from  the  history of fellow believers. The procession of faith, composed of believers, dates back to the very beginning of time. There were people who were true to their word, firm believers who fought alongside the prophets sent to them and they never weakened in times of adversity. As they stared death in the face, they demonstrated their awareness of their true position when they fought in God’s cause and lived in accordance with the teachings of their faith. They said no more than a prayer to God to forgive them. They enlarged their slips in behaviour and attitude, so as to describe them as “excesses”. They also prayed to God to make their steps firm and to grant them victory. This earned for them the reward of this life and that of the life to come, because they combined the right attitude in battle and the right attitude in their prayers. Thus, they have provided an example which God cites here for the Muslims.

Many a Prophet has fought with many devout men alongside him. They never lost heart on account of what they had to suffer in God’s cause, and neither did they weaken nor succumb. God loves those who are patient in adversity. All that they said was this: “Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our excesses in our affairs. Make firm our steps, and give us victory over the unbelievers.” God has granted them the reward of this life and the best reward of the life to come. God loves those who do their duty well. (Verses 146-148)

The Battle of Uĥud was the first major defeat suffered by the Muslims. They had earlier been granted victory at Badr when their forces were far inferior to those of their enemy. Thus, they may have felt that victory in every encounter was part of the laws of nature. The shock dealt them at Uĥud was a hard and disturbing trial. This may be the reason for the long Qur’ānic comments on this particular battle. The Muslims are encouraged at one point, and their notions are corrected at another; at times,  certain  principles  are  clearly  stated,  and  at  others,  examples  are  cited  to provide proper education for them and to correct any misconceptions they may have. They had to be well prepared for their long and arduous struggle in discharging the duties imposed on them as advocates of God’s message.

The example which the sūrah gives here is a general one, which neither mentions any prophet by name nor specifies a particular nation or people. The outcome of this is  that  the  Muslims  feel  themselves  to  belong  to  the  advocates  of  true  faith throughout history. They learn the proper manners which believers should adopt. Trials are shown to them as something to be naturally expected by the advocates of any message and any faith. Ties are established between them and the followers of earlier prophets so that they appreciate that believers in any generation are closely related to their predecessors in faith. They learn that the cause of faith is one which has been present throughout history and that they are only one battalion in a great army of the faithful: “Many a Prophet has fought with many devout men alongside him. They never lost heart on account of what they had to suffer in God’s cause, and neither did they weaken nor succumb.” (Verse 146) There were many prophets who mobilised large groups of fighters who withstood all manner of hardship and suffering. They never yielded or gave up their fight. Such determination is characteristic of believers who know that they have to fight for their faith.

“God loves those who are patient in adversity.” They persevere and show no weakness. Their determination remains strong. When these are described as being loved by God, the expression has its particular effect on the present generation of believers. It helps heal their wounds and it is accepted as ample and generous compensation It for every hardship.

The  description  so  far  shows  only  what  is  apparent  of  the  attitude  of  those believers in situations of difficulty and trial. Now the sūrah goes on to describe their inner feelings. It shows them as observing all standards of propriety when they address God. The testing times, the difficulties and the dangers do not make the believers oblivious of their need to turn to God. As they do, their first request is not victory, as would have been expected, but forgiveness for their errors and excesses. Prayer for increased strength and victory over the enemy comes second: “All that they said was this: ‘Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our excesses in our affairs. Make firm our steps, and give us victory over the unbelievers.’” (Verse 147) They do not pray for any great bounty or reward. They have not implored God to give them the reward of either this life or the life to come. Their humility when they turn to God and address Him is too great to allow them to do this, and despite the fact that they are fighting for His cause. They pray only that He will grant them forgiveness of their sins, make firm their steps, and grant them victory over the unbelievers. It is very important to realise here that they do not pray for victory for themselves, but rather for the defeat their opponents and the frustration of the unbelievers. This is the sort of good manners which befit believers when they address God, the Almighty.

To these very people who have asked nothing for themselves, God has given everything, out of His grace. He has given them all that is desired and coveted by those who seek the riches of this world. He has also given them everything that those who prefer the reward of the life to come yearn for: “God has granted them the reward of this life and the best reward of the life to come.” (Verse 148) He further acknowledges that they have done well. Their good manners are combined with a very effective way of fulfilling their duty of jihād, exerting every effort for the cause of God. He, therefore,  declares  that  He  loves  them.  His  love  is  greater  than  all  reward  and superior to all bounty: “God loves those who do their duty well.” (Verse 148)

Within the comments given in the sūrah on the Battle of Uĥud, this passage establishes a number of principles which are central to the Islamic concept. It plays an important role in educating the Muslim community and provides a good example which must be understood by every generation of Muslims.