Al-Hajj · Madani · ayah 39 of 78

Al-Hajj 22:39

أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَـٰتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا۟ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ

“Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought,[929] because they were wronged. And indeed, Allāh is competent to give them victory.”

Saheeh International

Essence

After years of being told to endure, the wronged are heard at last: they may defend themselves, and their Helper is able.

A reflection

When the King says 'I am able'

The ayah closes with a sentence wrapped in two layers of emphasis. Inna, truly, at the front. La-, surely, fastened to the last word. 'Truly Allah is surely able to give them victory.'

One commentator notes something about the tone. The promise is phrased the way great kings speak. They do not say 'I will reward you'. They say 'I am able to reward you', and everyone understands. A nod from such a king is enough to make the outcome certain. Another commentator reads it the same way: the words state His ability, and mean that He will do it.

Now set that beside the people it was spoken to. When this permission came, the believers were a small band. A classical historian notes that in Makkah they had been fewer than a tenth of their opponents. Even after the emigration, the odds were stacked against them. Every human calculation said they could not win.

This is where the ego shrinks, on both sides. The strong cannot assume their numbers will decide things. The weak cannot assume their weakness will. One early commentator adds that Allah could have given them victory with no fighting at all. He chose instead to let people strive, so that their effort would become their own deed.

Why does He tell them He is able, if He needs nothing? Not to be admired. The sentence is for the frightened listener. One commentator says the heavy emphasis was there to settle the believers' hearts. A child is not reassured by a vague promise. He is reassured when his father says, plainly and twice, I can.

The ayah does not promise ease, or a short road. It tells the weak who stands behind the permission. Victory belongs to the One who is able, and He has said that He is.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.