Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 26

26. And remember when you were few and deemed weak in the land, fearing that people might snatch you away. Then Allah provided you with a place of refuge, strengthened you with His help, and gave you pure things to eat, so that you might be grateful [27].

[26]
Hardships on Muslims in the Early Days of Islam:

For the explanation of this verse, consider the following hadith in which the acceptance of Islam by Sayyiduna Abu Dharr Ghifariؓ is mentioned. From this, it will also become clear what kinds of hardships and discouraging circumstances Muslims faced in the early days of Islam.

The Acceptance of Islam by Sayyiduna Abu Dharr Ghifariؓ:

Sayyiduna Abu Dharrؓ himself narrates that I was a man from the tribe of Ghifar. I received news that a man has appeared in Makkah who claims to be a Prophet. I said to my brother (Anis): Go to Makkah and meet this man. Talk to him and come back and tell me about him. He met him (the Prophet ﷺ) and returned to me and said, “By Allah! He commands good things and forbids bad things.” This answer did not satisfy me, so I myself came to Makkah. Here, I did not know anyone, nor did I find it appropriate to ask anyone about him. I kept drinking Zamzam water and sitting in the mosque. Sayyiduna Aliؓ passed by me and asked: “You seem to be a traveler.” I said: Yes. He said: Then come to my house. I set out with him. He did not ask me anything, nor did I say anything. In the morning, I came to the mosque again. My intention was to ask someone about the Prophetﷺ, but I did not find anyone suitable. The next day, Sayyiduna Aliؓ passed by me again and asked: Haven’t you found a place to stay yet? I said: No. He said, “Then come with me and tell me what your business is? Why have you come here?” I said: If you do not tell anyone, I will tell you. Sayyiduna Aliؓ said: Fine. Then I told him the incident of sending my brother and said that I want to meet this Prophet. Sayyiduna Aliؓ said: It is a very good coincidence for you that I am also going to this Prophet, so you follow behind me. Wherever I enter, you also enter, and if there is any danger, I will stand by the wall as if I am cleaning my shoe (and in one narration, as if I am urinating), then you move ahead from there. In this way, we entered a house where he (the Prophet ﷺ) was present. I requested that you teach me Islam. Then I became Muslim at that very moment, so he (the Prophet ﷺ) said: Abu Dharr! Keep your faith hidden and return to your homeland. When you hear of our dominance, then come. I said: O Messenger of Allahﷺ! By Allah, I will proclaim the word of Islam openly before the disbelievers. Then I came to the mosque and proclaimed: O Quraysh! I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammadﷺ is the Messenger of Allah. As soon as they heard this, they said: Get up and deal with this irreligious man. Then they beat me severely. Sayyiduna Abbasؓ saw me and came and leaned over me and said, “Woe to you! You are beating a Ghifari, while your trade route passes through this tribe.” Hearing this, they let me go. The next morning, I came to the mosque again and said the same words as yesterday. The Quraysh again said the same thing: Get up and deal with him. So I was beaten again. Meanwhile, Sayyiduna Abbasؓ arrived, leaned over me, and said the same thing as yesterday, so they let me go. [بخاری، کتاب المناقب، باب قصہ زمزم، نیز باب اسلام ابی ذر]
That is, in the Makkan period, there came a time upon the Muslims when even revealing their Islam was a matter of risking their lives. Then, until the last period of Makkan life, the hardships from the disbelievers did not decrease for the Muslims. Troubled by these hardships, the Muslims migrated twice to Abyssinia. Eventually, the Muslims had to leave Makkah and migrate to Madinah. Here, the Muslims became somewhat safe from the oppression of the Quraysh of Makkah. However, the general opposition to the Muslims increased even more. In the Makkan period, the only enemies of the Muslims were the disbelievers of Makkah, whereas in Madinah, besides the disbelievers of Makkah, other Arab polytheist tribes and the Jews of Madinah also became enemies. And the situation became such that the Muslims could not even sleep peacefully at night unless there was a proper arrangement for guarding. This verse refers to the very condition of the Muslims. Then, when Allah Almighty granted the Muslims a great victory at the Battle of Badr and the back of falsehood was broken, only then did the Muslims get to breathe freely and were considered equal to the Quraysh of Makkah. Until the Battle of Badr, the mentality of the disbelievers of Makkah remained that the Muslims were their runaway prisoners. This mentality only changed after the Battle of Badr.

[27] That is, in Madinah, He granted you an independent state. After the victory of Badr, your position became quite strong and you were also given pure sustenance from the spoils of war. Now, you should express gratitude to Allah with your heart, tongue, and actions, and the way to show gratitude through actions is to always remain ready to obey Allah Almighty and His Messenger.