Verses 1–3
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful
This sūrah was revealed in Medina and consists of 3 verses. It promises the Prophet divine assistance and victory, and that he will see the people embracing Islam, group after group. It commands him to glorify God, praise Him, and seek forgiveness from Him when that happens. The chapter was revealed in Medina after the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah and before the conquest of Mecca, as we shall deduce below.
Commentary
إِذا جاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَ الْفَتْحُ ١
(110:1) When (idhā) Allah’s help and victory come,
The word idhā apparently indicates a future event. Thus the verse is prophesizing what has not yet happened—namely, divine aid and victory—in order to comfort the heart of the Prophet. This is one of the glad tidings of the Qur’an to the Prophet, and one of its miracles of foreshadowing future.
Here are two suggested interpretations for the verse:
- The definite forms of the words help and victory indicate genus, thus referring to all instances when God aided His Prophet against his enemies, when He made His religion triumph over theirs. The verse applies to all of the Prophet’s battles, the conversion of the Anṣār (Medinan Supporters), and the conversion of the people of Yemen.
Comment: This interpretation is not plausible because it does not match the next verse: and you see the people entering Allah’s religion in throngs ().
- The verse refers to the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah, which God also called a “victory” (fatḥ): Indeed We have inaugurated for you a clear victory ().
Comment: Again, the content of the next verse is not compatible with this view.
The clearest interpretation for help and victory in this verse is the conquest of Mecca, which was the greatest victory of the Prophet in his lifetime. It was a dazzling display of divine aid, through which the edifice of polytheism in the Arabian Peninsula crumbled.
This interpretation can be confirmed by the promise of a mighty help () in the verses revealed in Ḥudaybiyyah: Indeed We have inaugurated for you a clear victory, that Allah may forgive your earlier and later sins, may perfect His blessing upon you, and may guide you on a straight path; and that Allah may help you with a mighty help (). It is most likely that the promise of a mighty help in these verses—which were revealed in Ḥudaybiyyah—refers to God’s support of His Prophet to defeat the Quraysh and conquer Mecca only two years after Ḥudaybiyyah.
This is a more plausible interpretation of the verse than the peaceful conversion of the people of Yemen to the Prophet’s call without bloodshed. What is most consistent and apparent is to say that help and victory refer to God’s assistance of His Prophet against the Quraysh in the conquest of Mecca. This means that the sūrah was revealed after the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah and after Sūrah al-Fatḥ (Chapter 48), but before the conquest of Mecca.
وَ رَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْواجاً ٢
(110:2) and you see the people entering Allah’s religion in throngs (afwājan)
Al-Rāghib says:
“Fawj means a group of people that are moving quickly. Its plural is afwāj.”
The meaning is: “The people will enter God’s religion group after group.” What is meant by Allah’s religion is Islam, as per the verse: Indeed the religion with Allah is submission (al-islām) ().
فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَ اسْتَغْفِرْهُ إِنَّهُ كانَ تَوَّاباً ٣
(110:3) then glorify your Lord with praise, and plead to Him for forgiveness. Indeed He is the All-Relenter.
There are two aspects to Allah’s help and victory (): (1) The defeat and degradation of polytheism. (2) The triumph and exaltation of monotheism. Alternatively: (1) The nullification and destruction of falsehood. (2) The confirmation and establishment of the truth. Either way, what is compatible with the first aspect is to glorify God, which means proclaiming Him clear of all imperfection. What corresponds to the second aspect, which is a blessing, is to praise and extol Him. That is why the Prophet is given the twofold command: then glorify your Lord with praise.
There is also another way of looking at the three commands in this verse: to glorify God, to praise Him, and to ask Him for forgiveness. It behooves the servants to remember their Lord through His attributes of perfection, and to remind themselves of their shortcomings and dependency. The fall of Mecca relieved the Prophet from much strain that he had to undertake to remove falsehood and sever the roots of corruption. That is why he was ordered to remember: (1) God’s majesty, which amounts to glorification (tasbīḥ); (2) God’s beauty, which amounts to praise (taḥmīd); and (3) his own weakness and dependence upon his Lord, which is represented by asking forgiveness. This way the Prophet would complete his gratitude toward His Lord.
… and plead to Him for forgiveness…: Given that the Prophet is already forgiven [that is, his intrinsic deficiencies are already covered by God], what is meant here is pleading for the continuation of God’s forgiveness and coverage. This is because one is in need of the continuation of forgiveness as one is in need of its initiation. The reader should reflect on this. We already had a discussion on the meaning of the forgiveness of sins.
… Indeed He is the All-Relenter: This statement justifies the previous command to seek forgiveness. It implies encouragement and emphasis.
Examining Narrations
- When this sūrah was revealed, the Prophet recited it to his Companions, which made them happy and hopeful. When ʿAbbās heard it, he wept.
“What makes you cry, my uncle?” asked the Prophet.
“I think it harbingers your death, O Messenger of God!”
“That is indeed as you say,” the Prophet confirmed.
He lived [only] two years after that, and was never seen smiling or jubilant again.
Author’s comment: Many narrations convey this meaning, though with different wordings. Concerning the relevance of the verses to the Prophet’s demise, it is said that the verses convey a notion of the Prophet’s efforts and troubles coming to an end, and his mission reaching its perfection. And once something reaches its apex, then waning is next.
- Umm Salamah said: Near the end of his life, the Messenger of God would not stand or sit, or enter or exit, unless he said, “Glory be to God with praise. I seek God’s forgiveness, and turn to Him (subḥān Allāh wa bi-ḥamdihi, astaghfiru Allāh wa atūbu ilayhi ).” We asked him about this, and he said, “I have been commanded to do so.” Then he recited [the sūrah]: When Allah’s help and victory come… ().
Author’s comment: There are more narrations which convey the same idea, although they differ on the Prophet’s exact wording.
- Imam al-Ṣādiq said: The first sūrah to be revealed was: In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. Read, in the name of your Lord (Chapter 96), and the last sūrah to be revealed was When Allah’s help and victory come (Chapter 110).”
Author’s comment: Perhaps, what is meant here is the last sūrah to be revealed in its entirety, as some scholars have suggested.
- When the Messenger of God made peace with the Quraysh in the year of Ḥudaybiyyah, one of the conditions was that anyone who wanted, could pledge allegiance to the Messenger of God. So Khuzāʿah tribe allied with the Messenger of God, and Banū Bakr tribe allied with Quraysh. There had been a long-standing feud between these two tribes.
Eventually, a fight broke out between Banū Bakr and Khuzāʿah. Quraysh supplied weapons to Banū Bakr, and some of them fought alongside their allies secretly under the cover of night. Among those who personally joined and aided Banū Bakr against Khuzāʿah were ʿIkrimah b. Abī Jahl and Suhayl b. ʿAmr.
Then ʿAmr b. Sālim al-Khuzāʿī rode to the Messenger of God in Medina. That was part of what sparked the conquest of Mecca. He arrived before the Messenger of God while he was in the mosque, surrounded by the people. There he [ʿAmr b. Sālim] recited [in impromptu verse]:
لَاهُمَّ إِنِّي نَاشِدٌ مُحَمَّداً حِلْفَ أَبِينَا وَ أَبِيهِ الْأَتْلَدَا
إِنَّ قُرَيْشاً أَخْلَفُوكَ الْمَوْعِدَا وَ نَقَضُوا مِيثَاقَكَ الْمُؤَكَّدَا
وَ قَتَلُونَا رُكَّعاً وَ سُجَّدا
O God, I adjure Muḥammad and avow
By the pledge of our fathers, right here and now:
Indeed the Quraysh have broken their vow,
Though they promised to keep it a sacred cow;
They slew us in a state of prostration and bow.
“No need to say more, ʿAmr,” said the Messenger of God. The Prophet rose right away and went to [his wife] Maymūnah’s house, and told her: “Pour me some water.” As he was taking a ritual bath (ghusl) he said: “May I not be aided [by God] if I do not aid Banū Kaʿb,” referring to the clan of ʿAmr b. Sālim.
Then Budayl b. Warqāʾ al-Khuzāʿī headed out with a contingent of the Khuzāʿah. When they reached the Prophet, they told him what had befallen them, and how the Quraysh had helped Banū Bakr against them. Then they left and returned to Mecca. The Prophet told the people: “It is as if I see Abū Sufyān has come to you to renew the treaty and extend its term. But he shall be intercepted by Budayl b. Warqāʾ.” And indeed Budayl and his men encountered Abū Sufyān at ʿUsfān [between Mecca and Medina]. The Quraysh had sent him to the Prophet to renew the treaty.
When Abū Sufyān met Budayl, he said: “Where have you come from, Budayl?”
He said: “I took the coastal route, and came through this valley.”
“You didn’t visit Muḥammad?”
“No,” Budayl confirmed.
When Budayl proceeded to Mecca, Abū Sufyān said [to his companions]: “If he has indeed been to Medina, his camel would have fed on its dates.” So he went to where Budayl’s camel had been kneeling, examined its droppings, and found date-pits in it. “I swear to God,” he concluded, “Budayl went to see Muḥammad!”
Then Abū Sufyān traveled to the Messenger of God, and told him: “Muḥammad, save the blood of your people, grant immunity to the Quraysh, and extend our term [of peace]!”
“Have you broken the treaty, Abū Sufyān?”
“Of course not!”
So the Prophet said: “If so, then we stand by what we agreed on.”
Abū Sufyān left and saw Abū Bakr. He told him: “Grant immunity to the Quraysh!”
Abū Bakr said: “Shame on you! Against the will of the Messenger of God?”
Abū Sufyān then proceeded to ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, and the same conversation transpired. So he left, and went to see Umm Ḥabībah. As he was about to sit down on a rug, she bent over and rolled it up. “My daughter,” he said, “do you not see me worthy of even sitting on this rug?!”
“Absolutely not!” she confirmed. “This rug belongs to the Messenger of God. You cannot sit on it since you are a filthy polytheist.”
Then he left and went to Fāṭimah. He said: “O daughter of the chief of the Arabs! Won’t you grant immunity to the Quraysh and extend its term, so that you may be the most respected lady among the people?”
She said: “My immunity is that of God’s Messenger.”
“Would you tell your sons to give immunity to the people?”
“By God,” she said, “my sons are not old enough to give immunity. Besides, no one would cross the Messenger of God in giving immunity.”
Then he turned to ʿAlī: “O Abā al-Ḥasan! I find myself trapped. Give me some advice!”
“You are an elder of Quraysh. Go stand at the entrance of the mosque, and grant immunity to the Quraysh [yourself]. Then return to your land.”
“Do you think that will help at all?”
“No, by God I don’t think so,” said ʿAlī, “but I don’t see any other alternative for you.”
So Abū Sufyān stood up in the mosque and said: “O people! The Quraysh is under my immunity!” Then he mounted his camel and left.
When he reached the Quraysh, they asked him, “What did you do?”
He told them the story, and they said: “By God! If only ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib had added that he was mocking you. How can what you said have any effect?!”
Abū Sufyān said: “By God it has none. But I had no other resolution.”
The Messenger of God ordered the people to prepare for attacking Mecca. He prayed: “O God, hinder the spies and reports from reaching Quraysh, until we catch them off guard in their land.”
But Ḥāṭib b. Abī Baltaʿah wrote a message of warning and sent it to Quraysh [letting them on the Muslims’ plan]. The Prophet was informed about this through revelation. So he sent ʿAlī and al-Zubayr to intercept his letter and take it from the woman who was smuggling it.
The Prophet left Abū Dharr al-Ghafārī in charge of Medina, and left the town for Mecca on the tenth of Ramadan in the eighth year [AH, 1 January 630 CE]. With him were ten thousand Muslims and about four hundred horsemen. He did not leave any of the Muhājirūn (Meccan Immigrants) or Anṣār (Medinan Supporters) in Medina.
Abū Sufyān b. al-Ḥārith b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and ʿAbd-Allāh b. Umayyah b. al-Mughīrah crossed paths with the Messenger of God at Nīq al-ʿUqāb, between Mecca and Medina. They sought permission to see him, but he declined. Umm Salamah advocated on their behalf: “O Messenger of God, one of them is the son of your uncle, and the other is the son of your aunt and also your son-in-law.”
“I have no need of them,” said the Prophet. “The son of my uncle has slandered me. And the son of my aunt, who happens to be my son-in-law, said what he said to me in Mecca.”
Abū Sufyān [the Prophet’s cousin] had one of his sons with him. When this news reached them, he said: “By God, either he will allow me to meet with him, or I will take the hand of my son here, and we will go into the desert till we die out of hunger and thirst.”
When the Prophet heard this, he softened toward them, and allowed them to come in. So they came in and accepted Islam at his hand.
The Quraysh were completely oblivious of the Muslim army until they camped at Marr al-Ẓahrān [which is very close to Mecca]. That night, Abū Sufyān b. Ḥarb, Ḥakīm b. Ḥizām and Budayl b. Warqāʾ went out to scout. Meanwhile, ʿAbbās thought to himself: “Alas for the Quraysh! By God, if the Messenger of God surprises them in their land and enters Mecca by force, the Quraysh will be wiped off from history!” So mounted the mule of God’s Messenger and said [to himself]: “I will go out to al-Arāk [next to ʿArafāt]; perhaps I will come across a woodsman, a milk-seller or a traveler entering Mecca. Ten I can tell them how close the Messenger of God is, so that they [the Meccans] can come to him and plead for immunity.”
[What follows is narrated from the perspective of ʿAbbās.]
ʿAbbās said:
I was roaming in al-Arāk, looking for what I had gone for, when by God I heard the voices of Abū Sufyān, Ḥakīm b. Ḥizām and Budayl b. Warqāʾ. Abū Sufyān was saying: “By God, I have never seen a night lit by so much fire as tonight.”
Budayl said: “These fires belong to Khuzāʿah tribe.”
“Nay,” said Abū Sufyān, “Khuzāʿah is much humbler than this.”
Recognizing his voice, I said: “Abā Ḥanẓalah!”—meaning Abū Sufyān.
“Abū al-Faḍl?” he cried.
“Indeed.”
He said: “At your service. May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! What is the news?”
“The Messenger of God is right behind you,” I said. “He has come with a force you cannot stand against: ten thousand Muslims.”
“What do you say I should do?”
“Mount on the back of this mule [behind me]. I will get immunity for you from the Messenger of God. For, by God, if he overcomes you [as an enemy], he will strike your neck.”
So I took him with me on the mule of God’s Messenger, spurring it along. Whenever we passed the fire of the Muslims, they would say: “This is the uncle of God’s Messenger, riding the mule of God’s Messenger.” When we came to the fire of ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, he said: “Abū Sufyān! Thank God for putting you in our grasp, unprotected by any treaty or covenant!” He then rushed to the Messenger of God. I also urged the mule on harder, until we confronted one another at the entrance of the tent. But ʿUmar overtook us like a slow animal would overtake a slow man.
He burst in [the Prophet’s tent] and said: “Messenger of God! It’s Abū Sufyān, your enemy! God has put him in our hands, unprotected by any treaty or covenant. Let me strike his neck!”
I jumped in: “Messenger of God! I have granted him protection.” Then I sat next to the Messenger of God, took his head in my hands and said [to myself]: “By God, no one shall whisper to him today other than me.”
But ʿUmar went on and on, until I said: “Knock it off, ʿUmar! By God, what you’re doing to this man is only because he is from Banū ʿAbd Manāf tribe. If he were from ʿAdī b. Kaʿb [ʿUmar’s tribe], you wouldn’t have spoken like this.”
“You knock it off, ʿAbbās,” said ʿUmar. “When you accepted Islam, it meant more to me than it would have if al-Khaṭṭāb had accepted Islam.”
The Messenger of God said: “Go, for I have granted him security until you bring him to me the next morning.”
Next morning I took Abū Sufyān to the Messenger of God. When he saw him, he said, “Dear Abā Sufyān! Is it not time for you to realize and acknowledge that there is no god but Allah?”
Abū Sufyān said: “May my father and my mother be your ransom! How out-reaching, compassionate, noble and forbearing you are! By God, if there were any other god, they would have availed me in the Battles of Badr and Uḥud.”
The Prophet said: “Dear Abā Sufyān! Is it not time for you to realize and acknowledge that I’m God’s messenger?”
“May my father and my mother be your ransom! As with this one, I find some hesitation about it in myself.”
“Shame on you!” I told him. “Utter the testament of faith before you lose your head.” Thus he proclaimed the testimonies of faith [and embraced Islam].
The Messenger of God told me: “Leave, O ʿAbbās, and hold him at the narrow passage of the valley so that the hosts of God would march before him.”
So I made him stand on the base of the mountain, at the narrow edge of the valley. As the tribes marched before him he would ask, “Who are these?” And I would name the tribes for him: “This is Aslam tribe. This is Juhaynah. This is so-and-so.” Until the Messenger of God came by with the Green Battalion (katībat al-khaḍrāʾ) of the Muhājirūn (Meccan Immigrants) and the Anṣār (Medinan Supporters). They were completely clad in iron, such that only their eyes could be seen. “Who are they, Abā al-Faḍl?” I said: “This is the Messenger of God, surrounded by the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār.” Abū Sufyān exclaimed: “O Abā al-Faḍl! The kingdom of your nephew has indeed grown very large!” I said: “Shame on you! This is prophethood [not kingdom].” He said: “Yes, in this case.”
[What follows is told from a general perspective.]
Ḥakīm b. Ḥizām and Budayl b. Warqāʾ came to the Messenger of God, accepted Islam, and swore oaths of allegiance to him. After they swore their oaths, the Messenger of God sent them on his behalf to Quraysh to invite them to Islam. He announced: “Whoever takes refuge in Abū Sufyān’s house”—which was at one end of Mecca—“shall be safe. And whoever enters Ḥakīm’s house”—which was at the other end of Mecca—“shall be safe. And whoever goes into their own house, locks the door, and refrains [from fighting] shall also be safe.”
After Abū Sufyān and Ḥakīm left the Messenger of God and headed toward Mecca, he sent al-Zubayr b. al-ʿAwwām in their wake. He ordered al-Zubayr to take some of the Muhājirūn’s horsemen and plant their flag at the high point of Mecca, on Mount al-Ḥajūn. He told them: “Do not leave until I arrive.” When the Messenger of God entered Mecca later, he erected his tent there [in al-Ḥajūn].
He sent Saʿd b. ʿUbadāh with a battalion of the Anṣār as his vanguards. He also dispatched al-Khālid b. al-Walīd with some of the Quḍāʿah and Banū Sulaym tribes who had accepted Islam, and ordered him to go to the lowest point of Mecca and plant his flag at a distance from the houses.
The Messenger of God commanded them all to keep their weapons sheathed, and only to fight those who attacked them. The only exceptions were four men and two women. The four men whom he ordered to be executed were: ʿAbd-Allāh b. Saʿd b. Abī Ṣarḥ, al-Ḥuwayrith b. Nufayl, Ibn Khaṭal, and Miqyas b. Ṣabābah. The two women were singers who used to sing slanderous poetry about him. He said about these six: “Execute them, even if you find them clinging to the drapes of the Kaʿbah.”
ʿAlī killed al-Huwayrith b. Nufayl and one of the songstresses; the other one fled. Miqyas b. Ṣabābah was killed in the market. Ibn Khaṭal was found clinging to the drapes of the Kaʿbah, so Saʿīd b. Ḥurayth and ʿAmmār b. Yāsir competed to get him first; Saʿīd surpassed ʿAmmar and executed Ibn Khaṭal.
Abū Sufyān hastened back to the Messenger of God. He grasped his stirrup, kissed it, and entreated: “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! Have you heard the war cry of Saʿd [b. ʿUbadāh]? He is chanting:
الْيَوْمُ يَوْمُ الْمَلْحَمَةِ الْيَوْمُ تُسْبَى الْحُرَمَةُ
The day of massacre is today;
The women’s captivity is today.
The Messenger of God told ʿAlī: “Go after him, and take the flag from him. You be the one to enter [the city] with it, and do so in a gentle manner.” So ʿAlī took the flag and entered [the city] as he was commanded to.”
When the Messenger of God entered Mecca, the chieftains of Quraysh took refuge inside the Kaʿbah, thinking that the sword would never be lifted from them. The Messenger of God stood up by the door of the Kaʿbah and proclaimed: “There is no god but Allah, the one and the only. He fulfilled His promise, granted victory to His servant, and defeated all tribes alone. Lo! I hereby trample over any claim over an outstanding property, privilege or blood, except for two positions: custodianship of the Kaʿbah, and providing water to the pilgrims; these two shall be returned to their rightful owners. Lo! Indeed Mecca is a sacred and forbidden city by God’s decree. Its prohibition was not lifted for anyone before me. Nor was it for me, except for a short span of a day. And it shall remain sacred and forbidden until the arrival of the Hour. Its fresh herbs shall not be plucked; its trees shall not be cut; its wildlife shall not be frightened off. One cannot pick up what is left there, except for one who looks for its owner [without deriving any personal benefit from it].”
Then the Prophet said: “Lo! You were indeed bad neighbors to your prophet! You rejected him, abandoned him, drove him into exile, and persecuted him. Then, as though that was not enough, you came after me to fight me in my land. But now you may go, for indeed you are freemen (al-ṭulaqāʾ).”
The people came out like dead being brought back to life from their graves. They entered Islam en masse. Since God placed their lives in the Prophet’s hands without fighting, the people of Mecca were his rightful property (called fayʾ). That is why they became known as “freemen” (al-ṭulaqāʾ).
Ibn al-Zibaʿrī came to the Messenger of God, converted to Islam and sang [in impromptu verse]:
يَا رَسُولَ الْمَلِيكِ إِنَّ لِسَانِي رَاتِقٌ مَا فَتَقْتُ إِذْ أَنَا بُوْرٌ
إِذْ أُبارِي الشَّيْطَانُ فِي سَنَنِ الْــ ـغَيِِّّ وَ مَنْ مَالَ مَيْلُهُ مَثْبُورٌ
آمَنَ اللَّحْمُ وَ الْعِظَامُ لِرَبِّي ثُمَّ قَلْبِي الشَّهِيدُ أَنْتَ النَّذِيرُ
O Messenger of the King! My tongue shall stitch
A veil that I tore when engrossed in decay:
A rival of Devil, heading for a ditch;
So lost are those who incline away.
I believe in my Lord without a hitch;
And my heart testifies you’re the warner today.
- Ibn Masʿūd said: When the Prophet conquered Mecca, he entered [the Sacred Mosque] while there were 360 idols around the Sacred House. He went around striking them with a stick and reciting: The truth has come, and falsehood neither originates [anything] nor does it restore [any-thing] (); The truth has come, and falsehood has vanished. Indeed falsehood is bound to vanish ().
- Ibn ʿAbbās said: When the Messenger of God entered Mecca, he refused to enter the Sacred House while the idols were still in it. So he ordered them to be taken out, along with an icon of Abraham and Ishmael with raffling arrows (al-azlām) in their hands. He said: “May God kill them [the idolaters]! By God, they knew that they [Abraham and Ishmael] never divided shares [and/or gambled] by these [arrows].”
Author’s comment: There are many narrations about the conquest of Mecca. Anyone who wishes to look into this more should examine compendiums of hadith and Prophetic biographies (sing. sīrah). What was offered above was rather a summary.
See volume 12, pp. 191ff of the English translation, under verses . Note that “forgiveness” is the literal translation in this verse. For more on God’s forgiveness of the Prophet, see the author’s discussion on verse . (Ed.) ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of Muqātil. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎
Al-ʿUyūn, via its chain of narration, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn b. Khālid, from Imam al-Riḍā, from his father. ↩︎
We discussed this part of the story in Sūrah al-Mumtaḥanah [under verses ]. (Auth.) ↩︎
As some scholars have pointed out, ʿAbbās is an overrated character in the histories, primarily because of the influence of the Abbasids, who wanted to portray their ancestor as a staunch supporter of the Prophet. Even when he sided with the Prophet, it was more out of tribal commitment than obedience to God’s messenger. Much of the credit given to him, including the genuineness of his faith, should be taken with a grain of salt. (Ed.) ↩︎
This is an expression for a well-equipped army. The dark color of the armors is likened to green. Arabs sometimes used green for black. Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, . (Ed.) ↩︎
That is: “Let us start with a clean slate. All outstanding interest payments and unrevenged bloods are void. That is water under the bridge. Let bygones be bygones.” (Ed.) ↩︎
See Chapter 90’s examination of narrations above, number 1; and the second suggested meaning narrated from al-Kashshāf under verse . (Ed.) ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, part of the account of the conquest of Mecca. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎
See volume 9, pp. 227-229 of the English translation, under verse ; and volume 11, p. 156, under verse . (Ed.) ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎