Surah Al Anfal , 8

It is clear that their defeat at Badr was a devastating blow for the non- Muslim Arabs of Makkah and their allies, while at the same time it boosted the status and morale of the Muslims and compensated them for fifteen years of hardship and suffering. Without a doubt, Badr represents a decisive and critical moment in the history of Islam.

And here comes the final proclamation that the surah conveys to the Muslims. It comprises six pieces of advice that would help them achieve victory. To rise to the top undoubtedly requires hard work, but to stay at the top would certainly need an even greater effort. God says to the Muslims:

O ye who believe! When ye meet an army, hold firm and think of Allah much, that ye may be successful. (45) And obey Allah and His messenger, and dispute not one with another lest ye falter and your strength depart from you; but be steadfast! Lo! Allah is with the steadfast. (46) Be not as those who came forth from their dwellings boastfully and to be seen of men, and debar (men) from the way of Allah, while Allah is surrounding all they do. (47) 

To achieve victory, Muslims must therefore constantly remember God, seek His help, and know well that it is all for His sake. God will always look after and care for those that the fighters leave behind. Obedience and submission to God and His Messenger are vital elements in gaining victory. The unbelievers deny God because they have no true perception of or respect for Him, whereas Muslims are more likely to show God the reverence and esteem he deserves. Addressing his army before going into battle against the Persians, the second Caliph, 'Umar al-Khattab pleaded with them to shun sin and wrongdoing. he told them that he was more worried about them for the consequence of their misdemeanors than because of the strength of their enemy. Once the two warring camps were equally sinful, Muslims would be no match for their enemy and would stand no chance of victory because they were smaller in numbers and had inferior equipment.

It pains me when I look at Muslim nation today and see how weak its moral and social fabric has become, and how disunited its peoples are. Our credentials for victory and success seem diminish every time we take on an aggressor; we have become the world champions of lost causes. Although Muslims today comprise of one fifth of the world population, their countries are divided, with some of them constantly at loggerheads with one another. Their enemies, however, have united their forces and consolidated their effort, and have been giving Muslims one beating after another. They are now in control of Muslim lands and capital while we are squabbling among ourselves and pursuing our petty wars against each other. We need the steadfastness and the perseverance referred to in the surah to maintain our devotion and loyalty to God and to face up to all temptation and hardship. Decadent, pleasure-seeking, and corrupt societies are not capable of mastering these qualities.

As for Islam's view on engaging in war and taking up arms, these are legitimate causes provided they are undertaken for reasons that satisfy God and serve the interests of Islam. Wars fought by Muslim governments nowadays can hardly be considered legitimate "Islamic" wars, because they are fought for nationalistic or partisan reasons. The fate of those who fight in wars not undertaken for the cause of God and Islam is described in the following verse:

If thou couldst see how the angels receive those who disbelieve, smiting their faces and their backs and (saying): Taste the punishment of burning! (50) This is for that which your own hands have sent before (to the Judgment), and (know) that Allah is not a tyrant to His slaves. (51]

Tyranny and tyrants all through history have displayed similar traits and shared similar fate. The unbelievers of Arabia who fought the Muslims had followed in the footsteps of  "Pharaoh's folk and those before them; they disbelieved the revelations of Allah, and Allah took them in their sins. Lo! Allah is Strong, severe in punishment. "(52) 

Time may change, but  the norms and laws set out by God remain valid for all time.

Excerpt from " A Thematic Commentary On The Qur'an "
Muhammad al-Ghazali
[ 1917 - 1996 ]





Reflection and commentary by Shaykh Younus Kathrada
[ ayat 41 -  ayat 46 ] :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5kNW_0kKeI&feature=relmfu
[ 0:26:00...a corollary on hudud  and call for moratarium by liberal muslims....]








Reflection and commentary by Prof Quraish Shihab [ Indonesian/ Malay ]
[ verse 27 to 35 ]

Part 1  :   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxrQZ3LmOZs

Part 3  :    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEJ_fsvawWU

Part 4 :    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjqh5M9QtNE

Part 6 :   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkk-RF4UpJE

Part 7 :   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNHFs-ku6jY

part 8 :   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPEGZLWG3cU

Part 9 :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnuTRgLRGJ0

Part10 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJo_unh8aUo


[ verse 36 to 41 ]

Part 1  : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHS-X0Dc3zE

Part 2  : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7rgXAkuQDA
           [ relevant to ngo's in malaysia etc etc, i do not have to name names ... ]

Part 3 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3zqnmD9jcg

Part 4 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnHMmjpl5bc

Part 5 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9udaipLmnf8

Part 6 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSiNWtSbVAU

Part 7 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bul2f9ewEHU

Part 8 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd5BhPM86tA

Part 9 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FavlBCZAEAM

Part 10 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTpVw86lZDg


[ verse 42 to verse 49 ]


Part 1  :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJVhnTGqZCE
          [ Sunnatullah and Inayatullah ]

Part 2  : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDWL_5zPuWs

Part 3  : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3bY6uzqB2o

Part 4  : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKgKAkfVqUY

Part 5  : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQJse-XST3w

Part 6 :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BmzX3D_BiA

Part 7 :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIYcK8cYFkM
          [ on do'a..... ]

Part 8 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T6vyVmI9pU

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