[Remember, O believers], when Allāh promised you one of the two groups438 - that it would be yours - and you wished that the unarmed one would be yours. But Allāh intended to establish the truth by His words and to eliminate the disbelievers
Notes
[438] i.e., either the caravan of Quraysh or their army.
Verse 7 of Surah Al-Anfal (8:7), a Medinan surah, is in juz 9, on page 177 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 72 reciters.
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Tafsir of verse 7
Al-Mukhtasar
Allah reminds the believers who were arguing about when Allah promised them success over one of the groups of the idolaters: either the caravan with its sizeable wealth, so that they could take its bounty, or a group of fighters whom they would encounter and achieve victory over them; but they had wanted it to be the caravan, as this would be easy to take without having to fight. Yet Allah willed for the truth to be established through commanding them to fight, to kill the leaders of the idolaters, and to capture many of them so that the strength of Islam would become clear.
And [remember, O believers], when Allah promised you one of the two parties4, that it would fall to you, and you wished that the unarmed one would fall to you. But it was Allah’s Will to establish the truth by His Words and exterminate the disbelievers,
Notes
[4] i.e., either the caravan of Quraysh or their army in the Battle of Badr.
And (remember) when Allâh promised you (Muslims) one of the two parties (of the enemy i.e. either the army or the caravan) that it should be yours; you wished that the one not armed (the caravan) should be yours, but Allâh willed to justify the truth by His Words and to cut off the roots of the disbelievers (i.e. in the battle of Badr).
And when Allah promised you one of the two bands (of the enemy) that it should be yours, and ye longed that other than the armed one might be yours. And Allah willed that He should cause the Truth to triumph by His words, and cut the root of the disbelievers;
Behold! Allah promised you one of the two (enemy) parties, that it should be yours: Ye wished that the one unarmed should be yours, but Allah willed to justify the Truth according to His words and to cut off the roots of the Unbelievers;-
And when Allah promised you one of the two parties that it shall be yours and you loved that the one not armed should he yours and Allah desired to manifest the truth of what was true by His words and to cut off the root of the unbelievers.
And as Allah promised you (The pronouns "you" and "yours" are plural) one of the two sections should be yours, and you would like that the one other than the accoutered (i.e. owning accoutrement, the armed section) should be yours. And Allah willed to uphold truthfully the truth by His words and cut off the last trace (Literally: the rear, hind part) of the disbelievers,
