لِيَقْطَعَ طَرَفًا مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَوْ يَكْبِتَهُمْ فَيَنقَلِبُوا۟ خَآئِبِينَ 127
Translations
That He might cut down a section of the disbelievers or suppress them so that they turn back disappointed.
Transliteration
Liyaqta'a tarfan min alladhina kafaroo aw yakbithum fyanqaliboo khaibin
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to Allah's purpose in granting the believers victory and strength—either to eliminate a portion of the disbelievers or to humiliate and repel them defeated and disappointed. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the phrase 'cut off a section' (yaqta'a tarfan) indicates either death in battle or capture, while 'humiliate them' (yakbithum) means to break their spirits and cause them to retreat in shame. This establishes that Allah's decree encompasses the triumph of truth over falsehood through military and spiritual means.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Ali 'Imran's discussion of the Battle of Uhud and the broader struggle between the Muslim community and the Meccan disbelievers. It expresses Allah's wisdom in allowing battles to occur—whether resulting in the believers' victory through eliminating enemies or through the enemy's demoralization and retreat. The thematic context emphasizes that all outcomes serve divine purposes in establishing truth.
Related Hadiths
The spirit of this ayah relates to the hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah.' It also connects thematically to accounts of battles where Allah granted victory through military means or psychological defeat of enemies.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that struggle against falsehood serves divine purposes whether through direct victory or through deterring and humiliating evil forces. For believers today, it emphasizes trust in Allah's plan during trials and the understanding that all circumstances—success or temporary difficulty—ultimately serve the cause of truth and justice.
Related Ayahs
كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ ۗ وَلَوْ ءَامَنَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُم ۚ مِّنْهُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ
You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allāh. If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.
وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
And to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Allāh is over all things competent.
قُلْ يَـٰٓأَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لِمَ تَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ مَنْ ءَامَنَ تَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا وَأَنتُمْ شُهَدَآءُ ۗ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
Say, "O People of the Scripture, why do you avert from the way of Allāh those who believe, seeking to make it [seem] deviant, while you are witnesses [to the truth]? And Allāh is not unaware of what you do."
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱجْعَل لِّىٓ ءَايَةً ۖ قَالَ ءَايَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ ٱلنَّاسَ ثَلَـٰثَةَ أَيَّامٍ إِلَّا رَمْزًا ۗ وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ كَثِيرًا وَسَبِّحْ بِٱلْعَشِىِّ وَٱلْإِبْكَـٰرِ
He said, "My Lord, make for me a sign." He said, "Your sign is that you will not [be able to] speak to the people for three days except by gesture. And remember your Lord much and exalt [Him with praise] in the evening and the morning."