His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Certainly, Allah has fulfilled His Messenger's vision with truth. You will certainly enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills, in safety, having your heads shaved and shortened, not fearing. So He knew what you did not know, and He made, besides that, a near victory." "He is the One who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail over all religions. And sufficient is Allah as a witness." "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are severe against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking bounty from Allah and His pleasure. Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration. That is their description in the Torah, and their description in the Gospel is like a seed that sprouts and strengthens, then grows thick and stands straight on its stalk, impressing the farmers, to provoke the disbelievers. Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward." It has been narrated in the interpretation of this verse that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, saw in his dream when he was going out for Umrah that he was performing Tawaf around the House with his companions, some of them shaving their heads and some of them shortening their hair. Mujahid said: I see that at Hudaybiyyah. He informed the people of this vision, and everyone was confident that this would happen in their direction. And it had already been decreed in Allah's knowledge that this would happen, but not in that direction. It has been narrated that his vision, blessings and peace be upon him, was that a king came to him and said: "You will certainly enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills, in safety, having your heads shaved and shortened." And that with this, he informed the people. So when Allah decreed the peace at Hudaybiyyah, and the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was pleased, the hypocrites said: And where is the vision? And something of that fell into the hearts of the Muslims. So Allah, exalted and majestic is He, revealed: "Certainly, Allah has fulfilled His Messenger's vision with truth." And the word "fulfilled" here takes two objects; you say: I fulfilled the story to Zayd. And the "lam" in "You will certainly enter" is the lam of oath which is necessitated by "fulfilled"; because it is of the kind that clarifies and affirms, and similar to this gives the oath. People have differed in the meaning of the exception in this verse. Some of the interpreters said: It is an exception from the informing angel to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, in his saying. So Allah, exalted and majestic is He, mentioned his saying as it occurred. Others said: It is a taking from Allah, exalted and majestic is He, of His servants with His etiquette in the use of exception in every action that necessitates its occurrence, that it is something that must happen, or it is something that may happen and may not happen. Some scholars said: The exception is made from the perspective that each individual among the people, when he relates this promise to himself, it is possible that the promise may be fulfilled in him or may not be fulfilled, as a person may die, or fall ill, or be absent. And every individual in himself needs the exception. Therefore, Allah, exalted and majestic is He, made an exception in the general statement, as there must be among them someone who will die. Others said: It was excepted for the sake of His saying, exalted is He: "in safety," not for the sake of informing him of the entry. So it is as if the exception is delayed from its place. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

There is no difference between the exception for the sake of security or for the sake of entry; because Allah, glorified and exalted is He, has informed about both, and trust has been established in both matters. Thus, the exception from either of them is an exception from an obligation.

And a group said: "If" means "when," as if He, exalted is He, said: "When Allah wills," and this is good in its meaning. However, the meaning of "if" as "when" is not found in the language of the Arabs. And there are mixed opinions among people regarding this exception that I have summarized, and Ibn Mas'ud read: "If Allah wills, you will not fear" instead of "secure."

When this verse was revealed, the Muslims knew that that vision was regarding what they would begin in time, and their hearts became assured by that and settled. Thus, in the following year, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, went to Mecca in Dhul-Qi'dah in the year seven, and he entered it for three days with his companions, and his vision was fulfilled. And His saying, exalted is He: "So He knew what you did not know" refers to what He decreed regarding the emergence of Islam during that period and the entry of people into it, and what was also in Mecca from the believers whom Allah, glorified and exalted is He, used to repel.

And His saying, exalted is He: "Other than that" means: before that and in what draws near to you.

People differed regarding the near victory. Many of the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, said it is the pledge of Ridwan. It was narrated from Mujahid and Ibn Ishaq that it is the treaty of Hudaybiyyah. It has been narrated that Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: "Is it a victory, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Yes." And Ibn Zayd said: The near victory is the conquest of Mecca. This is weak because the conquest of Mecca did not occur before the entry of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and his companions into Mecca, but rather it was after that by a year, as the conquest was in the year eight of the Hijrah. It is good that "the victory" here is a generic term that encompasses everything that occurred for the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, in which there was emergence and victory for him. And Makki mentioned in the arrangement of the years of these reports a wrong statement attributed to Qutrub, in which he made the victory in the year ten, and he placed the Hajj of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, before the victory. All of this is confusion and delving into what has not been accurately understood.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿He is the One who sent His Messenger﴾, is a glorification of the matter of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and an announcement that He will make him prevail over all religions. Some people saw that the term "to make him prevail" implies the obliteration of others by him. Therefore, they said that this news will prevail at the time of the descent of 'Isa ibn Maryam, peace be upon them, for there will remain in his time no religion except Islam. This is the view of al-Tabari and al-Thalabi. A group believed that the prevailing means the exaltation even if parts of other religions remain. This is currently present in the religion of Islam, for it has spread over most of the earth and has prevailed over every religion. And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And sufficient is Allah as a Witness﴾ means: a Witness. This has two possible meanings: one is that He is a Witness to you regarding this news and teaching it, and the second is that He is a Witness against those disbelievers who deny the matter of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, and who reject it in their hearts, punishing them by the ruling of testimony. Thus, the verse is, in this regard, a warning to the disbelievers who turned away from writing "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him". So Allah, blessed and exalted is He, responded to them with this entire verse.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah﴾, the majority of people said: it is a beginning and a news in which the glorification of the status of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, is fulfilled. And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And those who are with him﴾ is a beginning and its news is ﴿

'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿You see them bowing and prostrating﴾, means you see these two states often among them. And ﴿

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿That is their example in the Torah and their example in the Gospel is like a seed﴾. The example here is: the description or attribute. Some of the interpreters said: the meaning is: that matter, and the speech is complete. Then His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Their example in the Torah and their example in the Gospel is like a seed﴾. Mujahid said: the meaning is: that description is their example in the Torah, and their example in the Gospel, and the saying is complete. And "like a seed" is the beginning of a comparison that is specific to the Qur'an. Al-Tabari said, and it was narrated by Al-Dhahhak: the meaning is: that meaning is their description in the Torah, and the saying is complete. Then he began with ﴿And their example in the Gospel is like a seed﴾. Others said: both examples are in the Torah and in the Gospel.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿"Like a seed"﴾ is in all statements and in any revealed book an obligation of an example for the Prophet ﷺ and his companions. The Prophet ﷺ was sent alone, so he was like a single seed. Then the Muslims increased, so they are like the shoots, which are the sprouts of the ear of grain that grow around the root. It is said: I have "shata'tu" the tree if its branches have emerged, and I "shata'a" the crop if its shoots have emerged. Ibn Kathir and Ibn Dhakwan read "shata'ahu" with the opening of the ṭā and the hamzah without elongation. The others read with the ṭā being silent. 'Isa ibn 'Umar read "shatta'ahu" with the opening of the ṭā without hamzah. Abu Ja'far read "shatta'hu", throwing in the hamzah and opening the ṭā. It was narrated from Nafi' and Shaiba, and it was narrated from 'Isa "shita'ahu" with elongation and hamzah. Al-Jahdari read "shatūhu" with a wāw. Abu al-Fath said: it is a dialect or a substitute for the hamzah. And "shat'" can only be in wheat and barley. All of these are dialects. Al-Naqqash narrated from Ibn 'Abbas that he said: "the crop" is the Prophet ﷺ, "and he was supported by" Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, "and he grew strong with Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, "and he stood firm on his stalk with Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿"And he was supported by"﴾ its weight is: "af'alahu", said it Al-Hasan, and Abu Ali preferred it. Ibn Dhakwan read alone: "fa'azrahu" on the weight of "fa'lahu" without elongation. And for all of this are two meanings: one of them is that he equaled him in height, and from it is the saying of Imru' al-Qais:

In a place that has not been tended, its plant has grown until it equaled the tree of the lost, so the doer - on this meaning - is the shoot. The second meaning is that "he supported him" or "he strengthened him" meaning he aided him, taken from "azr" and its strengthening. It is possible that the doer is the shoot, and it is possible that the doer is the crop; because each one of them strengthens its companion. Mujahid and others said: "he supported him" is on the weight of "fa'alah", and the first is more correct, that its weight is: "af'alahu", and this is indicated by the saying of the poet:

There is no wealth except that which the 'itaf supports.

And Ibn Kathir read: "on his stalk" with the hamzah, and it is a weak language, they hamzah the wāw which precedes it with a dammah, and from it is the saying of the poet:

(p-693) And ﴿It amazes the farmers﴾ is a phrase in the position of a state. If it amazes the farmers, it is more likely to amaze others because there is no flaw in it; for it has amazed those who are knowledgeable of faults. If it were flawed, it would not have amazed them. Here the parable is complete.

And His saying, the Most High: ﴿To provoke the disbelievers with it﴾ is the beginning of a speech that is omitted, its meaning being: Allah, the Most High, made them with this attribute to provoke the disbelievers with them. And ﴿