Al-Ahzaab (The Clans)

12. “And when the hypocrites, and those in whose heart was a disease, were saying: ‘Allah and His Messenger promised us naught but a delusion’.”

To make the strivers of Islam disappointed and weakening their spiritual conditions is a sign of deviation and hypocrisy. Among the companions of the Prophet (S) there were some sceptics and some were hypocrites.

It was formerly said that the furnace of the examination in the Battle of ’Ahzab became hot, and everybody was engaged in that great examination. It is almost clear that, in such hard circumstances, the people who in the ordinary conditions are apparently in one row will be divided into different rows.

Here, too, the Muslims were divided into various rows: a group of them were true believers, a part of them were the elect of the believers, another part contained of some persons of a weak faith, some hypocrites, some obstinate and intensive hypocrites; some of them were in thought of their own home and life and wanted to run away; some of them tried to hinder others from going to Holy war; and a group of them worked to fasten their unity with the hypocrites. In short, everybody made manifest his inner secrets in this wonderful resurrection and on this “Manifestation Day.”

Former verses were upon the state of the Muslims who were of a weak faith and the bad temptations and imaginations they had; and in this verse the position of the hypocrites, and those in whose heart was a disease, has been referred to.

It says:

“And when the hypocrites, and those in whose heart was a disease, were saying: ‘Allah and His Messenger promised us naught but a delusion’.”

It is recorded in the history of the Battle of ’Ahzab that during the time when the Muslims, one by one, were digging a ditch, one day they reached a big and hard piece of stone on which no pick affected.

The Prophet (S) was informed of this matter and he himself entered the ditch and stood by that piece of stone. When he hit the first stroke on it, a part of the stone was separated and a lightning came out from it.

The Prophet (S) victoriously said: “Allahu Akbar”, and the attending Muslims, too, proclaimed His greatness. For the second time, the Prophet (S) blew a strong stroke over the stone when another part of the stone separated and a lightning came out from it. So the Prophet (S) said: “Allahu Akbar” and the Muslims did, too. Finally, the Prophet (S) blew the third stroke on the stone and a lightning came out and the rest of the stone split asunder. Again, the Prophet (S) said: “Allahu Akbar” and the Muslims, too, shouted: “Allahu Akbar”.

Salman asked the Prophet (S) about it and he answered:

“In the midst of the first lightning I saw the land of “Hirah” and the castles of the kings of Iran, and Gabriel gave me the glad tidings that my Ummah will be victorious over them.

In the second lightning the reddish castles of Syria and Room manifested, and Gabriel gave me the glad tidings that my Ummah will defeat them.

In the third lightning I saw the castles of San‘a and Yemen, and Gabriel informed me that my Ummah will defeat them again. Glad tidings be on you, O Muslims!”

The hypocrites looked at each other and silently said:

“What wonderful words! What false and baseless statements! He is watching the land of Hirah and the buildings of Kasra from Medina, and informs you of its occupation! While just now you are in the grips of a group of Arabs (and you are in the state of defence) and you can not even go to Baytul-Hathar (around Medina)!”

The above verse was revealed and announced that those diseased hypocrites say:

“Allah and His Messenger promised us naught but a delusion.”

They are unaware of the infinite power of Allah.¹

Verily, on that day, such information and glad tidings, save in the view of the aware believers, were not anything but a delusion and pride.

But the heavenly eyes of the Prophet (S) who, in the midst of fiery lightning produced as the result of the strokes of the picks for digging the ditch, could see the occupation of the castles of the kings of Iran, Room, and Yemen, and gave glad tidings to his devoted Ummah by removing curtains from over those secrets.