Tafsir for verse: 8:43
إِذۡ يُرِيكَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِي مَنَامِكَ قَلِيلٗاۖ وَلَوۡ أَرَىٰكَهُمۡ كَثِيرٗا لَّفَشِلۡتُمۡ وَلَتَنَٰزَعۡتُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَمۡرِ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَلَّمَۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ ٤٣ ﴿43
43(Recall) when in your dream, Allah showed them to you few in number. And if He had shown them to you many in number, you would have been demoralized and would have disputed in the matter, but Allah saved (you). Surely, Allah is fully aware of what lies in the hearts.
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Commentary

When Allah shows them to you, He implies 'mention.' Or it is a second substitution for the Day of Distinction, or it is related to His saying 'Surely, He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing,' meaning He knows the interests when He makes them few in your sight in your sleep in your vision. This is because Allah, glorified and exalted is He, showed them to him in his vision as few, so he informed his companions of that, and it was a confirmation for them and encouragement against their enemy. And from Al-Hasan: in your sleep in your sight, because it is the place of sleep, as it was said for the velvet [the term 'for the velvet' refers to a soft covering. This is from the dictionaries.] 'the place of sleep,' because one sleeps in it.

And this is an interpretation that is forced, and I do not think the narration is correct in this from Al-Hasan, and what aligns with his knowledge of the speech of the Arabs and his eloquence is 'You would have failed' due to your cowardice and your giving up of courage, 'and you would have disputed in opinion,' and you would have diverged in what you do with your words, and you would have wavered between steadfastness and fleeing. 'But Allah granted safety,' meaning He protected and bestowed safety from failure, dispute, and difference. 'Indeed, He is All-Knowing of what is in the breasts,' He knows what will be in them of boldness, cowardice, patience, and anxiety.

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Al-ZamakhshariAbū al-Qāsim Maḥmūd ibn ʿUmar al-Zamakhsharī
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