سُوْرَةُ الْفَتْحِ
Surah Al-Fath (48) — Ayah 20
وَعَدَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً تَأْخُذُونَهَا فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَـٰذِهِۦ وَكَفَّ أَيْدِىَ ٱلنَّاسِ عَنكُمْ وَلِتَكُونَ ءَايَةً لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ صِرَٰطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا ﴿20﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Allâh has promised you abundant spoils that you will capture, and He has hastened for you this, and He has restrained the hands of men from you: that it may be a sign for the believers, and that He may guide you to the Straight Path.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَعَدَكُمُ
waʿadakumu
Allah has promised you
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah has promised you
مَغَانِمَ
maghānima
spoils of war
كَثِيرَةًۭ
kathīratan
much
تَأْخُذُونَهَا
takhudhūnahā
that you will take it
فَعَجَّلَ
faʿajjala
and He has hastened
لَكُمْ
lakum
for you
هَـٰذِهِۦ
hādhihi
this
وَكَفَّ
wakaffa
and has withheld
أَيْدِىَ
aydiya
(the) hands
ٱلنَّاسِ
l-nāsi
(of) the people
عَنكُمْ
ʿankum
from you
وَلِتَكُونَ
walitakūna
that it may be
ءَايَةًۭ
āyatan
a sign
لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
lil'mu'minīna
for the believers
وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ
wayahdiyakum
and He may guide you
صِرَٰطًۭا
ṣirāṭan
(to the) Path
مُّسْتَقِيمًۭا
mus'taqīman
Straight
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 20) ➊ { وَعَدَكُمُ اللّٰهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيْرَةً تَاْخُذُوْنَهَا:} By these many spoils are meant the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Khaybar, and the surrounding areas and towns, because it has already been mentioned: « سَيَقُوْلُ الْمُخَلَّفُوْنَ اِذَا انْطَلَقْتُمْ اِلٰى مَغَانِمَ لِتَاْخُذُوْهَا ذَرُوْنَا نَتَّبِعْكُمْ يُرِيْدُوْنَ اَنْ يُّبَدِّلُوْا كَلٰمَ اللّٰهِ قُلْ لَّنْ تَتَّبِعُوْنَا كَذٰلِكُمْ قَالَ اللّٰهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَسَيَقُوْلُوْنَ بَلْ تَحْسُدُوْنَنَا بَلْ كَانُوْا لَا يَفْقَهُوْنَ اِلَّا قَلِيْلًا» [ الفتح : ۱۵ ] "Soon those who were left behind will say, when you set out towards the spoils to take them, 'Let us follow you.' They want to change the words of Allah. Say, 'You will never follow us; thus Allah has said before.' Then they will surely say, 'Rather, you envy us.' But they understood only a little."
➋ {فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هٰذِهٖ:} So He granted you this spoils quickly, meaning the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, in which an agreement was made between you and Quraysh that there would be no war for ten years and the Muslims would come next year in the same month to perform ‘Umrah. As a result, Muslims and Quraysh began to visit each other, mingle, and countless people embraced Islam; the door to the conquest of Khaybar and other areas was opened. In short, this treaty was both a victory and, in terms of its countless benefits, a spoils. Some commentators have taken this to mean the conquest of Khaybar; this is also possible, but the first interpretation is clearer, because these verses were revealed on the return from Hudaybiyyah.
➌ {وَ كَفَّ اَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ:} Included in Allah restraining the hands of people from the Muslims is that, despite the small number of Muslims, Quraysh of Makkah were prevented from fighting, and the Jews of Khaybar and other areas were prevented from attacking Madinah. This was the awe granted by Allah, that when the entire military strength of the Muslims was outside Madinah, if at that time the Jews, along with their allies and hypocrites, had attacked Madinah, the field would have been empty for them, because there was no one there except women, children, and the disabled. But it was the miracle of Allah’s power that no one was given the courage to do so.
➍ { وَ لِتَكُوْنَ اٰيَةً لِّلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ:} This phrase is connected by the waw to an implied sentence, and it is implied because it could be any one of several sentences, for example: {’’ فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هٰذِهٖ وَ كَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ لِتَشْكُرُوْهُ وَ لِتَكُوْنَ الْمُعَجَّلَةَ وَ كَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ آيَةً لِّلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ ‘‘} "That is, He granted you this spoils quickly and restrained the hands of people from you, so that you may give thanks to Him, and so that this quickly granted spoils and the restraining of people’s hands from you may become a sign for the believers (that in the future as well, Allah will help us in this way)." Instead of {’’لِتَشْكُرُوْهُ‘‘}, the implied sentence could also be {’’لِيَحْصُلَ لَهُمُ السَّكِيْنَةُ‘‘} or {’’لِيَزْدَادُوْا إِيْمَانًا‘‘}, etc., and it was omitted for this reason: if it had been mentioned, only one or two things could have been mentioned, whereas there are many things for which Allah granted this spoils beforehand.
➎ { وَ يَهْدِيَكُمْ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيْمًا:} This sentence is also one of the miracles of the Noble Qur’an, because not a single person from among the people of Hudaybiyyah deviated from the straight path; rather, all of them remained steadfast on Islam until the very end.
➋ {فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هٰذِهٖ:} So He granted you this spoils quickly, meaning the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, in which an agreement was made between you and Quraysh that there would be no war for ten years and the Muslims would come next year in the same month to perform ‘Umrah. As a result, Muslims and Quraysh began to visit each other, mingle, and countless people embraced Islam; the door to the conquest of Khaybar and other areas was opened. In short, this treaty was both a victory and, in terms of its countless benefits, a spoils. Some commentators have taken this to mean the conquest of Khaybar; this is also possible, but the first interpretation is clearer, because these verses were revealed on the return from Hudaybiyyah.
➌ {وَ كَفَّ اَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ:} Included in Allah restraining the hands of people from the Muslims is that, despite the small number of Muslims, Quraysh of Makkah were prevented from fighting, and the Jews of Khaybar and other areas were prevented from attacking Madinah. This was the awe granted by Allah, that when the entire military strength of the Muslims was outside Madinah, if at that time the Jews, along with their allies and hypocrites, had attacked Madinah, the field would have been empty for them, because there was no one there except women, children, and the disabled. But it was the miracle of Allah’s power that no one was given the courage to do so.
➍ { وَ لِتَكُوْنَ اٰيَةً لِّلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ:} This phrase is connected by the waw to an implied sentence, and it is implied because it could be any one of several sentences, for example: {’’ فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هٰذِهٖ وَ كَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ لِتَشْكُرُوْهُ وَ لِتَكُوْنَ الْمُعَجَّلَةَ وَ كَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ آيَةً لِّلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ ‘‘} "That is, He granted you this spoils quickly and restrained the hands of people from you, so that you may give thanks to Him, and so that this quickly granted spoils and the restraining of people’s hands from you may become a sign for the believers (that in the future as well, Allah will help us in this way)." Instead of {’’لِتَشْكُرُوْهُ‘‘}, the implied sentence could also be {’’لِيَحْصُلَ لَهُمُ السَّكِيْنَةُ‘‘} or {’’لِيَزْدَادُوْا إِيْمَانًا‘‘}, etc., and it was omitted for this reason: if it had been mentioned, only one or two things could have been mentioned, whereas there are many things for which Allah granted this spoils beforehand.
➎ { وَ يَهْدِيَكُمْ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيْمًا:} This sentence is also one of the miracles of the Noble Qur’an, because not a single person from among the people of Hudaybiyyah deviated from the straight path; rather, all of them remained steadfast on Islam until the very end.
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
20. 1 This is the glad tidings of the spoils of war that will be obtained as a result of other victories, which Muslims will continue to receive until the Day of Judgment.
20. 2 That is, the conquest of Khaybar or the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, because both of these were immediately achieved by the Muslims.
20. 3 At Hudaybiyyah, Allah restrained the hands of the disbelievers, and at Khaybar, the hands of the Jews, meaning He weakened their resolve and they did not engage in battle with the Muslims.
20. 4 That is, people will read the mention of this incident and realize that Allah, despite their small numbers, is the protector of the Muslims and the One who grants them dominance over their enemies; or this restraint is a sign of the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in all the promised matters.
20. 5 That is, may He grant you steadfastness upon guidance, or may He increase you in guidance through this sign.
20. 2 That is, the conquest of Khaybar or the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, because both of these were immediately achieved by the Muslims.
20. 3 At Hudaybiyyah, Allah restrained the hands of the disbelievers, and at Khaybar, the hands of the Jews, meaning He weakened their resolve and they did not engage in battle with the Muslims.
20. 4 That is, people will read the mention of this incident and realize that Allah, despite their small numbers, is the protector of the Muslims and the One who grants them dominance over their enemies; or this restraint is a sign of the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in all the promised matters.
20. 5 That is, may He grant you steadfastness upon guidance, or may He increase you in guidance through this sign.
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
He has promised you many gains that you will acquire [28], and He has hastened this (victory of Khaybar) for you and withheld the hands of people from you, so that it may be a sign [30] for the believers [29] and that He may guide you on a straight path [31].
[28] This refers to the spoils of war from the conquest of Makkah and Hunayn. In fact, after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the abundant spoils of war that Muslims continued to acquire as a result of successive victories are also included.
[29]
The Wisdoms Behind No Battle at the Place of Hudaybiyyah:
Allah Almighty mentions this as a favor upon the Muslims, and there are two meanings to this. One is that your position was not strong enough for you to withstand the enemy in the greatest center of disbelief. Therefore, Allah did not allow the situation of war to arise at all. And this too was, in a way, Allah’s help. The second is that you had left the center of Madinah and gone very far. In the event of war, it was also possible that your other enemies might attack Madinah in your absence. Allah prevented them from doing so as well.
[30] Here, the sign (ayah) refers to a miracle. That is, the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which apparently the Muslims considered their defeat and humiliation, was in reality their miraculous victory, the understanding of which was not apparent to the disbelievers, nor even to the Muslims themselves. As its results gradually became evident, the Muslims became increasingly convinced that in fact, this treaty was one of Allah’s signs.
[31] This straight path is, in all circumstances, obedience to Allah and His Messenger. If they command you to fight to the death, be ready for it; and if they command you to cool your passions and restrain yourselves, then restrain yourselves at that time. Do not display zeal and fervor. Allah and His Messenger know best which action at which time is better for the elevation of Islam.
[28] This refers to the spoils of war from the conquest of Makkah and Hunayn. In fact, after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the abundant spoils of war that Muslims continued to acquire as a result of successive victories are also included.
[29]
The Wisdoms Behind No Battle at the Place of Hudaybiyyah:
Allah Almighty mentions this as a favor upon the Muslims, and there are two meanings to this. One is that your position was not strong enough for you to withstand the enemy in the greatest center of disbelief. Therefore, Allah did not allow the situation of war to arise at all. And this too was, in a way, Allah’s help. The second is that you had left the center of Madinah and gone very far. In the event of war, it was also possible that your other enemies might attack Madinah in your absence. Allah prevented them from doing so as well.
[30] Here, the sign (ayah) refers to a miracle. That is, the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which apparently the Muslims considered their defeat and humiliation, was in reality their miraculous victory, the understanding of which was not apparent to the disbelievers, nor even to the Muslims themselves. As its results gradually became evident, the Muslims became increasingly convinced that in fact, this treaty was one of Allah’s signs.
[31] This straight path is, in all circumstances, obedience to Allah and His Messenger. If they command you to fight to the death, be ready for it; and if they command you to cool your passions and restrain yourselves, then restrain yourselves at that time. Do not display zeal and fervor. Allah and His Messenger know best which action at which time is better for the elevation of Islam.
