Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 40

(Ayah 40) ➊ {اِلَّا تَنْصُرُوْهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللّٰهُ … :} That is, if you do not go out for Tabuk and do not help him, then he alone is sufficient for his help. Look, when the polytheists of Makkah decided to kill him and forced him to leave his homeland, and he had only one companion with him, even then Allah helped him without the help of any of you. Even now, he does not need any of you; yes, it is better for you to go out to face the enemies of Islam, this is better for you.

➋ { ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ:} "The second of the two" refers to the first. In {’’ ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ ‘‘}, the first is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the second is Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Similarly, in {’’ ثَالِثُ ثَلَاثَةٍ‘‘} or {’’رَابِعُ اَرْبَعَةٍ‘‘}, the third or fourth will be the one who is first, the rest will come later. However, in {’’ رَابِعُ ثَلَاثَةٍ‘‘} or {’’ خَامِسُ اَرْبَعَةٍ ‘‘}, the fourth or fifth will be the one who joins later and his number will be fourth or fifth. [ الوسیط للطنطاوی ] All the commentators agree that the one with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and in most religious positions and ranks, after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he was the one who held the second position. He was the first to accept Islam and invited people to Islam, through which many eminent companions (may Allah be pleased with them) became Muslim. He never separated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in battles. In the illness of death, with the emphatic command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and after his refusal to allow anyone else to lead the prayer, he stood in the place of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as his deputy, and then was buried beside him. Thus, from beginning to end, Siddiq Akbar (may Allah be pleased with him) had the honor of being the second.

➌ { اِذْ يَقُوْلُ لِصَاحِبِهٖ:} Here, the honor of being the companion is also for Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). The word "companion" is originally used mostly for one who stays together. That is why a wife is called {’’ صَاحِبَةٌ ‘‘}, as Allah Almighty said: «اَنّٰى يَكُوْنُ لَهٗ وَلَدٌ وَّ لَمْ تَكُنْ لَّهٗ صَاحِبَةٌ» [ الأنعام : ۱۰۱ ] "How can he have a child when he has no wife?" From this, it is known that whoever denies Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) being the companion of the Messenger, i.e., his special companion and companion of the cave, is in fact denying the Qur'an. Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: "The companion of the cave was Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), only he was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), other companions, some had left earlier, some came later." (Mawdhih)

➍ { اِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ:} The cave referred to here is the cave near the peak of Mount Thawr, which is about five miles south of Makkah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was certain that he would be pursued, so he left the route to Madinah, which is to the north, and took the direction to the south and hid in the cave of Thawr, so that the pursuers would not easily find him. In Tafsir Majidi it is stated: "The mouth of this cave is still so narrow that it is only possible to enter by lying down." Shaykh Rashid Rida Misri, in Tafsir al-Manar, quoting the Egyptian Amir al-Hajj Ibrahim Rifaat Pasha (year of Hajj 1318 AH), has given the measurements of the cave and explicitly mentioned its narrowness. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed there for three days, then set out for Madinah. A reward had been set for his capture, so the enemies made every possible effort to find him, until some trackers reached the mouth of the cave, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) could see their feet. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) became worried about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and was greatly grieved.

➎ {لَا تَحْزَنْ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَنَا:} Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while I was in the cave: "If any one of them looks down at his feet, he will surely see us." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two whose third is Allah?" [ بخاری، فضائل أصحاب النبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ، باب مناقب المہاجرین وفضلھم… : ۳۶۵۳ ] {’’ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَنَا ‘‘} (Indeed, Allah is with us) This "with" means special companionship, i.e., Allah's special help and support, otherwise general companionship is for everyone. He said: «وَ هُوَ مَعَكُمْ اَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ » [ الحدید : ۴ ] "And He is with you wherever you are." In this, the virtue of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is evident, that when Musa (peace be upon him) reached the shore of the sea and his people, seeing Pharaoh's army, feared being caught, Musa (peace be upon him) said: « كَلَّا اِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّيْ» [ الشعراء : ۶۲ ] "Never! Indeed, with me is my Lord." Thus, he {’’ مَعِيَ ‘‘} i.e., did not associate anyone with himself in Allah's companionship, whereas the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: « اِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَنَا» "Indeed, Allah is with us both."

➏ { فَاَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ سَكِيْنَتَهٗ عَلَيْهِ:} That is, Allah sent down His tranquility upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Some commentators have taken it to mean Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), because tranquility had already descended upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but then the pronoun in {’’عَلَيْهِ‘‘} does not match the following pronoun in {’’ وَ اَيَّدَهٗ بِجُنُوْدٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا ‘‘}, and it is not unlikely that Allah sent a special tranquility upon His Messenger in addition to the first tranquility, which further increased his peace of mind. Therefore, it seems more correct that {’’ عَلَيْهِ ‘‘} refers to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

➐ {وَ اَيَّدَهٗ بِجُنُوْدٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا:} That is, with armies of angels whom you did not see, who did not let the pursuers' eyes fall upon you. Just as He helped at Hunayn (see Tawbah: 26) and at Badr (see Anfal: 9; Al Imran: 124, 125).

➑ Some people narrate that a spider spun a web and a pigeon made a nest and laid eggs, but this is not established. Shaykh Allamah Nasiruddin al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared the story of the spider as weak in Silsilah Da'ifah.

➒ {وَ جَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا السُّفْلٰى …:} That is, in Hijrah, Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, Hudaybiyyah, the conquest of Makkah, Hunayn, Tabuk, everywhere disbelief was humbled. {’’ وَ كَلِمَةُ اللّٰهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا ‘‘} And the word of Allah is always the highest and His word is always supreme. If ever the Muslims are subdued, it is not because Allah's word is subdued, but because of some deficiency in their faith and actions. He said: «وَ اَنْتُمُ الْاَعْلَوْنَ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُّؤْمِنِيْنَ » [ آل عمران : ۱۳۹ ] "And you will be superior if you are believers." And see Surah Muhammad (35).

40. 1. Those who hold back from jihad or try to avoid it are being told that if you do not help, Allah is not in need of your help. Allah helped His Messenger even when he took refuge in the cave and said to his companion (i.e., Abu Bakr Siddiq), "Do not grieve, Allah is with us." The details of this are mentioned in the hadith. Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) says that when we were in the cave, I said to the Prophet ﷺ, "If these polytheists (who are pursuing us) look at our feet, they will surely see us." The Prophet ﷺ said, "O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two whose third is Allah?" (Sahih Bukhari)

40. 2. These are the two forms of help that have been mentioned, by which Allah helped His Messenger ﷺ: one is tranquility (sakinah), the other is the support of angels.

40. 3. By the word of the disbelievers is meant shirk, and by the word of Allah is meant tawheed. As mentioned in a hadith: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked, "A person fights to show bravery, another fights out of tribalism and zeal, and another fights for display. Which of these is fighting in the way of Allah?" He replied, "The one who fights so that the word of Allah is exalted, he is in the way of Allah."

40. If you do not help him (the Prophet), Allah has already helped him when those who disbelieved [43] drove him out (of Makkah), while he was one of two in the cave. He said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us." Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon him and supported him with forces [44] you did not see, and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah is supreme. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.

[43]
Permission for Migration Granted to Youﷺ:

Here, we will first mention some selected incidents of the migration from Bukhari. Then we will present the points of this verse. Sayyidah Aishaؓ narrates: One day, exactly at noon, we were sitting in our house. Someone said, "Look, the Messenger of Allahﷺ is coming to our house with his face covered." Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ said, "The fact that youﷺ have come at this time must mean there is some important matter." Meanwhile, youﷺ arrived, sought permission to enter, and were granted it. When you entered, you said to Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ, "Send the others out from here." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ said, "O Messenger of Allah! Only your family is here." Then youﷺ said, "I have been granted permission to migrate." Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ asked, "Will you take me with you?" Youﷺ replied, "Yes." Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ said, "Take one of these two she-camels." Youﷺ said, "I will take it for a price." So I quickly prepared the provisions for both. The food was placed in a leather bag. Asma bint Abi Bakrؓ tore her waistband and tied the mouth of the bag. From that day, she was called Dhat an-Nitaq or Dhat an-Nitaqayn. Then youﷺ and Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ went to the cave of Thawr and hid there for three nights. Abdullah bin Abi Bakr, who was a clever and young man, would spend the night with them and at the break of dawn would go to the Quraysh in Makkah as if he had spent the night in Makkah. All day, he would listen to the Quraysh's conversations that could harm the two, and at night, he would go and inform them. Amir bin Fuhayrah, who was Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ's slave, would keep a milking goat from the herd. When a part of the night had passed, he would bring the goat to the cave, and both would drink fresh, warm milk and spend the night. At the break of dawn, he would start calling the goats. They did this for three nights. Youﷺ and Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ had appointed a man from the tribe of Bani Wail (Abdullah bin Uraiqit) as a guide for a wage, even though he was a disbeliever, but both trusted him. When leaving Makkah, they handed over their she-camels to him and told him to bring them to the cave of Thawr after three nights. So, after spending three nights, he came in the morning with the she-camels. Amir bin Fuhayrah also set out with them, and the guide took the coastal route.

The Pursuit by Suraqah bin Malik:

Suraqah bin Malik bin Ju'sham received news from his nephew, Abdur Rahman bin Malik, that the Quraysh had promised a reward of one hundred camels for each of the two, whether killed or captured. One day, a man from my own tribe (Bani Mudlij) said to me, "Suraqah! I have just seen a few men traveling along the coastal route, and I think they are Muhammadﷺ and his companion." Suraqah says, "I understood, but outwardly I said, 'Those people are not Muhammadﷺ and his companion, but so-and-so and so-and-so who have gone in search of something lost.' Saying this, I secretly took my spear and rode my horse in pursuit. When I got close to youﷺ, my horse stumbled, and I fell. I drew lots with arrows, which came out against my intention, but out of greed for the reward, I mounted my horse again and rode on. Then my horse's legs sank into the ground up to the knees, and I fell. I drew lots again, and again it came out against my intention. Finally, I called out to youﷺ for protection, because I realized that soon youﷺ would be victorious. Then I informed you of all the news of the Quraysh, including the news of the bounty, and offered you provisions or supplies, which you did not accept. However, youﷺ told me only not to inform anyone of our situation. Then I requested a written guarantee of protection. Youﷺ told Amir bin Fuhayrah to write it, so he wrote it for me on a piece of leather, and youﷺ moved on.

The Cry of the Jew and the Foundation of Masjid Quba:

Sayyiduna Zubairؓ and several other Muslim traders who were returning from Syria along the same coastal route met your caravan. Sayyiduna Zubairؓ gave youﷺ and Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ white garments to wear. The people of Madinah had already received news of your departure from Makkah. Every day, they would come to Harrah in the morning and wait. When the heat of noon began, they would return. One day, a Jew climbed onto his mansion and saw youﷺ, dressed in white, coming towards Madinah. He cried out involuntarily, "The leader you were waiting for has arrived!" Hearing this, the Muslims took up their weapons and went to Harrah to meet youﷺ. Youﷺ stopped in the neighborhood of Bani Amr bin Awf; it was a Monday and the month of Rabi' al-Awwal. There, youﷺ laid the foundation of a mosque (Masjid Quba) and continued to perform prayers there. Then, on Friday, youﷺ set out for Madinah.

The Construction of Masjid Nabawi:

Yourﷺ she-camel sat down at the place where Masjid Nabawi is now located. In those days, a few Muslims used to pray there. This land belonged to two orphan boys, Sahl and Suhayl, who were under the care of As'ad bin Zurarah. Youﷺ called them and asked the price of the land, saying, "We will build a mosque here." They said, "O Messenger of Allah! We give you this land for free." But youﷺ refused to take it for free. Finally, after paying them the price, the construction of the mosque began. While the mosque was being built, youﷺ yourself carried bricks along with the others. [بخاري۔ كتاب المناقب۔ باب هجرة النبي]

Your Consolation of Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ in the Cave of Thawr:

Sayyiduna Abu Bakrؓ narrates: During the migration, I was with youﷺ in the cave (of Thawr). I saw the feet of the disbelievers (who had reached the cave in search of us) from inside the cave. I said, "O Messenger of Allah! If any of them were to look beneath his feet, he would see us." Youﷺ said, "What do you think of two people with whom the third is Allah?" [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير۔ كتاب المناقب۔ باب هجرة النبي]

In Which Difficult Times Did Allah Help His Messenger?

That is, Allah alone helped His Prophetﷺ even when all the Qurayshi tribes of Makkah had conspired together to kill youﷺ and had besieged your house. Even then, Allah delivered His Prophet from their clutches. He also helped when the pursuers were standing at the mouth of the cave of Thawr. He also helped when Suraqah bin Malik pursued youﷺ and caught up with you. And He helped during the migration by bringing you safely to Madinah. If Allah could help His Prophet at that time, then He alone can also help in this Battle of Tabuk. Therefore, consider this opportunity a blessing, for through your hands Islam will be elevated, you will gain honor and success in this world, and reward in the Hereafter. It is also worth mentioning here that the Prophet left for migration in utmost secrecy. The disbelievers, instead of expelling him, wanted to pursue and bring him back. But since the Prophetﷺ was forced to migrate due to the oppression and cruelty of the disbelievers, Allah attributed the act of expelling to the disbelievers. And when youﷺ left Makkah, addressing Makkah in a tone full of longing, you said, "If my people had not expelled me from here, I would not have preferred to live anywhere else but you." [ترمذي۔ ابواب المناقب۔ باب فضل المكة ]

[44]
Allah's Invisible Armies:

These armies of Allah can be other creatures besides angels. For example, the army of spiders was also Allah's army, which instantly spun a web at the mouth of the cave of Thawr. When the Quraysh reached the cave with their tracker (guide, scout), seeing the spun web, they began to call their tracker a liar and mistaken, because it seemed as if the web had been there for ages. Or perhaps it was also Allah's army of angels who turned the eyes of the polytheists away from peering into the cave. And those were also Allah's armies who caused Suraqah's horse to sink into the ground. And those were also Allah's armies who protected you from every danger during the journey of migration. In this way, the disbelievers kept gnashing their teeth, but Allah, who wanted to bring His Prophet safely to Madinah, accomplished what He willed.