Surah An-Nasr (110) — Ayah 1

(Ayah 1 to 3) ➊ {اِذَا جَآءَ نَصْرُ اللّٰهِ وَ الْفَتْحُ … :} Ibn Kathir said that by {’’ الْفَتْحُ ‘‘} here is meant the conquest of Makkah, and there is consensus on this. The tribes of Arabia were waiting for the conquest of Makkah to accept Islam; they used to say that if he prevails over his own people, then undoubtedly he is a Prophet. When Allah granted the conquest of Makkah at the hands of the Prophet (peace be upon him), they entered Islam in multitudes. After that, not even two years had passed when the whole of Arabia became Muslim, and there was not a single person in any tribe who did not profess Islam. (All praise is due to Allah) Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated in his Sahih from Amr bin Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: When Makkah was conquered, every tribe desired to be the first to present themselves before the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and accept Islam, and all the tribes were waiting for the conquest of Makkah to become Muslim. They used to say: Leave him and his people; if he prevails over them, then undoubtedly he is a Prophet. [ دیکھیے بخاري، المغازي، باب : ۴۳۰۲ ]

➋ It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that one day Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called me in the presence of the elders of Badr and asked those present: "What do you say about the statement of Allah: « اِذَا جَآءَ نَصْرُ اللّٰهِ وَ الْفَتْحُ »?" Some of them said that we are commanded in it that when we are granted victory and help, we should praise Allah and seek forgiveness, and some remained silent. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Ibn Abbas! Do you also say the same?" I said: "No!" He said: "Then what do you say?" I said: "It refers to the time of the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him); Allah has informed him of it, He said: « اِذَا جَآءَ نَصْرُ اللّٰهِ وَ الْفَتْحُ » 'When the help of Allah and the victory come.' This (help and victory) is a sign of your (the Prophet's) death, so now you should glorify your Lord with His praise and seek His forgiveness; surely He is ever accepting of repentance." Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "What you are saying about this Surah is also what I know about it." [ بخاري، التفسیر، باب قولہ : «فسبح بحمد ربک…» : ۴۹۷۰ ]

➌ Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said that the interpretation given by the elders of Badr is also a very beautiful meaning. Thus, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) performed eight rak‘ahs after the conquest of Makkah. Therefore, it is recommended for the commander of an army that after conquering a city, when he enters it, he should perform eight rak‘ahs (of voluntary prayer). Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) did the same when he conquered Mada’in. However, the meaning understood by Umar bin Khattab and Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that in this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was informed of his death, is because his mission was complete, and now he should prepare to come to Him. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also understood it this way, so after this he began to frequently glorify, praise, and seek forgiveness.

➍ After the revelation of this Surah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) began to prepare for the Hereafter even more than before and increased his glorification, praise, and seeking forgiveness. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that after the revelation of {’’ اِذَا جَآءَ نَصْرُ اللّٰهِ وَ الْفَتْحُ ‘‘}, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not perform any prayer in which he did not recite: [ سُبْحَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِكَ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ ] [ بخاري، التفسیر، سورۃ : «إذا جاء نصر اللہ» : ۴۹۶۷ ] "Glory be to You, O our Lord! We praise and glorify You. O Allah! Forgive me." The next narration in Bukhari is also from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to recite this supplication frequently in his bowing and prostration: [ سُبْحَانَكَ اللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِكَ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْلِيْ ] [ بخاري، التفسیر، سورۃ : «إذا جاء نصر اللہ» : ۴۹۶۸ ] "O our Allah! O our Lord! You are free from all defects, we praise and glorify You. O Allah! Forgive me." The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to recite this supplication in accordance with the Qur'an.

➎ The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ مَنْ جَلَسَ فِيْ مَجْلِسٍ فَكَثُرَ فِيْهِ لَغَطُهُ فَقَالَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَّقُوْمَ مِنْ مَّجْلِسِهِ ذٰلِكَ : سُبْحَانَكَ اللّٰهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوْبُ إِلَيْكَ، إِلاَّ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا كَانَ فِيْ مَجْلِسِهِ ذٰلِكَ ] [ ترمذي، الدعوات، باب ما یقول إذا قام من مجلسہ : ۳۴۳۳، وقال الألباني صحیح ] "Whoever sits in a gathering and indulges in excessive noise and talk, then before getting up from that gathering, recites this, then whatever happened in that gathering is forgiven for him: [ سُبْحَانَكَ اللّٰهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوْبُ إِلَيْكَ ] 'O Allah! You are free from all defects and with Your praise (we praise You), I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except You, I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.'"

➏ In {’’ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ تَوَّابًا ‘‘}, the {’’ كَانَ ‘‘} is for continuity, so it has been translated: "Surely He is always Most Accepting of Repentance."

When the help of Allah and the victory come.

1. When the help of Allah and victory [1] comes,

[1]
The Conquest of Makkah: The Cause and Circumstances of the March on Makkah:

By "conquest" is not meant the victory of an ordinary battle, but rather the center of the Muslims' greatest enemy, the Quraysh—the city of Makkah. All the tribes of Arabia were waiting to see whether the Muslims would be able to conquer Makkah or not. If they did, then Islam was the true religion; otherwise, it was not. These people had also conditioned their acceptance of Islam on the conquest of Makkah and had postponed it until then. In other words, the conquest of Makkah was a decisive victory between Islam and disbelief. And it occurred purely with Allah's help and in a miraculous manner, in which the Muslims did not even need to engage in a minor battle. The immediate cause for the march on Makkah was the Quraysh's breach of covenant, when they disregarded the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and openly aided their allied tribe, Banu Bakr. And when, upon the plea of Banu Khuza'ah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ presented some conditions to the Quraysh, the young men of Quraysh rejected them. During this time, the Prophet ﷺ began preparations for the march on Makkah in utmost secrecy and also secretly sent messages to his allied tribes.

The Capture of Abu Sufyan:

When the Prophet ﷺ set out from Madinah, the army numbered four thousand. Along the way, allied tribes joined, and by the time they reached Makkah, a formidable army of ten thousand accompanied him. When the Prophet ﷺ camped near Makkah at Marr az-Zahran, he spread the army over miles and ordered large fires to be lit. Seeing this sight, the enemy was so overawed that they had no strength left to resist. Abu Sufyan, along with two companions, went out to assess the situation and was captured. Sayyiduna Abbas ؓ seated him behind his horse so that, without delay, he could obtain a guarantee of safety for him from the Prophet's court. When Sayyiduna Umar ؓ heard of this, he too immediately set out for the Prophet's court, intending to kill Abu Sufyan before he could reach the Prophet and before he could be granted safety. By coincidence, Sayyiduna Abbas arrived first and Abu Sufyan's life was spared. The Prophet ﷺ forgave him and told Sayyiduna Abbas to take him to his tent.

The Prophet's Command for the Muslims to Display Grandeur Before the Disbelievers:

The next day, the Prophet ﷺ had Abu Sufyan stand on a high point of the hill and ordered the Islamic army, which was divided into various military units according to tribes, to march past Abu Sufyan with full grandeur. This spectacle not only overawed Abu Sufyan but struck such awe of Islam into the hearts of all the disbelievers that none even thought of resistance, and thus this central city of Arabia was conquered without opposition and without any bloodshed.

The Announcement of Amnesty:

After the conquest, the Prophet ﷺ generously forgave his mortal enemies. The effect of this was that not only Abu Sufyan and his family embraced Islam, but the majority of the people of Makkah accepted Islam as well. To instill such awe in the hearts of the disbelievers and to conquer Makkah in this manner without opposition was undoubtedly not possible without Allah's help.