بَلَىٰٓ ۚ إِن تَصْبِرُوا۟ وَتَتَّقُوا۟ وَيَأْتُوكُم مِّن فَوْرِهِمْ هَـٰذَا يُمْدِدْكُمْ رَبُّكُم بِخَمْسَةِ ءَالَـٰفٍ مِّنَ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ مُسَوِّمِينَ 125
Translations
Yes, if you remain patient and conscious of Allāh and they [i.e., the enemy] come upon you [attacking] in rage, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels having marks [of distinction]."
Transliteration
Balā, in tasbiru wa tattaqū wa yā'tūkum min fawrihim hādhā yumdidkum rabbukum bikhamsati ālāfi min al-malā'ikati musawwimīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah responds affirmatively to the believers' concern about facing an overwhelming enemy force at the Battle of Uhud, assuring them that if they exercise patience (sabr) and piety (taqwā), Allah will reinforce them with five thousand marked angels. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note this refers to divine support contingent upon the Muslims' righteousness, though some interpret 'musawwimin' (marked/distinguished) as angels identifiable by their appearance or purpose. The condition emphasizes that victory is not merely military but spiritual, dependent on the believers' steadfastness and God-consciousness.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the Medinan period regarding the Battle of Uhud (3 AH / 625 CE), where the Muslims faced a Meccan force of approximately 3,000 men with 700 Muslim warriors. The verse occurs within a passage addressing the believers' fears about numerical disadvantage and encouraging them with the promise of angelic assistance, contingent upon their obedience and trust in Allah.
Related Hadiths
Sunan Ibn Majah and other sources contain reports that at Uhud, the angels did indeed fight alongside the believers, though the promised five thousand angels came conditionally based on the Muslims maintaining their positions. The hadith in Sahih Muslim mentions that the Prophet (ﷺ) placed an archer contingent with strict orders not to leave their position, directly relating to the theme of patience and discipline in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that victory and divine aid are not determined solely by material strength or numbers, but by spiritual preparation through patience and God-consciousness; modern readers should recognize that facing life's challenges requires both practical effort and unwavering faith, knowing that help comes to those who remain steadfast in righteousness.
Related Ayahs
وَلَئِن مُّتُّمْ أَوْ قُتِلْتُمْ لَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُحْشَرُونَ
And whether you die or are killed, unto Allāh you will be gathered.
فَٱسْتَجَابَ لَهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ أَنِّى لَآ أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَـٰمِلٍ مِّنكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ ۖ بَعْضُكُم مِّنۢ بَعْضٍ ۖ فَٱلَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا۟ وَأُخْرِجُوا۟ مِن دِيَـٰرِهِمْ وَأُوذُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِى وَقَـٰتَلُوا۟ وَقُتِلُوا۟ لَأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ثَوَابًا مِّنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُۥ حُسْنُ ٱلثَّوَابِ
And their Lord responded to them, "Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another. So those who emigrated or were evicted from their homes or were harmed in My cause or fought or were killed - I will surely remove from them their misdeeds, and I will surely admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow as reward from Allāh, and Allāh has with Him the best reward."
۞ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصْطَفَىٰٓ ءَادَمَ وَنُوحًا وَءَالَ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَءَالَ عِمْرَٰنَ عَلَى ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Indeed, Allāh chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of ʿImrān over the worlds -
كَدَأْبِ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
[Theirs is] like the custom of the people of Pharaoh and those before them. They denied Our signs, so Allāh seized them for their sins. And Allāh is severe in penalty.