اَلَّذِيْنَ اسْتَجَابُوْا لِلّٰهِ وَالرَّسُوْلِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَآ أَصَابَهُمُ الْقَرْحُ ۚ لِلَّذِيْنَ أَحْسَنُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ وَاتَّقَوْا۟ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿١٧٢﴾ اَلَّذِيْنَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوْا لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمٰنًا وَقَالُوْا حَسْبُنَا اللهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيْلُ ﴿١٧٣﴾فَانْقَلَبُوْا بِنِعْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللهِ وَفَضْلٍ لَّمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوْءٌ وَاتَّبَعُوْا رِضْوٰنَ اللهِ ۗ وَاللهُ ذُوْ فَضْلٍ عَظِيْمٍ ﴿١٧٤﴾ إِنَّمَا ذٰلِكُمُ الشَّيْطٰنُ يُخَوِّفُ أَوْلِيَآءَهُۥ فَلَا تَخَافُوْهُمْ وَخَافُوْنِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُّؤْمِنِيْنَ ﴿١٧٥﴾
Those (Sahaabah [radhiyallahu ‘anhum]) who responded to the call of Allah Ta‘ala and Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), even after wounds had afflicted them – for those who did good among them and feared Allah Ta‘ala is a great reward. (They are) those to whom the people said, “Indeed the people have gathered against you, so you should fear them!” But it (merely) increased them in imaan, and they said, “Allah Ta‘ala is sufficient for us, and He is the best One in whom we can place our trust!” So they returned with favour from Allah Ta‘ala and bounty, with no harm having touched them. They followed the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala, and Allah Ta‘ala is the Possessor of great bounty. It is none other than Shaitaan who makes you afraid of his friends, so do not fear them, but fear Me if you are (indeed) believers. (Surah Aal ‘Imraan v172-175)
The above verses of the Quraan Majeed were revealed in relation to the expedition of Hamraaul Asad which occurred after the Battle of Uhud. The incident behind this expedition is as follows:
After the Battle of Uhud was over, when the disbelievers were returning to Makkah Mukarramah, they began to regret leaving the battlefield. They thought to themselves, “When we had the upper hand, and the Muslims were wounded and weakened, then we should have finished them off once and for all.” With this thought in mind, they began to contemplate turning around so that they could attack Madeenah Munawwarah and bring an end to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), Islam and the Muslims.
Allah Ta‘ala then informed Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), via wahi (divine revelation), of the course of action which the disbelievers were deliberating. Thus, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) addressed the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) and called upon them to take up their arms once again and head out to fight the army of Abu Sufyaan (who was the leader of the disbelievers’ army at that time, but later on embraced Islam). He also told them that only those who had participated in the Battle of Uhud were allowed to embark on this expedition.
Although the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) had suffered severe losses in the battle, and many of them were grievously wounded and injured, such was their loyalty and faithfulness to Allah Ta‘ala and Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) that they immediately and wholeheartedly responded and answered the call. Some Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) came forward despite their injuries being so severe that they could not even walk unassisted!
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) then set out with these Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), pursuing the army of Abu Sufyaan, until they reached a place named Hamraaul Asad. On arriving here, they met a disbeliever named Nu‘aim bin Mas‘ood (who was still a disbeliever, but accepted Islam later on) who told them that Abu Sufyaan had strengthened his army with reinforcements and was determined to launch an attack on Madeenah Munawwarah. Hearing this information, which was aimed at instilling fear, terror and despondency in their hearts, the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) were unaffected and calmy replied:
حَسْبُنَا اللهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيْلُ
Allah Ta‘ala is sufficient for us, and He is the best One in whom we can place our trust
In the interim, Ma‘bad Khuzaa‘ee, who was also a disbeliever but was an ally of the Muslims, was traveling from Madeenah Munawwarah to Makkah Mukarramah when he encountered Abu Sufyaan. He approached him and told him that he was mistaken in thinking that the Battle of Uhud had left the Muslims weak and vulnerable. He further informed Abu Sufyaan that he had seen the Muslim army in Hamraaul Asad, and the army was not only strong and equipped but was also in pursuit of Abu Sufyaan. When Abu Sufyaan heard this, his heart was filled with fear and he immediately abandoned his intention to attack Madeenah Munawwarah.
In the verses above, Allah Ta‘ala praises the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) for their unflinching commitment and unwavering loyalty in the face of tremendous adversity and hardship. Allah Ta‘ala also mentions that a magnificent reward lies in store for them in the Hereafter.
Nevertheless, when mentioning the reward, Allah Ta‘ala says “for those who did good among them and feared Allah Ta‘ala is a great reward.” In other words, the great reward promised to the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) was not only on account of their sacrifice on this occasion – it was also on account of their piety and taqwa.
From this, we understand that no matter how great the righteous action may be, or how much a person sacrifices, it will only be accepted by Allah Ta‘ala if it was carried out with a pious and sincere intention. Furthermore, we also understand that it was on account of their piety and taqwa that the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) were able to respond in this manner, despite the severe hardships they were facing. Hence, no matter how capable a person may be, whether physically or financially, he will not be able to rise to the occasion if he is not endowed with piety and taqwa from Allah Ta‘ala.
Allah Ta‘ala thereafter makes mention of three great blessings which He bestowed to the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) on this occasion. The first is that He saved them from having to fight the disbelievers, due to which they were protected and spared from any type of harm or injury befalling them. This blessing is mentioned as “favour from Allah Ta‘ala” in this verse.
The second blessing is that while the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) were in Hamraaul Asad, they went to the market and engaged in trade, thus acquiring abundant profit of this dunya as well. This blessing is referred to as “bounty” in this verse.
The third blessing – which is the greatest blessing of all – is that by placing their trust in Allah Ta‘ala and answering the call, they acquired the divine pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala. Allah Ta‘ala refers to this blessing saying, “They followed the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala, and Allah Ta‘ala is the Possessor of great bounty.”
(Extracted from Ma‘aariful Quraan vol. 2, pgs. 239-244)
Finally, Allah Ta‘ala says that it is Shaitaan who tries to create fear in the hearts of the Muslims for his friends (the disbelievers and enemies of Islam). However, the key to removing this fear from the heart is for one to instil the fear of Allah Ta‘ala into his heart.
Hence, it is reported that ‘Umar bin ‘Abdil ‘Azeez (rahimahullah) said, “The one who fears Allah Ta‘ala – Allah Ta‘ala will cause everything to fear him, whereas the person who does not fear Allah Ta‘ala will be afraid of everything.” (Shu‘abul Imaan #943)
This was the secret to the success of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) – they possessed the qualities of piety and taqwa due to which even the superpowers of the time cowered and trembled before them.
May Allah Ta‘ala bless us with piety and taqwa and enable us to respond to the call of Deen at all times, aameen.