Al-Fath (The Victory)
Verse 1 - 3
Section (juz’): 26
Number of Verses: 29
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Chapter in question has twenty nine Verses and it was revealed in the sixth year following the Treaty of Hudaybiyya in Medina.
The Chapter in question mainly treats of the glad tidings as to the conquest of Mecca and the issues pertained to the Treaty of Hudaybiyya, pledge of pleasure (bay’at al-ridhwan), hypocrites’ sabotage, turning one’s back to jihad, and finally mention is made of the Noble Prophet’s (S) Companions.
As the title of the Chapter designates, it beacons triumph and victory over the enemies of Islam, a remarkable a decisive triumph, be it the conquest of Mecca or Khaybar or the Treaty of Hudaybiyya or triumph in the broad sense of the word. To appreciate the contents of the Chapter, it is required, above all, to know that the Chapter was revealed in the sixth year following the Treaty of Hudaybiyya.
The Merits of the Recitation of the Chapter
According to a Prophetic tradition:
“One who recites the Chapter is on a par with one who served in the Noble Prophet’s (S) army upon the conquest of Mecca.”
It is narrated in another tradition that such person
“is like one who was beneath the tree in Hudaybiyya and gave him his pledge.”1
It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (as):
“Preserve your wives and possessions from perdition through the recitation of
‘Indeed, We have granted you a triumph.’
One who recites it at all times a caller shall call on the Day of Resurrection such that he will be heard by everyone saying:
‘You are one of My sincere servants; take him to My righteous servants and admit him in bountiful gardens of Paradise and offer him the drink particular to the people of Paradise.’”2
It goes without saying that such excellence and honor may not be accrued with mere recitation devoid of thought and deeds, but the main goal of the recitation of the Chapter lies in establishing one’s deeds and disposition upon the contents of the Verses.
Wondrous traditions are attested in Islamic sources concerning the blessed Chapter in question. According to a tradition narrated on the authority of Anas,
“Upon our return from Hudaybiyya, polytheists impeded us from entering Mecca and performing voluntary (‘umra) pilgrimage.
We were deeply sad when God Almighty of a sudden revealed the Verse:
‘Indeed, We have granted you a manifest triumph.’”
The Noble Prophet (S) is reported as saying:
“A Verse has been revealed to me which I love more than the world.”3
Surah al-Fath - Verses 1-3
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ إِنَّا فَتَحْنا لَكَ فَتْحاً مُبِيناً (1) لِيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ ما تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَ ما تَأَخَّرَ وَ يُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَ يَهْدِيَكَ صِراطاً مُسْتَقِيماً (2) وَ يَنْصُرَكَ اللَّهُ نَصْراً عَزِيزاً (3)
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
1. Indeed, We have granted you a manifest triumph.
2. That Allah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future [attributed to you by Meccan polytheists] and complete His Favor on you and guide you on the Straight Path,
3. And that Allah may help you with invincible succor.
Qur’anic exegets disagree on the interpretation of
“a manifest triumph.”
Some of them, e.g. Alusi, Abu al-Futuh, ‘Allama Tabataba’i, and Faydh Kashani attribute it to the Treaty of Hudaybiyya and some others, e.g. Shaykh Tusi, Zamakhshari, and Fakhr Razi regard it as related to the conquest of Mecca and all of them have substantiated their views with certain traditions. The significance of the Treaty of Hudaybiyya lies in the fact that it served as a prelude to the conquest of Mecca and its ensuing remarkable triumphs.
Furthermore, to that time, polytheists solely entertained thoughts regarding Muslims’ perdition and did not recognize their position. Nonetheless, following the Treaty of Hudaybiyya, they recognized Muslims and such recognition served as a great triumph in the socio-political scene.
The
“manifest triumph”
makes a reference to the fact that approximately one thousand and forty hundred people were with the Noble Prophet (S) in the sixth year, but following two years, ten thousand people accompanied the Noble Prophet (S) in the conquest of Mecca.
There is not obscurity in Divine Guidance, rather all things are evident and illuminating including His Messenger;
(“a Messenger explaining things clearly,”)4 .
His Qur’an is clear and illuminating;
(“a plain Qur’an,”)5 .
It is expressed clearly and eloquently;
(“This [the Qur’an] is a clear Arabic tongue,”)6 .
Its warnings are also unequivocal;
(“He [Prophet Muhammad] is but a plain warner,”7 .
Even its war and peace is unambiguous;
(“manifest triumph,”)8 .
Thus, those standing against such transparency are in manifest error
(“And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error,”)9 .
The noble Prophet of Islam (S) is addressed six times:
“We have granted you triumph … for your forgiving, your sin, upon you, guides you, grants you succor.”
The word dhanb used in the second Verse signifies the consequence of anything and it is often employed in the sense of the consequence of sins and their evil consequences. Any truth seeking move is indubitably undesirable to those in error considering the call as sin and bring about diverse problems, concerns, persecutions, false accusations, conspiracies, and rumors against the callers.
Imam Ridha says:
“To polytheists, nobody was on a par with the Noble Prophet (S) in terms of the burden of sins, since he struggled against idolatry but polytheists worshipped three hundred and sixty idols prior to the conquest of Mecca. However, upon the conquest of Mecca and the decisive triumph of the Noble Prophet (S) and Muslims, all the faults remained concealed.”10
As a consequence, such sins were imaginative rather than actual thus regarded by polytheists and idolaters. It is worthy of note that the direction of prayers changed to that of Ka’ba in the second year following Hijra, i.e. the Noble Prophet’s migration from Mecca to Medina.
Furthermore, the Treaty of Hudaybiyya was concluded in the sixth year and the conquest of Mecca occurred in the eighth year when the Promise to the completion of the most exalted Divine Favors in future was proclaimed.
However, it was on the Noble Prophet’s (S) farewell pilgrimage (hajjat al-wida’) that the Promise was actualized through his announcement of ‘Ali (as) as the Imam, saying:
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”11 .
Account of the Treaty of Hudaybiyya. It was in the month of Dhu al-Qa’da of 6 AH / March 628 that the Noble Prophet of Islam (S) departed for Mecca intending to go on pilgrimage. Having encouraged Muslims to accompany him on the pilgrimage, one thousand and forty Muslims wearing pilgrims’ garment accompanied him.
Apprised of the intelligence, Meccan polytheists stopped them in the vicinity of Mecca at the Village of Hudaybiyya and impeded them from reaching Mecca. Delegates from both parties entered into negotiations and the polytheists’ representative noticed that Muslims feel such love for the Noble Prophet (S) that they take the drops of water used by him when performing ablution before daily prayers.
The representative informed polytheists of the same saying that they might not sever the bond between the Noble Prophet (S) and Muslims.
Representing Muslims, ‘Uthman went to Mecca to negotiate with Meccan polytheists, but rumors became widespread that he had been murdered in Mecca. To keep Muslims alert, the Noble Prophet (S) had Muslims gather beneath a tree to renew his allegiance with them. The allegiance was termed Bay’at al-Ridhwan.
‘Uthman returned safe after a few days. Participated by representatives from both parties, a session was held in which a treaty was drafted with a number of articles and ‘Ali (as) wrote down the text of the treaty which was signed by representatives.
According to the treaty, both parties assumed obligations including: keeping away from engaging in war for a period of ten years; Muslims had to return from Hudaybiyya to return the next year for a three day pilgrimage to Mecca; the Noble Prophet of Islam (S) ordered that the camels brought for pilgrimage be sacrificed there; Muslims shave their heads and took off their pilgrimage garments to return to Mecca.
Although Muslims did not perform their pilgrimage rituals in Mecca, but the Treaty ensured that that there would be no war for ten years and performing the pilgrimage rituals would be unimpeded, hence the manifest triumph for Muslims. The Treaty put an end to polytheists’ manifest enmity against Muslims, opened the path of propagation of the Islamic faith, and paved the way for consolidation of their might and the prospective conquest of Mecca.
It is worthy of note that we need to know that success and triumph springs from Divine Support rather than our thought, schemes, prudence, and might:
(“Indeed, We have granted you a manifest triumph”).
The other point is that the Noble Prophet (S) enjoys Divine Support as he is addressed in:
“We have granted you triumph, to forgive your sins, to guide you, to render you triumphant.”
Thus, what God Almighty bestows upon man is the most exalted, the most manifest, and the best. He grants manifest victory, perfect bounties, guidance to the Straight Path, and invincible succor.