'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And Allah has not made it except as a glad tidings for you and so that your hearts may be assured by it. And victory is only from Allah, the Exalted, the Wise." "To cut off a portion from those who disbelieved or to humiliate them so that they turn back disappointed." "You have no say in the matter, or He may turn to them in mercy or punish them, for they are wrongdoers." "And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." The pronoun in "Allah has made it" refers back to the sending down and the support. The glad tidings is a source, and the 'lam' in "and so that your hearts may be assured" is related to an implied action indicated by "He made it." The meaning of the verse is: And this support was only for you to rejoice in it and for your hearts to be assured by it, and to see Allah's care for you. Otherwise, the multitude does not avail anything unless Allah grants victory. And His saying: "And victory is only from Allah" refers to the believers. Likewise, the defeat of the disbelievers is from Allah. The 'lam' in His saying: "to cut off" is related to His saying: "And victory is only from Allah." Thus, the cutting off of the portion is not restricted to a specific day, unless the 'alif' and 'lam' in "victory" are for specification. It has been said that the operative phrase is "And indeed, He has granted you victory," as narrated by Ibn Furak, which is concerning, because His saying: "or to humiliate them" does not follow from it. It may be possible that the 'lam' in His saying: "to cut off" is related to "He made it," so the cutting off of the portion refers to those who were killed at Badr, as said by Al-Hasan, Ibn Ishaq, and others, or to those who were killed at Uhud, as said by Al-Suddi. Seventy of the polytheists were killed at Badr, and twenty-two men were killed among them on the day of Uhud. Al-Suddi said: Eighteen of them were killed, and the first is more correct. The portion refers to the group, and whenever the Muslims kill disbelievers in war, they have cut off a portion, because it is what they have from the disbelievers. It is as if all the disbelievers are a patch, and these killed ones are a portion of it, meaning an edge. It is possible that His saying, exalted is He: "to cut off a portion" is equivalent to: to cut off the rear. And His saying: "or to humiliate them" means: or to disgrace them. Humiliation is the falling down of the hands. Al-Naqqash and others said: The 'ta' is a substitute for the 'dal' of 'kabatuhu.' Its origin is 'kabadhahu,' meaning: he did to him what harms his liver. And when Allah grants victory over a disbelieving nation, one of these two outcomes must occur: either some of them are killed or they are disappointed. Thus, that is a type of defeat.

'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' And His saying, exalted is He: "You have no say in the matter at all" is a stopping point indicating that the entire matter belongs to Allah. This stopping point implies that it was due to a reason related to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. It has been narrated that when his companions were defeated, and he was wounded in the face until some of the rings of his armor entered his cheek, and his incisor was broken, and he was struck with stones until he fell to his side, he withdrew from the battle and began to wipe the blood from his face and said: "A people will not succeed who have done this to their Prophet." This is the wording of the hadith from the narration of Anas ibn Malik. In some narrations, it says: "And how will they succeed?" In others, it is narrated that Salim, the freedman of Abu Hudhayfah, was washing the blood from the face of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him. He said: Then he regained consciousness while saying: "How will a people succeed who have done this to their Prophet while he calls them to Allah?" Then the verse was revealed because of this statement.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: It seems that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, was overcome in that situation with despair regarding the success of the disbelievers of Quraysh. His soul inclined to the idea that Allah should eradicate them and relieve him from them. It has been narrated that he prayed against them or sought permission to pray against them. Ibn Umar and others narrated that he prayed against Abu Sufyan, Al-Harith ibn Hisham, and Safwan ibn Umayyah with curses, among others of this meaning. It was said to him because of that: "You have no say in the matter at all," meaning: the consequences of matters are in the hands of Allah. So you go on with your affair and continue calling to your Lord. Al-Tabari and others among the interpreters said: His saying: "Or He may turn to them in repentance" is an addition to "He may humiliate them."

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: So His saying: "You have no say in the matter at all" is an interruption during the speech, and His saying: "Or He may turn to them in repentance" means: they will embrace Islam. And His saying: "Or He may punish them" means: in the Hereafter, that they may die upon disbelief. Al-Tabari and others said: It is possible that His saying: "Or He may turn to them in repentance" means until they repent, or until they turn to Him in repentance. This is similar to your saying: I will not part from you or you will fulfill my right, and as you say: This matter will not be completed or so-and-so will come. And His saying, exalted is He: "You have no say in the matter at all" is not an objection to this interpretation, but rather the meaning is informing Muhammad, peace be upon him, that he will not obtain anything from the affair of these disbelievers that he hopes for unless Allah turns to them in repentance and they embrace Islam. Then Muhammad, peace be upon him, will see one of his hopes regarding them, or Allah will punish them by killing them in this world, or with fire in the Hereafter, or with both, and then Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, will see the other hope. And according to this interpretation, there is no prohibition in His saying: "You have no say in the matter at all" as there is in the first interpretation, and that first interpretation is stronger.

And Ubayy ibn Ka'b read: "Or He may forgive" and "Or He may punish" with the letter 'ba' raised in both, meaning: or He may forgive, then Allah, the Exalted, affirmed the wrongdoing of these disbelievers. Then He confirmed the meaning of His saying: ﴿You have no say in the matter﴾ with a general statement, and mentioned the clear proof in that, which is His ownership of all things. For that necessitates that He may do with His ownership what He wills, with no objection to Him and no one to overturn His judgment. He mentioned that forgiveness or punishment is only by His will and according to what has preceded in His knowledge. Then He hoped at the end of that, to reassure the souls and draw them to His obedience. All of this is in His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful﴾.

And "what" in His saying ﴿whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth﴾ refers to the entirety of the world, and for that reason "what" is appropriate. And what has been mentioned in this verse that this verse abrogates the supplication of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, against the polytheists is all weak speech, and this is not from the places of abrogation and abrogated.