Surah Al-Fath (48) — Ayah 27

(Ayah 27) ➊ { لَقَدْ صَدَقَ اللّٰهُ رَسُوْلَهُ الرُّءْيَا بِالْحَقِّ:} Its grammatical construction is of two types: one is that {’’ صَدَقَ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} is the verb and subject, {’’ رَسُوْلَهُ ‘‘} is its object, and before {’’ الرُّءْيَا ‘‘} the preposition {’’فِيْ‘‘} is omitted, due to which {’’ الرُّءْيَا ‘‘} is in the accusative case; this is called accusative by the removal of the preposition. The translation of {’’أَيْ فِي الرُّؤْيَا۔‘‘} has been done according to this construction, that indeed, surely Allah has given His Messenger the true news in the dream or has spoken the truth. An example of this is the verse: « مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوْا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللّٰهَ عَلَيْهِ » [الأحزاب: ۲۳] {’’أَيْ فِيْ مَا عَاهَدُوا اللّٰهَ عَلَيْهِ‘‘} “Among the believers are men who have been true to what they pledged to Allah.” The second construction is that {’’ صَدَقَ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} is the verb and subject, {’’ رَسُوْلَهُ ‘‘} is the first object, and {’’ الرُّءْيَا ‘‘} is the second object. That is, indeed, surely Allah showed His Messenger a true dream. In this case, {’’ صَدَقَ ‘‘} will be transitive to two objects. {’’ بِالْحَقِّ ‘‘} means exactly according to reality.

➋ { لَتَدْخُلُنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ …:} Before departing for Hudaybiyyah, in Madinah Munawwarah, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a dream that he, along with his companions, was entering Makkah in peace and security, without any fear, performing Tawaf of the House of Allah and other rites of Umrah, then some were shaving their heads and some were shortening their hair. Since the dream of a Prophet is revelation and can never be false, the Muslims became very happy and generally thought that the entry into Makkah would be that very year. But when they returned from Hudaybiyyah without entering Makkah, some companions had some doubts in their hearts regarding this, that the dream had not been fulfilled. So at that time, Allah revealed this verse and clarified that it was We who showed this dream to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and it is absolutely true and will surely be fulfilled. Accordingly, the following year, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered Makkah and performed Umrah in peace and security and then returned. In reality, the time of its fulfillment was not mentioned in the dream itself, whereas sometimes the interpretation of a dream becomes apparent after many years, as when Yusuf (peace be upon him) said, after many years of seeing the dream, when his parents and brothers came to Egypt: « يٰۤاَبَتِ هٰذَا تَاْوِيْلُ رُءْيَايَ مِنْ قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّيْ حَقًّا » [ یوسف : ۱۰۰ ] “O my father! This is the interpretation of my earlier dream; indeed, my Lord has made it come true.” Here, some Muslims had understood on their own that the entry into Makkah would be that very year. Thus, in a long hadith in Sahih Bukhari, when the treaty had been concluded, Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) says: [ فَأَتَيْتُ نَبِيَّ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقُلْتُ أَلَسْتَ نَبِيَّ اللّٰهِ حَقًّا؟ قَالَ بَلٰی، قُلْتُ أَلَسْنَا عَلَی الْحَقِّ وَعَدُوُّنَا عَلَی الْبَاطِلِ؟ قَالَ بَلٰی، قُلْتُ فَلِمَ نُعْطَی الدَّنِيَّةَ فِيْ دِيْنِنَا إِذًا؟ قَالَ إِنِّيْ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ، وَلَسْتُ أَعْصِيْهِ وَهُوَ نَاصِرِيْ، قُلْتُ أَوَ لَيْسَ كُنْتَ تُحَدِّثُنَا أَنَّا سَنَأْتِي الْبَيْتَ فَنَطُوْفُ بِهٖ؟ قَالَ بَلٰی، فَأَخْبَرْتُكَ أَنَّا نَأْتِيْهِ الْعَامَ؟ قَالَ قُلْتُ لاَ، قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ آتِيْهِ وَمُطَّوِّفٌ بِهٖ، قَالَ فَأَتَيْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ فَقُلْتُ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ! أَلَيْسَ هٰذَا نَبِيَّ اللّٰهِ حَقًّا ؟ قَالَ بَلٰی، قُلْتُ أَلَسْنَا عَلَی الْحَقِّ وَعَدُوُّنَا عَلَی الْبَاطِلِ ؟ قَالَ بَلٰی قُلْتُ فَلِمَ نُعْطَی الدَّنِيَّةَ فِيْ دِيْنِنَا إِذًا ؟ قَالَ أَيُّهَا الرَّجُلُ! إِنَّهُ لَرَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلَيْسَ يَعْصِيْ رَبَّهُ وَهُوَ نَاصِرُهُ ، فَاسْتَمْسِكْ بِغَرْزِهِ، فَوَاللّٰهِ ! إِنَّهُ عَلَی الْحَقِّ، قُلْتُ أَلَيْسَ كَانَ يُحَدِّثُنَا أَنَّا سَنَأْتِي الْبَيْتَ وَنَطُوْفُ بِهٖ ؟ قَالَ بَلٰی، أَفَأَخْبَرَكَ أَنَّكَ تَأْتِيْهِ الْعَامَ؟ قُلْتُ لاَ، قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ آتِيْهِ وَمُطَّوِّفٌ بِهٖ، قَالَ الزُّهْرِيُّ قَالَ عُمَرُ فَعَمِلْتُ لِذٰلِكَ أَعْمَالاً ] [بخاري، الشروط، باب الشروط في الجہاد… : ۲۷۳۱،۲۷۳۲ ] “So I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, ‘Are you not truly Allah’s Prophet?’ He said, ‘Why not!’ I said, ‘Are we not upon the truth and our enemies upon falsehood?’ He said, ‘Why not!’ I said, ‘Then why are we accepting humiliation in our religion?’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Indeed, I am Allah’s Messenger and I do not disobey Him, and He is my Helper.’ I said, ‘Did you not used to tell us that we would go to the House of Allah and perform Tawaf?’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Did I tell you that you would go there this year?’ I said, ‘No!’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘You will surely go there and perform Tawaf.’ Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, ‘Then I went to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, “O Abu Bakr! Is he not truly Allah’s Prophet?” He said, “Why not!” I said, “Are we not upon the truth and our enemies upon falsehood?” He said, “Why not!” I said, “Then why are we accepting humiliation in our religion?” He said, “O (servant of Allah)! The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is surely Allah’s Messenger and he does not disobey his Lord, and He is his Helper, so hold firmly to his stirrup.” I said, “Did he not used to tell us that we would go to the House of Allah and perform Tawaf?” He said, “Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) tell you that you would go there this year?” I said, “No!” He said, “Then you will surely go there and perform Tawaf.” Zuhri says that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Then I performed many deeds as expiation for this haste.” In another place in Sahih Bukhari, this conversation of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and their same answer is narrated from Sahl bin Hunaif (may Allah be pleased with him), and at the end of it is: [ فَنَزَلَتْ سُوْرَةُ الْفَتْحِ فَقَرَأَهَا رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلٰی عُمَرَ إِلٰی آخِرِهَا، فَقَالَ عُمَرُ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ ! أَوَ فَتْحٌ هُوَ؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ ] [بخاري، الجزیۃ والموادعۃ، باب إثم من عاھد ثم غدر : ۳۱۸۲ ] “At that time Surah Al-Fath was revealed, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this Surah to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) till the end. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Is this a victory?’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Yes (this is a victory).’”

➌ { اِنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ:} Here is a famous question: “Insha’Allah” is said for exception, that if Allah wills, this work will happen, otherwise not. Even after an oath, if “Insha’Allah” is said, the oath does not take effect, because there is no certainty or firmness in it. Whereas in the speech of Allah, there is no question of doubt or exception, so what is the meaning of saying {’’ اِنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} here? The scholars have given several answers to this. Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “This {’’ اِنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} is for emphasis and to assure the truth of this news, not for exception in any way.” (Ibn Kathir) Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), while assuring the Muslims of their victory over the Tatars, swore by Allah and said Insha’Allah, and also said: {’’إِنْ شَاءَ اللّٰهُ تَحْقِيْقًا لَا تَعْلِيْقًا۔‘‘} Ibn Ashur said: One usage of {’’إِنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ‘‘} is that it is said about something when it is to occur after a long time in the future, as when someone is told to do a task and he says, “Insha’Allah, I will do this task.” So it is not understood from this that he will do it immediately or in the near future, but it is understood that he will do it after some time, but will surely do it. Among the explanations given by Ibn Juzayy, the author of Al-Tashil, three are these: one is that this is from Allah to teach His servants etiquette, that they should say “Insha’Allah” for every future action. (As in Surah Al-Kahf (24,23) it is said: «وَ لَا تَقُوْلَنَّ لِشَايْءٍ اِنِّيْ فَاعِلٌ ذٰلِكَ غَدًا (23) اِلَّاۤ اَنْ يَّشَآءَ اللّٰهُ» ) The second is that this exception is made with each individual in mind, because it is possible that some of them may die before this entry, or may not be able to go due to illness. The third is that here {’’ اِنْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ‘‘ ’’إِذَا شَاءَ اللّٰهُ‘‘} is in the meaning of “when,” that surely you will enter Masjid al-Haram when Allah wills. Alusi has given an example of this in {’’ إِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللّٰهُ بِكُمْ لَلَاحِقُوْنَ ‘‘}. All these answers are correct, firm, and strong.

➍ { اٰمِنِيْنَ مُحَلِّقِيْنَ:} Upon completing Hajj and Umrah, the head is shaved or the hair is shortened. The precedence of {’’ مُحَلِّقِيْنَ ‘‘} indicates its superiority. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed three times for those who shaved their heads and once for those who shortened their hair. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلْمُحَلِّقِيْنَ، قَالُوْا وَلِلْمُقَصِّرِيْنَ، قَالَ اللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلْمُحَلِّقِيْنَ … قَالَهَا ثَلاَثًا قَالَ وَ لِلْمُقَصِّرِيْنَ ] [ بخاري، الحج، باب الحلق والتقصیر عند الإحلال: ۱۷۲۸ ] “O Allah! Forgive those who shave their heads.” The companions said, “And those who shorten their hair as well.” He said, “O Allah! Forgive those who shave their heads.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) (upon the companions’ repeated request) prayed the first prayer three times, then said, “And forgive those who shorten their hair as well.”

➎ { مُحَلِّقِيْنَ رُءُوْسَكُمْ وَ مُقَصِّرِيْنَ:} Those who shave their heads and those who shorten their hair. The word {’’ رُءُوْسَكُمْ ‘‘} is evidence that shaving or shortening is for the head, not the beard.

➏ { لَا تَخَافُوْنَ:} Here is a question: {’’ اٰمِنِيْنَ ‘‘} refers to those who have no fear, so what is the need to mention {’’ لَا تَخَافُوْنَ ‘‘} again? The answer is that {’’ اٰمِنِيْنَ ‘‘ ’’ لَتَدْخُلُنَّ ‘‘} is a circumstantial clause referring to the pronoun, meaning you will be in a state of security at the time of entry, and {’’ لَا تَخَافُوْنَ ‘‘} is a promise for the future that even afterwards you will have no fear of enemy attack or any of his plots.

➐ { فَعَلِمَ مَا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوْا:} That is, what Allah had shown His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in the dream was absolutely true. that you will surely enter Masjid al-Haram, etc. In your opinion, this entry should have been that year, but He knew the wisdoms in your not entering Makkah that year, which you did not know. Among these wisdoms are those mentioned earlier, such as, due to the treaty, countless people embracing Islam, protecting those believing men and women in Makkah whom the Muslims did not know, strengthening the financial and numerical condition of the Muslims through victories and spoils before entering Makkah, etc., and some are those wisdoms which only the All-Knowing, All-Wise knows.

➑ { فَجَعَلَ مِنْ دُوْنِ ذٰلِكَ فَتْحًا قَرِيْبًا:} So He ordained a near victory for you before your entry into Makkah and Tawaf of the House of Allah. Some have interpreted this near victory as the conquest of Khaybar, and some as the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. The more correct view is that it refers to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, because Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about it: [ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ! أَوَ فَتْحٌ هُوَ؟ ] “O Messenger of Allah! Is that a victory?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ نَعَمْ ] “Yes!” [مسلم، الجہاد و السیر، باب صلح الحدیبیۃ: ۱۷۸۵] as has been mentioned before, and {’’ اِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِيْنًا ‘‘} also refers to this. Both can be meant, but the conquest of Makkah cannot be meant, because entry into Makkah was to occur before that victory.