Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 251 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:251

فَهَزَمُوهُم بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ وَقَتَلَ دَاوُۥدُ جَالُوتَ وَءَاتَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُلْكَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَعَلَّمَهُۥ مِمَّا يَشَآءُ ۗ وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلنَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَّفَسَدَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

“So they defeated them by permission of Allāh, and David killed Goliath, and Allāh gave him the kingship and wisdom [i.e., prophethood] and taught him from that which He willed. And if it were not for Allāh checking [some] people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted, but Allāh is the possessor of bounty for the worlds.”

Saheeh International

Essence

By Allah's permission the few routed the many, a young Dawud killed Jālūt, and Allah keeps checking corruption through people.

A reflection

The army that caved in

After a famous win, the speeches begin. The tactics, the training, the leadership, the brilliant decisions. Almost everyone involved is thanked except the One who decided the outcome.

The ayah begins with three words: 'so they routed them, by the permission of Allah'. A classical commentator notices what is left unsaid. The prayer for patience, firm feet and victory had just been made. The ayah does not say 'and Allah answered them'. It moves straight to the rout. The answer is shown in the result.

The word for rout, hazamū, has a physical picture. One lexicon describes pressing a hollow thing, like a melon, until it caves in. Another describes squeezing something dry, like an old waterskin, until it cracks and folds. Jālūt's army looked full and strong. Pressed in the right place, by Allah's leave, it caved.

A classical scholar of the heart explains 'by Allah's permission' here as His will and decree, His cosmic permission. Nothing happens on a battlefield outside it.

This is majesty that corrects the ego at its proudest moment. Victory is exactly when we most want the credit. The ayah gives the believers their deed, 'they routed them', and gives Allah the decision.

Does Allah need us to acknowledge His permission? He is free of all need (35:15). We need to acknowledge it. It keeps a victory from becoming arrogance, and keeps the next battle from being fought in our own strength.

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.