Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 2

(Ayah 2 to 4) {اِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ الَّذِيْنَ اِذَا ذُكِرَ اللّٰهُ …:} Above, it was stated that if there is obedience, then there is faith; now in these verses, several qualities of the believers are described. Foremost among them is that when the mention of Allah or His command comes amidst their disputes, their hearts tremble and they shudder at the thought of disobeying Him. The second sign is that when Allah’s commands are presented before them, they accept them wholeheartedly and obey them, which causes their faith to increase further. From this, it is understood that faith does not remain in one state, but rather it increases and decreases—both in terms of certainty and affirmation upon seeing proofs, and in terms of the increase or decrease of actions. The third sign is that whatever task they are commanded to do, they adopt all its means and resources and make every effort, but their trust always remains in Allah Almighty, not in their own preparation or means. After making every effort, they entrust its outcome to Allah. Their fourth sign is that they always perform prayer with all its rights and etiquettes, and the fifth sign is that they fulfill the rights of Allah Almighty and His servants from their wealth. Those in whom these five signs are found, Allah Almighty has declared only them to be {’’الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ حَقًّا‘‘}—that is, true and steadfast believers. For such believers, there will be high ranks with Allah Almighty, great forgiveness, and honorable sustenance.

2. 1. In these verses, four qualities of the people of faith are mentioned: 1. They obey Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, not just Allah, that is, not just the Quran. 2. When they hear the remembrance of Allah, their hearts tremble with the majesty and greatness of Allah. 3. Their faith increases with the recitation of the Quran (from which it is understood that faith increases and decreases, as is the position of the hadith scholars). 4. And they put their trust in their Lord. Tawakkul means that after adopting apparent means, they rely on Allah alone. That is, they do not avoid or neglect the means, because Allah Himself has commanded to adopt them, but they do not consider these apparent means to be everything; rather, they believe that the real effective force is the divine will, so until Allah's will is present, these apparent means can do nothing. And on the basis of this certainty and trust, they are never heedless, even for a moment, of seeking Allah's help and support. Further, more of their qualities are mentioned, and for those who possess these qualities, there is a certificate from Allah of being true believers, and the glad tidings of forgiveness, divine mercy, and noble provision. (May Allah count us among them). جَعَلَنَا اللّٰہُ مِنْھُمْ (اللہ تعالیٰ ہمیں بھی ان میں شمار فرمالے) The background of the Battle of Badr. The Battle of Badr, which took place in 2 AH, was the first battle of the Muslims with the disbelievers. Moreover, it happened suddenly, without planning and preparation, and due to lack of resources, some Muslims were not even mentally prepared for it. In short, its background is as follows: Under the leadership of Abu Sufyan (who had not yet become Muslim), a trade caravan was traveling from Syria to Mecca. Since much of the Muslims' wealth and belongings had remained in Mecca due to migration or had been seized by the disbelievers, and breaking the power and strength of the disbelievers was also the demand of the time. In view of all these matters, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ planned to attack this trade caravan, and the Muslims set out from Medina with this intention. Abu Sufyan also received information about this. So, he changed his route, and also sent word to Mecca, upon which Abu Jahl set out with an army to protect his caravan towards Badr. When the Prophet ﷺ learned of this situation, he presented the matter before the Companions and also informed them of Allah's promise that one of the two (the trade caravan or the army) would surely be granted to them. However, even then, some Companions expressed hesitation about fighting and advised to pursue the trade caravan, while all the other Companions assured the Messenger of Allah ﷺ of their full support in fighting. It was in this background that these verses were revealed.

2. True believers are those whose hearts tremble when Allah is mentioned, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith, and they put their trust in their Lord [5].

[5]
The Signs of a True Believer:

In this verse and the next, several signs of the believers are mentioned, clarifying that only those can claim to be believers in whom these signs are found. Foremost among them is that when Allah is mentioned or His command comes amidst their disputes, their hearts tremble and they shudder at the thought of disobeying Him. The second sign is that when Allah’s commands are recited to them, they obey willingly and wholeheartedly, which causes their faith to increase further. From this, it is understood that faith does not remain in one state; rather, it increases with obedience to Allah and decreases with disobedience. The third sign is that whatever they are commanded to do, they adopt all the necessary means for it, but their reliance is not on these means; rather, it is on Allah Almighty. After making every effort, they entrust the outcome and result to Allah Almighty.