يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ زَحْفًا فَلَا تُوَلُّوهُمُ ٱلْأَدْبَارَ 15
Translations
O you who have believed, when you meet those who disbelieve advancing [in battle], do not turn to them your backs [in flight].
Transliteration
Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu idha laqitumu alladhina kafaru zahfan fala tuwalluuhum al-adbara
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the believers not to flee from the disbelievers when they encounter them in battle formation (zahf). According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this is a prohibition against turning one's back to the enemy in retreat, which was considered a grave sin and a sign of cowardice during defensive warfare. The command emphasizes the necessity of courage and steadfastness in righteous combat, establishing that Muslims must not abandon their positions or comrades when facing the enemy.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the Medinan period within Surah Al-Anfal, which discusses the Battle of Badr (2 AH) and the principles of warfare in Islam. The specific context relates to the Islamic prohibition against fleeing from battle without legitimate cause, reinforcing the obligation of steadfastness when Muslims are defending their faith and community.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Fleeing from the battlefield is one of the grave sins' (Sahih Bukhari 2816). Additionally, in Sahih Muslim 1742, it is narrated that turning one's back during battle except for tactical regrouping is prohibited.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that maintaining courage and conviction during trials—whether literal battles or metaphorical struggles against evil—is essential to maintaining honor and fulfilling one's obligations to Allah. It reminds us that faith demands not only internal belief but also external steadfastness and courage in standing for what is right.
Related Ayahs
وَإِذْ زَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ وَقَالَ لَا غَالِبَ لَكُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَإِنِّى جَارٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ فَلَمَّا تَرَآءَتِ ٱلْفِئَتَانِ نَكَصَ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ وَقَالَ إِنِّى بَرِىٓءٌ مِّنكُمْ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰ مَا لَا تَرَوْنَ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ ٱللَّهَ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
And [remember] when Satan made their deeds pleasing to them and said, "No one can overcome you today from among the people, and indeed, I am your protector." But when the two armies sighted each other, he turned on his heels and said, "Indeed, I am disassociated from you. Indeed, I see what you do not see; indeed, I fear Allāh. And Allāh is severe in penalty."
ٱلَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
The ones who establish prayer, and from what We have provided them, they spend.
وَأَعِدُّوا۟ لَهُم مَّا ٱسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن قُوَّةٍ وَمِن رِّبَاطِ ٱلْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِۦ عَدُوَّ ٱللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَءَاخَرِينَ مِن دُونِهِمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا۟ مِن شَىْءٍ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ
And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allāh and your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allāh knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allāh will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.
ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّـٰمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ
That is for what your hands have put forth [of evil] and because Allāh is not ever unjust to [His] servants."