Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 12

(Ayah 12) ➊ {اِذْ يُوْحِيْ رَبُّكَ اِلَى الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةِ اَنِّيْ مَعَكُمْ:} From this it is understood that even the angels cannot do anything on their own.
➋ { سَاُلْقِيْ فِيْ قُلُوْبِ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ: } This is the fourth favor which was granted not only in the field of Badr but in all battles to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the Muslim Ummah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "I have been given five things which were not given to anyone before me." Among them, he stated: "I have been helped by awe (cast into the hearts of the enemy) from a distance of one month's journey." [ بخاری، التیمم، بابٌ : ۳۳۵ ] The reason for this, Allah Almighty has mentioned in other verses as the disbelievers being polytheists. See Surah Al-Imran (151).
➌ { فَاضْرِبُوْا فَوْقَ الْاَعْنَاقِ … : } Strike upon their necks, so that the earth may be cleansed from their impure bodies, and strike every fingertip and toe tip of their hands and feet, so that they cannot fight with their hands nor flee with their feet.

12. 1. This is the statement of how Allah Almighty helped the Muslims in Badr through the angels and in particular, in whatever ways from Himself.

12. 1. بَنَانِ: The tips of the hands and feet. That is, the edges (sides) of their fingers. If these edges are cut off, it is obvious that they will become disabled. In this way, they will not be able to wield swords with their hands or run with their feet.

12. When your Lord was revealing to the angels: "I am with you, so make the believers stand firm. I will cast terror into the hearts of the disbelievers, so strike them upon their necks [13] and strike every joint of theirs."

[13]
The Muslims’ Aid Through Natural Means:

Now, from here begins the mention of those natural causes which ultimately became the reason for the Muslims’ victory, and these causes were four. In other words, in this battle Allah Almighty helped the Muslims in four ways, and by mentioning this, it is also intended to point out that when natural causes played such a significant role in this victory, then how can you dispute and lay claim over the spoils of war? This was made available to you solely by Allah’s help. Therefore, this wealth should belong only to Allah and His Messengerﷺ. Allah’s Messengerﷺ will distribute it as he wishes. What happened was that before the Muslims arrived at the field of Badr, the disbelievers had already reached and set up camp on solid ground, while the place available to the Muslims for camping was sandy. It was situated on higher ground, and there was no water at all; instead, dust was blowing around. The Muslims were suffering from thirst, and they could not find water for ablution and purification either. Thirdly, seeing the armed and massive army of the disbelievers before them, they were extremely anxious, and Satan was casting all sorts of doubts into their hearts, saying, “You do not even have water to drink, let alone food, so how will you be able to face such a large army?” In this state, Allah’s help came to the Muslims in such a way that it rained heavily at night, which had three benefits:

(1) The Muslims built large reservoirs and collected water. They now had water for drinking and washing.

(2) The sand below became firm, where previously their feet would slip, now they began to hold firm. In this way, all those satanic whispers were removed which Satan was casting into the hearts of the Muslims.

(3) This same flow of water, when it ran towards the camp of the disbelievers, created mud and slipperiness there. This was the first form of Allah Almighty’s help. The second form was that at the very beginning of the battle, Allah Almighty cast drowsiness over the Muslims, the effect of which was that their bodies were relieved of fatigue, and the awe of the disbelievers that had taken hold of their minds was removed. Because they were refreshed and clear-minded, they became energetic. Thus, when you yourself, after spending the whole night in the ‘Arish supplicating and lamenting before Allah Almighty, came out at the request of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ, at that time the state of drowsiness overcame you, and when you recovered from this state, there was a smile on your face and you were reciting this verse:

﴿اسْتَويٰ عَلَي الْعَرْشِ﴾ ﴿سَيُهْزَمُ الْجَمْعُ وَيُوَلُّوْنَ الدُّبُرَ﴾
[بخاری، کتاب الجہاد باب ماقیل فی درع النبی]

Then youﷺ gave the news of the killing of the prominent disbelievers and even showed the Companionsؓ the places where they would be killed. The third form was that Allah Almighty sent an army of angels to help the Muslims in the field of Badr, as is made clear from the ahadith mentioned in the above footnote. The Companionsؓ say that we could fully recognize the bodies of those disbelievers who were killed at the hands of the angels. The arrival of the angels not only brought firmness and tranquility to the hearts of the Muslims, but also greatly demoralized and overawed the disbelievers. The mention of the fourth form is coming ahead.