The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, saw before his departure to Al-Hudaybiyah as if he and his companions had entered Mecca in safety, having shaved their heads and shortened their hair. He narrated the vision to his companions, and they rejoiced and were glad, thinking that they would enter it in that year. They said: 'Indeed, the vision of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, is true.' When that was delayed, Abdullah ibn Ubayy, Abdullah ibn Nufail, and Rifa'ah ibn Al-Harith said: 'By Allah, we have neither shaved nor shortened our hair, nor have we seen the Sacred Mosque.' [I did not find it explained this way, and Al-Tabari narrated from the narration of Abdul Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam regarding His saying: 'Indeed, Allah has confirmed the vision of His Messenger with truth' - the verse. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said to them: 'I saw that you will enter the Sacred Mosque, your heads shaved and your hair shortened.' When they did not enter that year, the hypocrites mocked this. They said: 'Where is your vision?' So Allah said: 'Indeed, Allah has confirmed the vision of His Messenger' - the verse. Al-Tabari narrated from the path of Ibn Abi Najih from Mujahid who said: 'I see the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, at Al-Hudaybiyah entering among the people of Mecca, he and his companions, with their heads shaved. When he sacrificed the sacrificial animal at Al-Hudaybiyah, his companions said: 'Where is your vision, O Messenger of Allah?' Then it was revealed.' And he said: 'And His saying: 'So He made before that a near victory' refers to the sacrifice at Al-Hudaybiyah. They returned and conquered Khaybar. He said: 'Then he performed Umrah after that, and the confirmation of his vision was in the following year.' So it was revealed. The meaning of 'Indeed, Allah has confirmed the vision of His Messenger' is that He confirmed him in his vision and did not deny him - glorified and exalted is He above lying and all that is vile, greatly exalted. He omitted the preposition and connected the verb, as in His saying: 'They confirmed what they had pledged to Allah.' If you say: 'What does it relate to, with truth?' I say: It may relate to the truthfulness, meaning: He confirmed him in what he saw, and in its being and occurrence, a truth mixed with the truth: meaning with the correct purpose and the profound wisdom. This is what it contains of trial and distinction between the sincere believer and the one in whose heart is a disease. It is permissible that it relates to the vision as a state of it, meaning: He confirmed the vision mixed with the truth, meaning that it was not from confused dreams. It is also possible that 'with truth' is an oath: either by the truth which is the opposite of falsehood, or by the truth which is one of His names. 'And you will surely enter' is its answer. In the first case, it is the answer to an omitted oath. If you say: 'What is the reason for the inclusion of 'if Allah wills' in the news of Allah, the Exalted?' I say: There are several reasons: to link His promise with His will, teaching His servants to say in their promises likewise, being polite with the politeness of Allah and following His Sunnah, and that He means: 'You will all enter, if Allah wills, and none of you will die.' Or it was said on the tongue of an angel, so the angel included 'if Allah wills.' Or it is a narration of what the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said to his companions and narrated to them. It was said: It is related to 'in safety,' for He knew what you did not know of the wisdom and correctness in delaying the opening of Mecca until the following year. 'So He made before that' means: before the opening of Mecca, 'a near victory,' which is the opening of Khaybar, so that the hearts of the believers may find comfort until the promised opening is facilitated.