Allah reminds His servants of His favor when He sent down on them tranquillity and
slumber that overcame them while they were carrying their weapons and feeling distress
and grief. In this case, slumber is a favor and carries meanings of calmness and
safety. For instance, Allah said in Surat Al-Anfal about the battle of Badr,
﴿إِذْ يُغَشِّيكُمُ النُّعَاسَ أَمَنَةً
مِّنْهُ﴾
((Remember) when He covered you with a slumber as a security from Him) ﴿8:11﴾.
Al-Bukhari recorded that Anas said that, Abu Talhah said, "I was among those who
were overcome by slumber during the battle of Uhud. My sword fell from my hand several
times and I would pick it up, then it would fall and I would pick it up again.''
Al-Bukhari collected this Hadith in the stories of the battles without a chain of
narration, and in the book of Tafsir with a chain of narrators. At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i
and Al-Hakim recorded from Anas that Abu Talhah said, "On the day of Uhud, I raised
my head and looked around and found that everyone's head was nodding from slumber.''
This is the wording of At-Tirmidhi, who said, "Hasan Sahih''. An-Nasa'i also recorded
this Hadith from Anas who said that Abu Talhah said, "I was among those who were
overcome by slumber.''
The second group mentioned in the Ayah were the hypocrites who only thought about
themselves, for they are the most cowardly people and those least likely to support
the truth,
﴿يَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ
ظَنَّ الْجَـهِلِيَّةِ﴾
(and thought wrongly of Allah - the thought of ignorance) ﴿3:154﴾, for they are
liars and people who have doubts and evil thoughts about Allah, the Exalted and
Most Honored. Allah said,
﴿ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّن بَعْدِ
الْغَمِّ أَمَنَةً نُّعَاساً يَغْشَى طَآئِفَةً مِّنْكُمْ﴾
(Then after the distress, He sent down security for you. Slumber overtook a party
of you), the people of faith, certainty, firmness and reliance (on Allah) who are
certain that Allah shall give victory to His Messenger and fulfill his objective.
﴿وَطَآئِفَةٌ قَدْ أَهَمَّتْهُمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ﴾
(While another party was thinking about themselves), and they were not overcome
by slumber because of their worry, fright and fear,
﴿يَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ
ظَنَّ الْجَـهِلِيَّةِ﴾
(and thought wrongly of Allah --- the thought of ignorance).
Similarly, Allah said in another statement,
﴿بَلْ ظَنَنْتُمْ أَن لَّن يَنقَلِبَ
الرَّسُولُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَى أَهْلِيهِمْ أَبَداً﴾
(Nay, but you thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to
their families) ﴿48:12﴾.
This group thought that the idolators achieved ultimate victory, when their forces
took the upper hand in battle, and that Islam and its people would perish. This
is typical of people of doubt and hesitation, in the event of a hardship, they fall
into such evil thoughts. Allah then described them that,
﴿يَقُولُونَ﴾
(they said) in this situation,
﴿هَل لَّنَا مِنَ الاٌّمْرِ مِن شَىْءٍ﴾
("Have we any part in the affair'') Allah replied,
﴿قُلْ إِنَّ الاٌّمْرَ كُلَّهُ للَّهِ
يُخْفُونَ فِى أَنْفُسِهِم مَّا لاَ يُبْدُونَ لَكَ﴾
(Say: "Indeed the affair belongs wholly to Allah.'' They hide within themselves
what they dare not reveal to you.) wAllah exposed their secrets, that is,
﴿يَقُولُونَ لَوْ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ
الاٌّمْرِ شَىْءٌ مَّا قُتِلْنَا هَـهُنَا﴾
(saying: "If we had anything to do with the affair, none of us would have been killed
here.'') although they tried to conceal this thought from the Messenger of Allah
.
Ibn Ishaq recorded that `Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr said that Az-Zubayr said, "I was
with the Messenger of Allah when fear intensified and Allah sent sleep to us (during
the battle of Uhud). At that time, every man among us (except the hypocrites) was
nodding off. By Allah! As if in a dream, I heard the words of Mu`attib bin Qushayr,
`If we had anything to do with the affair, none of us would have been killed here.'
I memorized these words of his, which Allah mentioned later on,
﴿يَقُولُونَ لَوْ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ
الاٌّمْرِ شَىْءٌ مَّا قُتِلْنَا هَـهُنَا﴾
(saying: "If we had anything to do with the affair, none of us would have been killed
here.)''
Ibn Abi Hatim collected this Hadith.
Allah the Exalted said,
﴿قُل لَّوْ كُنتُمْ فِى بُيُوتِكُمْ
لَبَرَزَ الَّذِينَ كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَتْلُ إِلَى مَضَاجِعِهِمْ﴾
(Say: "Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed
would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death,'') meaning, this is
Allah's appointed destiny and a decision that will certainly come to pass, and there
is no escaping it. Allah's statement,
﴿وَلِيَبْتَلِىَ اللَّهُ مَا فِى صُدُورِكُمْ
وَلِيُمَحِّصَ مَا فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ﴾
(that Allah might test what is in your breasts; and to purify that which was in
your hearts,) means, so that He tests you with whatever befell you, to distinguish
good from evil and the deeds and statements of the believers from those of the hypocrites,
﴿وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ﴾
(and Allah is All-Knower of what is in the breasts), and what the hearts conceal.
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