سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْفَالِ
Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 43
إِذْ يُرِيكَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِى مَنَامِكَ قَلِيلًا ۖ وَلَوْ أَرَىٰكَهُمْ كَثِيرًا لَّفَشِلْتُمْ وَلَتَنَـٰزَعْتُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْرِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَلَّمَ ۗ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ ﴿43﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
(And remember) when Allâh showed them to you as few in your (i.e. Muhammad’s صلى الله عليه وسلم) dream; if He had shown them to you as many, you would surely have been discouraged, and you would surely have disputed in making a decision. But Allâh saved (you). Certainly, He is the All-Knower of what is in the breasts.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِذْ
idh
When
يُرِيكَهُمُ
yurīkahumu
you (where) shown them
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
(by) Allah
فِى
fī
in
مَنَامِكَ
manāmika
your dream
قَلِيلًۭا ۖ
qalīlan
(as) few
وَلَوْ
walaw
and if
أَرَىٰكَهُمْ
arākahum
He had shown them to you
كَثِيرًۭا
kathīran
(as) many
لَّفَشِلْتُمْ
lafashil'tum
surely you would have lost courage
وَلَتَنَـٰزَعْتُمْ
walatanāzaʿtum
and surely you would have disputed
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْأَمْرِ
l-amri
the matter
وَلَـٰكِنَّ
walākinna
but
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
سَلَّمَ ۗ
sallama
saved (you)
إِنَّهُۥ
innahu
Indeed, He
عَلِيمٌۢ
ʿalīmun
(is) All-Knower
بِذَاتِ
bidhāti
of what is in
ٱلصُّدُورِ
l-ṣudūri
the breasts
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
43. (O Prophet! Remember) when Allah showed them to you as few in your dream, and if He had shown them to you as many, you would surely have lost courage and would have disputed about the matter. But Allah saved you [48]. Surely, He knows well what is in the hearts.
[48]
The Purpose of Showing the Disbelievers as Few in Number:
That is, this too was a form of Allah Almighty’s help that, after supplicating with humility and prayers for victory and assistance before Allah in the arish, when drowsiness overcame you, in a dream you ﷺ were shown the number of the disbelievers as less than their actual number. The benefit of this was that the Muslims would not lose heart out of awe for the number of the disbelievers and their war equipment, nor would they become hesitant and start deliberating over the expediency of fighting or not fighting. Then, differences might have arisen among them. Thus, one purpose of showing such a dream was to encourage the Muslims, and another was to save them from disputes and to embolden them for battle.
[48]
The Purpose of Showing the Disbelievers as Few in Number:
That is, this too was a form of Allah Almighty’s help that, after supplicating with humility and prayers for victory and assistance before Allah in the arish, when drowsiness overcame you, in a dream you ﷺ were shown the number of the disbelievers as less than their actual number. The benefit of this was that the Muslims would not lose heart out of awe for the number of the disbelievers and their war equipment, nor would they become hesitant and start deliberating over the expediency of fighting or not fighting. Then, differences might have arisen among them. Thus, one purpose of showing such a dream was to encourage the Muslims, and another was to save them from disputes and to embolden them for battle.
