سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْفَالِ

Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 43

The Spoils of War · Medinan · Juz 10 · Page 182

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إِذْ يُرِيكَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِى مَنَامِكَ قَلِيلًا ۖ وَلَوْ أَرَىٰكَهُمْ كَثِيرًا لَّفَشِلْتُمْ وَلَتَنَـٰزَعْتُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْرِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَلَّمَ ۗ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ ﴿43﴾

Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

(And remember) when Allâh showed them to you as few in your (i.e. Muhammad’s صلى الله عليه وسلم) dream; if He had shown them to you as many, you would surely have been discouraged, and you would surely have disputed in making a decision. But Allâh saved (you). Certainly, He is the All-Knower of what is in the breasts.

Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning

إِذْ idh When
يُرِيكَهُمُ yurīkahumu you (where) shown them
ٱللَّهُ l-lahu (by) Allah
فِى fī in
مَنَامِكَ manāmika your dream
قَلِيلًۭا ۖ qalīlan (as) few
وَلَوْ walaw and if
أَرَىٰكَهُمْ arākahum He had shown them to you
كَثِيرًۭا kathīran (as) many
لَّفَشِلْتُمْ lafashil'tum surely you would have lost courage
وَلَتَنَـٰزَعْتُمْ walatanāzaʿtum and surely you would have disputed
فِى fī in
ٱلْأَمْرِ l-amri the matter
وَلَـٰكِنَّ walākinna but
ٱللَّهَ l-laha Allah
سَلَّمَ ۗ sallama saved (you)
إِنَّهُۥ innahu Indeed, He
عَلِيمٌۢ ʿalīmun (is) All-Knower
بِذَاتِ bidhāti of what is in
ٱلصُّدُورِ l-ṣudūri the breasts

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 43) ➊ {اِذْ يُرِيْكَهُمُ اللّٰهُ فِيْ مَنَامِكَ قَلِيْلًا:} The Prophet (peace be upon him) saw in a dream that the number of disbelievers was not large, and he conveyed this information to the companions, the benefit of which was that courage and steadfastness developed among the Muslims. Here a question arises that the dream of a Prophet is revelation, so why did they appear few to you? The answer is that your dream was true in the sense that later many of those disbelievers became Muslims; secondly, that angels were also included with the Muslims, so in comparison to them, the number of disbelievers was indeed less, or in a figurative sense, meaning that morally and spiritually they had no strength or power. Apparently, they were many, but in the field of battle, they were weak in steadfastness and perseverance, so it was as if they were also few in number.
➋ {وَ لَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي الْاَمْرِ:} That is, some would say fight, and some would say do not fight, they are many and we are few.
➌ { وَ لٰكِنَّ اللّٰهَ سَلَّمَ:} That is, neither was there an opportunity to lose courage nor to quarrel and dispute among themselves.

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.

43. 1 Allah Ta’ala showed the Prophet ﷺ the number of disbelievers as few in a dream, and that same number he conveyed to the noble companions, which increased their morale. If, on the contrary, the number of disbelievers had been shown as many, there was a risk of discord among the companions. But Allah protected from both these matters.

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.

43. (O Prophet! Remember) when Allah showed them to you as few in your dream, and if He had shown them to you as many, you would surely have lost courage and would have disputed about the matter. But Allah saved you [48]. Surely, He knows well what is in the hearts.

[48]
The Purpose of Showing the Disbelievers as Few in Number:

That is, this too was a form of Allah Almighty’s help that, after supplicating with humility and prayers for victory and assistance before Allah in the arish, when drowsiness overcame you, in a dream you ﷺ were shown the number of the disbelievers as less than their actual number. The benefit of this was that the Muslims would not lose heart out of awe for the number of the disbelievers and their war equipment, nor would they become hesitant and start deliberating over the expediency of fighting or not fighting. Then, differences might have arisen among them. Thus, one purpose of showing such a dream was to encourage the Muslims, and another was to save them from disputes and to embolden them for battle.
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