Overview  (Verses 152 -153)

Victory So Near, Yet So Far

God fulfilled to you His promise when, by His leave, you were about to destroy them. But then you lost heart and disagreed with one another concerning [the Prophet’s command] and disobeyed after God had brought you within view of that for which you were longing. Some of you cared only for this world and some cared for the life to come. Then He turned you away from them so that He may put you to the test. But now He has forgiven you, for God is gracious to the believers. [Remember] when you ran away, up into the mountain, paying no heed to anyone, while the Messenger was at your rear calling out to you. Therefore, He rewarded you with sorrow after sorrow so that you may not grieve over what has escaped you, nor over what had befallen you. God is aware of all that you do. (Verses 152-153)

The sūrah paints a full picture of the battlefield and the succession of victory and defeat. Every movement, every impression, every facial expression and every fleeting thought is recorded. The Qur’ānic description is like a film reel which shows every movement in vivid and sharp detail. This particularly applies to the image of people fleeing from the battlefield and charging up the mountain in panic, as the Prophet called out to them. Coupled with this is a picture of the thoughts, impressions and reactions people entertained. On top of it all, we have a number of directives and statements which are characteristic of the Qur’ānic style and its remarkable method of educating believers.

“God fulfilled to you His promise, when, by His leave, you were about to destroy them.” This was at the beginning of the battle, when the Muslims began to steadily put an end to all resistance shown by the idolaters, and to destroy their forces. At that time, they were not distracted by the loot which loomed large. The Prophet had said to them: “You will be victorious as long as you remain steadfast.” God has fulfilled that promise which He gave them through His Prophet.

“But then you lost heart and disagreed with one another concerning [the Prophet’s command] and disobeyed after God had brought you within view of that for which you were longing. Some of you cared only for this world and some cared for the life to come.” (Verse 152) This is a description of what took place among the archers. A group of them felt the temptation too strongly. They wanted their share of the booty. They argued with those who maintained that they must obey the Messenger’s command literally. Their argument led to disobedience when they saw the clear indications of the victory they longed to achieve. Thus, they were split into two groups: one caring only for worldly gains, and the other looking only for God’s reward in the hereafter. Discord was sown and the believers were no longer one force, working for one goal. Dedication, which is absolutely necessary in every battle fought for the sake of faith, was tainted with greed. What is important to remember is that a battle fought for the sake of faith is unique in that it is fought both on the battlefield and in people’s hearts. Victory in the former is dependent on victory in the latter. It is a battle fought for the sake of God. Therefore, God gives victory in it to those who are totally dedicated to Him.

Since they have raised the banner of God, He does not grant them victory until He has tested them and ascertained their dedication, so that there can be no false pretences. Sometimes, those who clearly raise the banner of falsehood in battle are given victory, for a purpose known to God alone. But it has to be understood that those who raise the banner of faith without demonstrating complete dedication are never granted victory by God until they have proven that they have passed the test. This is the message the Qur’ān wants to state clearly to the Muslim community, using this  particular  battle  as  their  reference  point.  He  wanted  the  first  Muslim community to learn this as it suffered bitter defeat as a result of a confused and shaky attitude.

Some of you cared only for this world and some cared for the life to come.” Here the Qur’ān sheds light on what is deep in people’s hearts. The Muslims themselves did not know that they entertained such thoughts. `Abdullāh ibn Mas`ūd, the Prophet’s Companion said: “I never thought that any of the Companions of the Prophet would care for worldly gains, until God revealed in the Qur’ān describing our situation in Uĥud: “Some of you cared only for this world and some cared for the life to come.” Their hearts are thus laid open before them so that they can determine the causes of their defeat.

At the same time, the Qur’ān partly reveals to the Muslims God’s purpose behind letting them suffer all this pain, and behind allowing events to develop in that particular fashion: “Then He turned you away from them so that He may put you to a test.” God’s predestination remains operative. When people weakened, disputed and disobeyed, God turned their power away  from  the idolaters  and  let the archers abandon their positions and the fighters desert the battlefield. All this took place as a result of their own actions, but it was all predestined by God in order to test the believers with hardship, fear, defeat and loss of life. Such a trial was bound to reveal what was in their innermost hearts and to distinguish true believers from those who only pretended to be so. There is no contradiction whatsoever between allowing events to happen as a direct result of their causes and them being predetermined. The  law  of  cause  and  effect  remains  operative  but  every  cause  is  also  well determined.

“But now He has forgiven you,” what you have shown of weakness, dispute and disobedience as well as your running away from battle. That forgiveness is an aspect of His grace which overlooks human weakness when it is not the result of ill-will or deliberate disobedience. He has forgiven you because your errors and weakness remain within the framework of faith and submission to God. They do not come in defiance of God’s orders.

“God is gracious to the believers.” Part of His grace is to forgive them, as long as they follow the method He has laid down for them and they submit to His will, without claiming any of the essential qualities of Godhead for themselves. At the same time, they must not derive any of their laws, values or standards from any source other than Him. Thus, when they slipped, that error came only from weakness. When they were exposed to this trial and proved themselves, they are forgiven.

The sūrah then describes the scene of defeat in powerful imagery: “[Remember] when you ran away, up into the mountain, giving no heed to anyone, while the Messenger was at your rear calling out to you.” (Verse 153) This description encapsulates their shame for what they had done and the causes which led them to do it, namely, loss of heart, dispute and disobedience. Their physical and mental attitudes are also brought alive in just a few words: they quickly ran away, climbing up into the mountain, confused, afraid, perplexed, paying heed to no one. The Prophet called on them to reassure them that he was still alive after someone had cried out otherwise. The end result is that God rewarded them for the sorrow they suffered when they fled, with a sorrow to fill their own hearts for having abandoned their beloved Prophet and letting him endure his wounds, when he remained steadfast while they turned on their heels. There is no doubt that this experience was very painful. To them, what was most difficult to bear was the sorrow and pain which the Prophet himself  had  endured,  because  it  was  a  direct  result  of  their  actions.  They  were bitterly ashamed. Their sorrow is useful in the sense that it was bound to make any loss they themselves suffered seem to be of no significance, and every hardship they will be called upon to bear very easy: “Therefore, He rewarded you with sorrow after sorrow so that you may not grieve over what has escaped you, nor over what had befallen you.” God, Who knows everything, is certainly aware of every motive behind every action: “God is aware of all that you do.” (Verse 153)