Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 173

(Ayah 173) ➊ {اَلَّذِيْنَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ … :} This verse is also related to the incident of Hamra’ al-Asad, and that is in such a way that when Abu Sufyan, who was leading the polytheists at that time, received information about the Muslims’ pursuit, he sent a challenge to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) through a trade caravan, saying, “I have gathered a great army and I am about to attack Madinah again.” Upon hearing this, instead of fear and weakness, the Muslims’ faith increased even more, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Companions said: «حَسْبُنَا اللّٰهُ وَ نِعْمَ الْوَكِيْلُ» “Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.” (Ibn Kathir)

➋ Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says that the phrase «حَسْبُنَا اللّٰهُ وَ نِعْمَ الْوَكِيْلُ» was said by Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he was thrown into the fire, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) said it when people said: «اِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوْا لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ اِيْمَانًا» “Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.” But this only increased them in faith, and they said: «حَسْبُنَا اللّٰهُ وَ نِعْمَ الْوَكِيْلُ » “Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.” [ بخاری، التفسیر، باب قولہ : «الذین قال لہم الناس…» : ۴۵۶۳ ]

➌ {فَزَادَهُمْ اِيْمَانًا:} From this it is understood that the faith of the Companions increased due to the challenge of the polytheists; obviously, it was relatively less before, that is why it increased. This proves the increase and decrease of faith and refutes those who say that our faith is like the faith of Jibreel (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). It is also understood that as faith increases, the spirit of jihad also increases. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever neither fought nor intended to fight in his heart, he will die on a branch of hypocrisy.” [ مسلم، الإمارۃ، باب ذم من مات و لم یغز … ۱۹۱۰۔ أبو داوٗد، الجہاد، باب کراھیۃ ترک الغزو : ۲۵۰۲، عن أبی ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ]

173. 1. It is said that Abu Sufyan paid some people to spread the rumor that the polytheists of Makkah are making full preparations for battle so that, upon hearing this, the morale of the Muslims would be weakened. However, instead of being frightened by such rumors, the Muslims became even more determined and enthusiastic. This verse is evidence that faith is not a static thing, but rather it increases and decreases, as is the position of the hadith scholars. That is why the virtue of reciting حسبنا اللّٰہ و نَعْم الْوکِیْل is mentioned in the hadith. Also, it is in Sahih Bukhari that when Prophet Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) was thrown into the fire, these were the words on his tongue (Fath al-Qadeer).

173. These are the ones to whom people said, "Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them." But it only increased them in faith [171], and they said, "Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs."

[171]
Abu Sufyan’s Escape from His Own Challenge:

On the return from the Battle of Uhud, Abu Sufyan addressed the Muslims. [3: 152] In that address, he challenged the Muslims that there would be another confrontation in the field of Badr after one year, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ accepted this challenge. But when the appointed time drew near, Abu Sufyan himself lost courage, because that year there was a famine in Mecca. To hide his own shame and regret and to shift the blame onto others, he devised a plan: he secretly sent a man, Nu‘aym bin Mas‘ud, to Madinah and, after giving him some reward, assigned him the task of spreading the news there that this time the Quraysh had made such tremendous preparations and were gathering such a huge army that the whole of Arabia would not be able to face it. His only purpose was to terrify the Muslims so that they would not have the courage to confront. Accordingly, he went to Madinah and spread this rumor widely. But the effect of this propaganda turned out contrary to Abu Sufyan’s expectations. This news further increased the faith-driven zeal of the Muslims, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ set out towards the field of Badr with fifteen hundred Companions. In this context, consider the following hadith from Bukhari: It is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas ؓ that when Ibrahim ؑ was thrown into the fire, he said
﴿وَّقَالُوْا حَسْبُنَا اللّٰهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيْلُ﴾
and when people said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that the disbelievers of Quraysh had gathered a great army against you, he also said the same words, and upon hearing this news, the faith of the Companions increased and they too said the same words. [بخاري، كتاب التفسير] When Abu Sufyan learned of this situation, he was compelled to set out. Thus, he departed from Mecca with a force of two thousand. But after traveling two days’ distance, he began to say to his companions, “It does not seem appropriate to fight this year; we will come next year.” His companions already wanted the same. So, they returned to Mecca from there, and there were several reasons for this: for example, this time his army was only two-thirds of what it was at the Battle of Uhud, while the Muslim army was more than double. Secondly, he had already witnessed the courage and faith of the Muslims. Thirdly, in relation to the propaganda he had previously made, his army was very small. Thus, he was so overawed that he considered it safer to turn back. This expedition is also called the Battle of Sawiq, because Abu Sufyan had brought roasted barley meal as provisions, which kept falling along the way, and on the return, they left this provision behind.

Results of the Battle of Sawiq:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stayed at the place of Badr for eight days waiting for Abu Sufyan. During this time, the noble Companions ؓ did business with a trading caravan and profited greatly. Then, when it became known that Abu Sufyan had returned, the Prophet ﷺ also returned to Madinah.