8. Al-Anfaal

See note to 2:191.

At the time of confrontation what is required of the people of Truth is steadfastness. They should not be disheartened under any circumstances. The gift readily given by God in return for this steadfastness is the striking of terror into the hearts of the enemies of Truth, and nothing can save from defeat any such group as is terror-stricken by its opponents.

At the time of confrontation what is required of the people of Truth is steadfastness. They should not be disheartened under any circumstances. The gift readily given by God in return for this steadfastness is the striking of terror into the hearts of the enemies of Truth, and nothing can save from defeat any such group as is terror-stricken by its opponents.

When the clash between believers and those who deny the truth reaches the battlefield, it is a moment of reckoning for both the parties. If at that critical moment a believing individual or group, turns tail and flees from the battlefield, it amounts to committing the worst kind of crime. Such people consider it more important to save themselves rather than to defend the Truth. They do this when what is at stake is the life of that Truth which they have admitted as the greatest Truth and which they have embraced in all good faith. On such critical occasions, even a minor defection can cause a major debacle. One person’s or one group’s flight from the battlefield lowers the morale of the whole army. One person’s running away can finally turn into a mass stampede. However, the exception to this is when a soldier or an army unit retreats for some strategic purpose, perhaps to leave one front and join another. Retreat is undoubtedly an unpardonable crime, but when carried out on strategic grounds, it is legitimate. The aforesaid commandment originally relates to battle. However, other similar cases may also come within its purview. For example, a missionary may call people to engage in the peaceful and constructive propagation of Islam, but after some time, when he sees that his call is not very popular, he may lose patience and, abandoning the constructive approach, may rush towards that type of Islam through which fame and status among the general public can very soon become a reality. Running away from the battlefield occurs consciously and with intention. But ‘running away’ from the struggle going on outside the battlefield often takes place at the unconscious level. Man happens to be result-loving by nature. He likes to be admired for his work. He wants his work to be accepted and recognised. Such a temperament gradually removes him from the tasks from which an immediate result does not seem to follow. Barely conscious of the factors working within him, he is attracted towards such things as apparently give him the hope of immediate honour and success. Every deviation of this type is an example of what has been described in the above-mentioned verse as ‘running away from the battlefield.’

When the clash between believers and those who deny the truth reaches the battlefield, it is a moment of reckoning for both the parties. If at that critical moment a believing individual or group, turns tail and flees from the battlefield, it amounts to committing the worst kind of crime. Such people consider it more important to save themselves rather than to defend the Truth. They do this when what is at stake is the life of that Truth which they have admitted as the greatest Truth and which they have embraced in all good faith. On such critical occasions, even a minor defection can cause a major debacle. One person’s or one group’s flight from the battlefield lowers the morale of the whole army. One person’s running away can finally turn into a mass stampede. However, the exception to this is when a soldier or an army unit retreats for some strategic purpose, perhaps to leave one front and join another. Retreat is undoubtedly an unpardonable crime, but when carried out on strategic grounds, it is legitimate. The aforesaid commandment originally relates to battle. However, other similar cases may also come within its purview. For example, a missionary may call people to engage in the peaceful and constructive propagation of Islam, but after some time, when he sees that his call is not very popular, he may lose patience and, abandoning the constructive approach, may rush towards that type of Islam through which fame and status among the general public can very soon become a reality. Running away from the battlefield occurs consciously and with intention. But ‘running away’ from the struggle going on outside the battlefield often takes place at the unconscious level. Man happens to be result-loving by nature. He likes to be admired for his work. He wants his work to be accepted and recognised. Such a temperament gradually removes him from the tasks from which an immediate result does not seem to follow. Barely conscious of the factors working within him, he is attracted towards such things as apparently give him the hope of immediate honour and success. Every deviation of this type is an example of what has been described in the above-mentioned verse as ‘running away from the battlefield.’

It has been handed down in traditions that, when the battle of Badr was in full swing the words uttered by the Prophet, in prayer, were: ‘O, my Lord! If this class of people is killed, You will never be worshipped on earth.’ Helping believers is a responsibility borne by Almighty God. By His devices He renders ineffective whatever conspiracies their enemies hatch. He causes them to be overwhelmed so that the faithful may dominate. But when does this happen? This happens when the believers merge their will with that of God, in such a way that God’s will and their will become one and the same. When a subject of God aligns himself with God in such a way, whatever belongs to God becomes his, because he would have already given to God whatever was his. Before leaving for Badr, the chiefs of Makkah went to the House of God and, catching hold of the curtain of the Ka‘bah, prayed like this: ‘O, God help the better of the two armies; the more respectable of the two groups; and the better of the two tribes.’ At the battle of Badr, the chiefs of Makkah were totally defeated and the Faithful were completely victorious. So, by the very standard set by the chiefs themselves, it was proved that, before God it was not they who were superior and more honourable but the followers of Islam. In spite of this, they did not accept Islam. For those who conduct themselves in this way, there shall be grave punishment both in the Hereafter and in this world. ‘Bless with victory the side which is superior and the more honourable of the two.’ This was ostensibly a prayer, but in fact was an expression of boastful self-confidence. The rationale behind this was that they were the Trustees of the Ka‘bah; they were the progeny of Abraham and Ishmael. When they had such superior factors on their side, victory was bound to be theirs. But, before God, real value is attached to personal deeds and not to external connections. However great an external connection may be, it will be of no avail to anybody on Judgement Day.

It has been handed down in traditions that, when the battle of Badr was in full swing the words uttered by the Prophet, in prayer, were: ‘O, my Lord! If this class of people is killed, You will never be worshipped on earth.’ Helping believers is a responsibility borne by Almighty God. By His devices He renders ineffective whatever conspiracies their enemies hatch. He causes them to be overwhelmed so that the faithful may dominate. But when does this happen? This happens when the believers merge their will with that of God, in such a way that God’s will and their will become one and the same. When a subject of God aligns himself with God in such a way, whatever belongs to God becomes his, because he would have already given to God whatever was his. Before leaving for Badr, the chiefs of Makkah went to the House of God and, catching hold of the curtain of the Ka‘bah, prayed like this: ‘O, God help the better of the two armies; the more respectable of the two groups; and the better of the two tribes.’ At the battle of Badr, the chiefs of Makkah were totally defeated and the Faithful were completely victorious. So, by the very standard set by the chiefs themselves, it was proved that, before God it was not they who were superior and more honourable but the followers of Islam. In spite of this, they did not accept Islam. For those who conduct themselves in this way, there shall be grave punishment both in the Hereafter and in this world. ‘Bless with victory the side which is superior and the more honourable of the two.’ This was ostensibly a prayer, but in fact was an expression of boastful self-confidence. The rationale behind this was that they were the Trustees of the Ka‘bah; they were the progeny of Abraham and Ishmael. When they had such superior factors on their side, victory was bound to be theirs. But, before God, real value is attached to personal deeds and not to external connections. However great an external connection may be, it will be of no avail to anybody on Judgement Day.

It has been handed down in traditions that, when the battle of Badr was in full swing the words uttered by the Prophet, in prayer, were: ‘O, my Lord! If this class of people is killed, You will never be worshipped on earth.’ Helping believers is a responsibility borne by Almighty God. By His devices He renders ineffective whatever conspiracies their enemies hatch. He causes them to be overwhelmed so that the faithful may dominate. But when does this happen? This happens when the believers merge their will with that of God, in such a way that God’s will and their will become one and the same. When a subject of God aligns himself with God in such a way, whatever belongs to God becomes his, because he would have already given to God whatever was his. Before leaving for Badr, the chiefs of Makkah went to the House of God and, catching hold of the curtain of the Ka‘bah, prayed like this: ‘O, God help the better of the two armies; the more respectable of the two groups; and the better of the two tribes.’ At the battle of Badr, the chiefs of Makkah were totally defeated and the Faithful were completely victorious. So, by the very standard set by the chiefs themselves, it was proved that, before God it was not they who were superior and more honourable but the followers of Islam. In spite of this, they did not accept Islam. For those who conduct themselves in this way, there shall be grave punishment both in the Hereafter and in this world. ‘Bless with victory the side which is superior and the more honourable of the two.’ This was ostensibly a prayer, but in fact was an expression of boastful self-confidence. The rationale behind this was that they were the Trustees of the Ka‘bah; they were the progeny of Abraham and Ishmael. When they had such superior factors on their side, victory was bound to be theirs. But, before God, real value is attached to personal deeds and not to external connections. However great an external connection may be, it will be of no avail to anybody on Judgement Day.

When a Truth is presented before a man, ideally he apprehends it with all the human faculties granted to him by God. He gives his full attention to it, he feels the weight of its veracity and then he utters that correct response which a man’s nature should present in the face of Truth. One who behaves in this way has been receptive to the presented matter in the manner of a true human being. However, there is the type of individual who listens as if he has no ears to hear with. His mind fails to grasp the veracity of what he hears. And so he is unable to give the requisite response in view of the facts. One who behaves in this way has heard the presented matter as if he were an animal. The truth becomes clear only to one who hears it with a receptive mind. By contrast, one whose temperament is flawed by jealousy, haughtiness, self-interest and love of outward show will not regard the issue of Truth as worth considering and will not pay serious attention to it. So, he will certainly fail to discover its veracity. Faith on the face of it, is a statement of trust in God. But in reality it is a human decision. Faith is not merely repetition of words of testimony, but the verbal expression of one’s inner feeling. If a man’s condition is really the same as that declared by his words, he is a real believer in the eyes of God. A believer is the most serious human being and as such can never, by his words, show himself to be something other than what his inner condition actually is. A man whose faith reflects his inner reality, will, as soon as he admits his faith, make God his object of worship and will be a follower of His commands in all aspects of his life. For him oral acceptance of faith will be not just a verbal profession, but an indicator of the direction of his journey. Just the opposite is the condition of one who heard the voice of Truth, but did not let it enter his soul and did not let it become part of his heart-beats, even though he had no answer for its arguments. Outwardly he may have uttered the words, ‘Yes, it is true,’ but, his real life, even after that, remained the same as it had been earlier. This second attitude is hypocritical, and before God such a hypocritical ‘faith’ has no value.