Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 17

(Ayah 17) ➊ {فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوْهُمْ وَ لٰكِنَّ اللّٰهَ قَتَلَهُمْ … :} The author of Kashshaf said, here the letter "fa" (i.e., "so/then") is an answer to a condition, that if you boast that we did this or that, it is not correct, rather the reality is that you did not kill them but Allah killed them, because neither were you great in number nor did you have so much equipment that you could defeat the disbelievers' fully armed and mighty army in every way. Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "This was said so that Muslims understand that victory is not by our strength but by Allah's help, therefore they should not attribute anything to themselves." (Muwadhih)

➋ { وَ مَا رَمَيْتَ اِذْ رَمَيْتَ:} That is, the handful (of dust) which you threw, in reality you did not throw it, because if it had been your throw, it could only have gone as far as a man's throw can reach; to make it reach so far and hit the target so that it reached every polytheist's eye was only Allah's work. This is a reference to the incident which Hafiz Ibn Kathir narrated from Ali bin Talhah from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) with a good chain, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the day of Badr raised both hands and said: "O Lord! If this group is destroyed, then there will never be anyone to worship You on earth." So Jibreel (peace be upon him) said: "Take a handful of dust and throw it at their faces." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took a handful of dust and threw it towards their faces, so whoever was a polytheist, some part of that handful reached his eyes, nostrils, and mouth, so they turned their backs and fled. So, the dust was thrown by you, but it was Allah who made it reach the target; the initial act of throwing was yours, and the final act of hitting the target was Allah's. If in reality you yourself were Allah, then both actions would be yours; why then is one action (hitting the target) negated from you?

➌ Some people try to prove from {’’ مَا رَمَيْتَ ‘‘} that in reality the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself was the Lord of the worlds, so Allah attributed his throwing to Himself, but in that case it would follow that from {’’ وَ لٰكِنَّ اللّٰهَ قَتَلَهُمْ ‘‘} the Muslims of Badr were also themselves Allah, since Allah attributed the killing of the disbelievers by them to Himself. But this is an extremely blasphemous statement which uproots the very foundation of Islam. Some of those noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were martyred at Badr, some died or were martyred later, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself passed away due to the effect of poison, and Allah is always living, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer. Then the being of Allah is only one; He said: «{ قُلْ هُوَ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ }» The Lord of these people is strange, who is not one but in great numbers, and He is martyred and dies as well. The reality is that these people, like the Hindus, consider everything to be god and call it "Wahdat al-Wujud" (Unity of Existence). The result of which is the termination of the commands of the Qur'an and Hadith, and the denial of the existence of Islam and disbelief, and Paradise and Hell altogether. [ نَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰہِ مِنْ ذٰلِکَ]

➍ { وَ لِيُبْلِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ مِنْهُ بَلَآءً حَسَنًا: ’’ لِيُبْلِيَ ‘‘} This is derived from {’’ بَلَاءٌ‘‘}, from the form "If'aal", meaning to test, which can be with hardship and calamity, and also by granting blessings, so {’’ بَلَاءٌ‘‘} means both calamity and favor. Here, the meaning is to test with favor or kindness and granting. That is, despite the fact that the Muslims' equipment and army had no reality compared to the disbelievers, yet Allah granted them victory, so that they may recognize this blessing and give thanks for it.