Surah Al-Fath (48) — Ayah 1

Surah Al-Fath

This surah was revealed when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was returning from Hudaybiyyah. This was in Dhu al-Qa'dah, 6 AH. You (peace and blessings be upon him) set out with fourteen hundred companions for Umrah, and when you reached the place of Hudaybiyyah, the polytheists prevented you from performing Umrah. The story is long; in short, after repeated exchanges of envoys from both sides, a peace and truce agreement was made for ten years. Some of its conditions were not liked by the Muslims, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted them in view of the benefits of peace. Later, when the Muslims saw the pleasant effects of the peace, they too became satisfied.

(Ayah 1) ➊ {اِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِيْنًا:} The word {’’ فَتْحًا ‘‘} apparently suggests that it refers to the conquest of Makkah and the victories that occurred near it, and certainly these words also apply to the conquest of Makkah, but the Companions and the scholars have stated that the reason for its revelation is the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. Thus, Qatadah narrates that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said about {’’ اِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِيْنًا ‘‘} that it refers to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. [ بخاري، التفسیر، سورۃ الفتح : ۴۸۳۴ ] And Bara’ bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "You consider the conquest of Makkah as the victory, and indeed the conquest of Makkah was a victory, but we consider the pledge of Ridwan on the day of Hudaybiyyah as the victory." [ بخاري، المغازي، باب غزوۃ الحدیبیۃ : ۴۱۵۰ ] Zayd bin Aslam narrates from his father that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was traveling on one of his journeys, and at night Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was also walking with him. Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) asked you (peace and blessings be upon him) about something, but you did not answer him. He asked again, but you did not answer. He asked again, but you did not answer. Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Umar! May your mother lose you, you insisted on asking the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) three times, but each time he did not answer you." Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says, so I moved my camel ahead of the Muslims, fearing that perhaps Qur'an would be revealed about me. After a while, suddenly I heard someone calling my name to call me back. I returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and I was thinking that Qur'an had been revealed about me. I greeted, and you (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ لَقَدْ أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيَّ اللَّيْلَةَ سُوْرَةٌ لَهِيَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا طَلَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّمْسُ، ثُمَّ قَرَأَ : « اِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِيْنًا »] [ بخاري، المغازي، باب غزوۃ الحدیبیۃ : ۴۱۷۷ ] "Tonight a surah has been revealed to me which is more beloved to me than anything upon which the sun rises." Then you (peace and blessings be upon him) recited: « اِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِيْنًا » "Indeed, We have given you a clear victory."

At the end of a long hadith narrated from Sahl bin Hunaif (may Allah be pleased with him), it is mentioned that when Surah Al-Fath was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he sent a message to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and recited Surah Al-Fath to him. He said: [ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ! أَوَ فَتْحٌ هُوَ ؟ ] "O Messenger of Allah! Is this a victory?" You (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [نَعَمْ ] "Yes!" So his heart became happy and he went away. [ مسلم، الجہاد والسیر، باب صلح الحدیبیۃ … : ۱۷۸۵]

➋ The reality is that the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was a great victory for Islam and the Muslims, because with it the Muslims gained countless benefits. One of them was that the Quraysh acknowledged the existence of the Muslims, which previously they were not willing to accept in any way. Another was that the real strength of the enemy became known, and to what extent they could resist. Another was that the sincere believers and the hypocrites were distinguished, because the hypocrites did not even dare to go out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), as will be mentioned ahead in {’’ سَيَقُوْلُ لَكَ الْمُخَلَّفُوْنَ‘‘}. Another was that with the establishment of peace in the Arabian Peninsula, the disbelievers and Muslims began to interact with each other. The disbelievers listened to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims, saw their character, there were debates and discussions, and the scope of the invitation widened, as a result of which a large number accepted Islam. As a result, at the time of Hudaybiyyah, there were fourteen hundred companions with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but only two years later, in the year of the conquest of Makkah, you (peace and blessings be upon him) entered Makkah with ten thousand companions in a victorious manner.

➌ In this verse, Allah Almighty has stated the importance of this victory with three types of emphasis: one, to express its greatness, He attributed it to Himself twice with the first-person plural form, one {’’ اِنَّا ‘‘} and the other {’’ فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِيْنًا ‘‘}; the second is that He emphasized {’’ فَتَحْنَا ‘‘} with the absolute object {’’ فَتْحًا مُّبِيْنًا ‘‘}; and the third is that He called it {’’ فَتْحًا مُّبِيْنًا ‘‘} (a clear victory), i.e., "Indeed, We have given you a victory, a clear victory."

➍ In {’’ اِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ ‘‘}, the words {’’ لَكَ ‘‘} (for you) express the honor and dignity of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), by which the Ummah is intended to recognize your value and to be taught obedience and following of you (peace and blessings be upon him).