Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 45

It is from {اِذَا لَقِيْتُمْ فِئَةً فَاثْبُتُوْا … : ’’ لَقِيْتُمْ ‘‘ ’’ لِقَاءٌ‘‘}, meaning to meet and to come face to face; it is often used for meeting in battle, and here the same meaning is intended. {’’ فِئَةً ‘‘} means a group, a party. It is derived from {’’ فَاءَ يَفِيْئُ فَيْئًا ‘‘} (to return), because the people of a group turn to each other for help. (Raghib) In the Noble Qur’an, this word is mostly used for a fighting group, whether it is a group of disbelievers or of Muslims, and whether it is a permanent group or one that comes as reinforcements. For example, Allah the Exalted said: «كَمْ مِّنْ فِئَةٍ قَلِيْلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةً كَثِيْرَةًۢ بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ » [ البقرۃ : ۲۴۹ ] “How many a small group has overcome a large group by Allah’s permission.” And see Surah Al ‘Imran (13) and Surah Al-Kahf (43). In this verse, the etiquettes of battle and the ways to gain courage and bravery at the time of facing the enemy are taught. The first of these is steadfastness and standing firm, because without it, it is not possible to remain in the battlefield. Steadfastness means to fight with utmost valor; therefore, this verse is not against «اِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفًا لِّقِتَالٍ اَوْ مُتَحَيِّزًا اِلٰى فِئَةٍ» [ الأنفال : ۱۶ ], because turning aside or retreating as a war tactic is not fleeing, but rather a form of steadfastness. The second thing is to remember Allah abundantly, because victory and help do not depend on apparent means, but on the firmness of the heart, the remembrance of Allah, and fulfilling His command. That is why the companions of Talut, at the time of confronting the enemy, made this supplication: «رَبَّنَاۤ اَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَّ ثَبِّتْ اَقْدَامَنَا وَ انْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكٰفِرِيْنَ» [ البقرۃ : ۲۵۰ ] “Our Lord! Pour upon us patience and make our feet firm and help us against the disbelieving people.” The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them) remembered Allah with utmost humility and supplicated to Him for help at Badr and other occasions. If the Muslims are few, they should seek Allah’s help, and if they are many, even then they should rely only on Allah the Exalted instead of their own strength and numbers, and should not be heedless of His remembrance. The third instruction is obedience to Allah and His Messenger, which is obligatory in every situation, but its importance increases manifold in the battlefield, because even a little disobedience there can sometimes cause irreparable loss, as happened in the Battle of Uhud. This also includes obedience to the leader, as that too is the command of Allah and His Messenger. The fourth instruction is not to quarrel and dispute among yourselves, otherwise victory will turn into defeat, which will cause cowardice in your hearts, you will lose courage, and your strength will depart, meaning that seeing discord among you, the awe over the enemies will be lifted, and they will begin to feel courage within themselves to overpower you. The fifth instruction is to be patient, because Allah the Exalted is with those who are patient; if the rope of patience slips from your hand, then Allah’s help and companionship, that is, special help and support, will also not remain. See Surah Al ‘Imran (200).

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) waited on the occasion of a battle until the sun had declined, then he stood among the people and delivered a sermon, saying: “O people! Do not wish to meet the enemy, and keep asking Allah for well-being, and when you do meet the enemy, then be patient (stand firm), and know that Paradise is under the shade of swords.” [ بخاری، الجہاد والسیر، باب کان النبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم إذا لم یقاتل أول النھار… : ۲۹۶۵، ۲۹۶۶ ] Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Among the noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them) was such bravery, patience, steadfastness, and obedience to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that neither anyone before them attained it nor will anyone after them. By the blessing of the companionship of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and their obedience to him, they conquered not only the lands of the East and West but also the hearts, and despite being very few in number compared to Rome and Persia, they prevailed over all, until the word of Allah became supreme over all and His religion prevailed over all religions, and in less than thirty years, the Islamic lands spread from East to West. May Allah be pleased with them and make them pleased, and may He gather us with them; He is Most Gracious and Most Generous.