The Enemy Alliance

This surah talks about Allah's help to the believers, especially in the most difficult times.

The first section of this surah tells us about the enemy forces that tried to attack the Muslims in Madinah. The Muslims protected their city by digging a trench.

The believers are promised great rewards and the hypocrites are warned of a horrible punishment.

The surah provides social guidelines for adoption, divorce, modesty, and the manners of dealing with the Prophet (ﷺ) and his wives.

Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet (ﷺ), and the believers are asked to do the same.

The surah talks about the excellence of the Prophet (ﷺ) and his family.

Those who keep their promises to Allah are promised a great reward.

Humans (and jinn) have free will, unlike the rest of Allah's creation.

There was an idol-worshipper named Jamil ibn Ma'mar, who was an enemy of Islam. Many people thought he had two hearts (or minds) because of his great ability to understand and memorize. He used to brag, 'With each of my two hearts, I can understand far better than Muhammad (ﷺ)!'

However, when the idol-worshippers were badly defeated at the Battle of Badr, Jamil was the first to run away in shock. When he arrived in Makkah, he was wearing one shoe and carrying the other. People asked him why, and he said, 'Oops! I thought I was wearing both shoes!' This is when people realized that he didn't actually have two hearts. According to verse 4, Allah doesn't create a person with two hearts.

Before the time of the Prophet (ﷺ), there was a common type of divorce called `zihar`. If a man compared his wife to his mother by saying, 'You are as unlawful to me as the back of my mother,' his wife would be divorced. Islam banned this type of divorce (58:3-4).

Also, long before Muhammad (ﷺ) became a prophet, he adopted a son named Zaid, who became known as Zaid ibn Muhammad. Later, adoption was banned, and Zaid's name changed back to Zaid ibn Harithah. According to verse 4, just like someone can't have two hearts/minds, a person can't have two fathers (a real father and an adopted father) or two mothers (a real mother and a wife compared to a mother).

Someone may ask, 'Adoption is a good thing, so how come it is forbidden in Islam?' The word `tabanni` can be understood in two different ways—one of them is encouraged in Islam; the other is not allowed.

Sponsorship is encouraged. A person can sponsor a child or host them in their home and care for them as they care for their own children, with some legal differences. For example, sponsored children must keep their last names and are not entitled to a share in the inheritance of their adopted parents, but can receive a donation through a will.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said that the person who sponsors an orphan will be very close to him in Jannah. This shows the great reward for this act. {Recorded by Imam Al-Bukhari}

What is not allowed is a type of adoption where a person takes an orphan and gives them his/her last name or gives them a share of inheritance similar to their own children.

The Prophet (ﷺ) consulted with his companions for suggestions. Salman Al-Farisi (R.A.), a Persian companion, suggested digging a trench to protect the city, a tactic that was unknown in Arabia at the time. The Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions began digging day and night, despite bad weather, little food, and no rest.

Within six days, the Muslims were able to dig a five-kilometer-long, five-meter-deep, and ten-meter-wide trench in the rocky land to the north of Madinah. When the enemy forces arrived, they were in total shock. For almost a month, they surrounded Madinah but could not cross the trench, with the Muslims defending it with arrows from the other side.

During this difficult time, hypocrites in the Muslim army started leaving one by one, claiming their homes were unprotected. Things got even worse when the enemy forces convinced the Jewish tribe of Banu Quraizah to break their peace agreement with the Muslims and join the enemy.

This was a terrifying time for the Muslim community. Some asked the Prophet (ﷺ), 'We are so scared that our souls are jumping into our throats. Is there a prayer we can say?' The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, 'Yes! Say, 'O Allah! Cover our weaknesses and calm our fears.' Eventually, the enemy forces were forced to leave because of strong winds and horrible weather conditions. This event is known as the Battle of the Trench or the Battle of the Enemy Forces.

For days, the Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions were digging the trench with almost no food. The Prophet (ﷺ) was so hungry that he had a rock tied to his stomach.

One of his companions, Jabir ibn 'Abdillah (R.A.), asked his wife to make some food for the Prophet (ﷺ). She only had a little goat and some flour, so she told Jabir to invite only the Prophet (ﷺ) and one or two companions.

When Jabir (R.A.) told the Prophet (ﷺ) about the small meal, he made a public announcement that Jabir (R.A.) had prepared food for everyone. The Prophet (ﷺ) then told Jabir (R.A.) to ask his wife to keep the bread in the oven and the meat in the pot. His wife was shocked when the Prophet (ﷺ) arrived with a large crowd.

The Prophet (ﷺ) recited a blessing on the food before it was served in groups. Not only did everyone eat until they were full, but extra food was left for Jabir's family and for others. This was one of the many miracles of the Prophet (ﷺ).

One of the reasons why the companions loved the Prophet (ﷺ) so much was because of his humility. They always felt that he was one of them—their brother and best friend. When it was time to build the mosque, he was carrying bricks with them. When it was time to dig the trench, he was digging with them. When they were hungry, he was the last one to eat.

He was there for their weddings, funerals, and everything in between. This is why they were willing to stand up for him and sacrifice for his cause.

The Prophet (ﷺ) asked for his companions' opinions and suggestions, even though he didn't need to, since he was receiving revelations from Allah. But he wanted to teach them to discuss with each other during his life so they could make decisions after his death. The concept of `shura` (consultation) is mentioned in 42:38 as one of the qualities of the true believers.

When the Muslims were digging the trench to protect Madinah, they came across a solid rock they couldn't break. They told the Prophet (ﷺ), so he took a spade and hit the rock three times.

Each time the rock was smashed, it created sparks of fire while the Prophet (ﷺ) shouted 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the Greatest). When asked why he said 'Allahu Akbar', he said, 'When I hit the rock the first time, I saw the palaces of Persia. When I hit it the second time, I saw the palaces of Rome (in Syria). And when I hit it the third time, I saw the gates of Yemen.'

The Prophet (ﷺ) then added that the angel Jibril (A.S.) had just told him that Muslims would take over Persia, Syria, and Yemen. This was a miraculous prophecy from Allah, but the hypocrites started to say, 'He is telling us that we will beat these powerful kingdoms, and we can't even go outside the city to use the washroom!'

Not long after the death of the Prophet (ﷺ), the Muslim rule spread even beyond these three kingdoms, covering a huge empire that stretched from China in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west, including all of North Africa and parts of Europe like Turkey and Spain.

If you read the life story of the Prophet (ﷺ), you will be filled with love and respect towards him. He was the best father, the best husband, the best teacher, and the best leader.

He came as a mercy to the whole world to teach people how to be grateful to their Lord. He was born in a cruel society that abused women and the poor, and he stood up for them and gave them rights.

He lost his parents at a young age and became the best parent. He was an orphan himself, and he promised great rewards to those who take care of orphans.

Someone may ask, 'What did the Prophet (ﷺ) look like?' Many companions described him, including an old woman named Umm Ma'bad, who said:

“I saw a handsome man with a bright face. He is perfectly formed, not fat or skinny. He is not too short or too tall. He has beautiful eyes with long eyelashes and perfect eyebrows. His hair is dark, his neck is long, and his beard is full.”

“He has companions who are always there for him. They listen when he speaks and obey when he orders.”

Anas ibn An-Nadr (R.A.) was a great companion who missed the Battle of Badr. He made a pledge: 'If I attend another battle, I'll prove to Allah how faithful I am!'

A year later, the idol-worshippers of Makkah came to attack the Muslims in Madinah, so the Muslim army met them by the mountain of Uhud. At first, the Muslims were winning, so the archers left their positions on the hill, thinking the war was over, even though the Prophet (ﷺ) had told them not to leave no matter what happened.

This gave Khalid ibn Al-Walid (R.A.), who was not a Muslim at that time, a golden opportunity to attack the Muslims from the back. Many Muslims panicked and started to run away. A few brave people like Anas ibn An-Nadr (R.A.) stood their ground.

Eventually, Anas ibn An-Nadr (R.A.) died as a `shahid` (martyr) with more than 80 wounds all over his body. Verse 23 of the Quran was revealed to honor the sacrifice of Anas (R.A.) and other martyrs like him.

There are two different types of `shahids` (martyrs) in Islam: Those who die defending their faith and country, like Anas (R.A.) and Hamzah (R.A.). They are treated as `shahids` in this life and the next. In this life, their bodies are not washed or shrouded, and no funeral prayer (`janazah`) is offered for them. In the Next Life, Allah will reward and honor them as `shahids`.

The second type includes those who die defending themselves, their home, family, or wealth. They will be treated as `shahids` in the Next Life, but in this world, their bodies will be washed, shrouded, and `janazah` prayers will be offered for them. This also includes people who die from drowning, a house collapse, a fire, a disease such as cancer or Covid-19, a car accident, or any painful death. The Prophet (ﷺ) also said that a woman who dies giving birth to her child is a `shahid`.

The wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) wanted him to increase their monthly allowance so they could live a more comfortable life. Even though he said that he couldn't afford to pay more, they kept asking for an increase, and the Prophet (ﷺ) was not happy with that attitude.

Then verses 28-29 were revealed, giving them a choice: if they truly wanted a fancy lifestyle, the Prophet (ﷺ) would divorce them so they could enjoy life freely. But if they chose Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), they would be blessed with great rewards.

They all chose Allah and His Prophet (ﷺ).

We also love and honor the ten companions who were promised `Jannah` (Paradise): Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Az-Zubair, Talhah, 'Abdur-Rahman ibn 'Awf, Abu 'Ubaidah ibn Al-Jarrah, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, and Sa'id ibn Zaid (R.A.).

We also love the people of Badr and the people who made the pledge under the tree. And we love and honor all the other companions (`sahabah`).

Umm Salamah (R.A.), the Prophet's wife, asked him, 'Why are men always mentioned in the Quran, but women are not?'

In response to her question, verse 35 was revealed, which speaks about the qualities and rewards of both Muslim men and women.

To reward Zaid (R.A.), the Prophet (ﷺ) freed him and adopted him as his son, before adoption was banned. Allah did Zaid (R.A.) a favor by guiding him to Islam, and the Prophet (ﷺ) did him a favor by freeing him.

The Prophet (ﷺ) then asked an important family from the Tribe of Quraish to marry their daughter Zainab bint Jahsh (R.A.) to Zaid (R.A.), but they refused because of his background. So verse 36 was revealed, and finally the family agreed.

After Zaid (R.A.) and Zainab (R.A.) got married, things didn't work out between them, so Zaid (R.A.) wanted to divorce her, but the Prophet (ﷺ) asked him to keep his wife.

Later, adoption was banned, so Zaid (R.A.) was no longer considered to be the Prophet's own son. Verse 40 tells the believers that the Prophet (ﷺ) is not the father of any of their men, because his three sons died in childhood.

The Prophet (ﷺ) was told by Allah that he was going to marry Zainab (R.A.) after her divorce, just to teach people that it is okay to marry the ex-wives of their former adopted sons. When Zaid (R.A.) came to tell the Prophet (ﷺ) that he still wanted to divorce his wife, the Prophet (ﷺ) was shy of what people were going to say. Then verses 37-40 were revealed to make the situation clear to everyone.

Someone may ask, 'If a Muslim man is allowed to marry up to 4 wives, how come the Prophet (ﷺ) had more than 4 wives?' To answer this question, it's important to understand a few things. The Quran is the only holy book that places a limit on the number of wives a man can have. Under certain conditions, a Muslim man may marry up to four wives as long as he is able to provide for them and be fair with all of them; otherwise, it is not allowed.

With the exception of Prophet 'Isa (A.S.) and Prophet Yahya (A.S.), who never got married, almost all other faith leaders in the Bible had more than one wife. For example, the Bible says that Prophet Sulaiman (A.S.) had a total of 1,000 women (1 Kings 11:3) and his father, Prophet Dawood (A.S.), had many women (2 Samuel 5:13).

When we look at the Prophet's married life, we see the following: Until the age of 25, he was single. From age 25 to 50, he was married only to Khadijah (R.A.), who was 15 years older than him. From age 50 to 53, after Khadijah's death, he was married only to Sawdah (R.A.), who was older than him with many children.

From age 53 to his death at the age of 63, he married nine times. Many of these marriages were to widows who had lost their husbands and were left with their children without a provider. In some cases, he married to build strong ties with his companions and neighboring tribes, including some of his worst enemies, who then became his biggest supporters after he married a woman from their own tribe.

Of all the women he married, 'Aishah (R.A.) was the only one who was never married before him. If a man with great authority wanted to marry just for pleasure, he could have done it when he was younger, and he could have married only young women with no children.

We also need to understand that the Prophet (ﷺ) had a special status. This is why certain things were allowed for him, but not for others. For example, he was allowed to fast for days (day and night) without eating or drinking, but this is not allowed for anyone else.

Then after eating, they would chat with each other for a long time. This practice was very annoying to the Prophet (ﷺ), but he was too shy to ask them to leave.

Finally, verse 53 was revealed, telling the believers to visit only if there was a reason, and to come for food only if they were invited. The verse also instructed them not to stay for too long, so the Prophet (ﷺ) would have time for himself and his family.

According to verse 56, Allah says that He showers the Prophet (ﷺ) with praises and blessings, and His angels pray for him. The Prophet (ﷺ) has also been blessed with great favors in this life and the Next.

Today, there are close to 2 billion Muslims in the world, meaning about 1 out of every 4 people on the planet is a Muslim. Of all prophets, he will have the most followers in Jannah (Paradise).

He is the best human to have ever walked the face of this earth and the finest prophet ever sent. We know every single detail of his life, including: how he lived, taught, and dealt with his family; what he said before and after eating, leaving and entering his house; how he purified himself, took a shower, and made `wudu'` (ablution); and his physical description.

There are millions who follow his example—the way he prayed, lived his life, ate, drank, and slept. He will be the first to enter Jannah. He will make `shafa'ah` by asking Allah to make things easy for us on Judgment Day.

We honor his name every time we call the `Azan` (call to prayer), and we pray to Allah to shower His blessings on him and his family at the end of every `salah` (prayer). The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will shower that person with blessings 10 times!'

A great Egyptian scholar named 'Abdullah ibn Al-Hakam said that he saw Imam Ash-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) after his death in a dream, so he asked him: 'What has Allah done to you?' Imam Ash-Shafi'i replied, 'He has showered me with mercy and forgiveness, and I have been received in Jannah with honor.'

Imam 'Abdullah asked, 'And why do you think you got this great honor?' Imam Ash-Shafi'i answered, 'Because of one sentence I put in my book, `Ar-Risalah`, which reads: 'May Allah shower as many blessings upon Muhammad as the number of those who remember Him and the number of those who fail to remember Him.'

Imam 'Abdullah said that when he woke up, he opened the book and found this sentence in it.

The same warning is also given to those who offend the Prophet (ﷺ) by calling him a liar or saying bad things about him and his family.

The passage also warns those who abuse the believers and say false things about them.

During the time of the Prophet (ﷺ), people didn't have toilets in their homes. If someone wanted to use the washroom, they had to go to an area outside the buildings and relieve themselves.

Some evil youths would wait in the dark streets of Madinah at night to harass women going to the washroom. If a woman was covered up, they would leave her alone. But if a woman wasn't covered, they would annoy her.

So, Allah revealed verse 59 (as well as 24:30-31) instructing the believers to dress modestly, guard their dignity, and treat each other with respect. It should be clear that the verse doesn't blame the women but protects them. In Islam, there are strict punishments for those who harass women.

Someone may ask, 'Why do Muslim women wear the `hijab`?' Let's think about the following points. In Islam, both men and women are required to be modest in the way they dress, speak, and behave.

The `hijab` has also been practiced by women of other faiths, including Maryam (A.S.), the mother of 'Isa (A.S.), and Catholic nuns.

The `hijab` is worn by adult Muslim women only in public and in the presence of adult males outside of their immediate family.

Whatever we do as Muslims is to please Allah, hoping to get His reward. We shouldn't let our friends or the fashion industry tell us how to dress and who is beautiful and who is not.

We shouldn't judge our Muslim sisters without `hijab`. They are good Muslims like you, but they may need more time to grow in faith.

The word `munafiq` ('hypocrite' in Arabic) comes from the root `na-fa-qo`, which literally means 'for a desert rat to dig a tunnel with two holes,' one for entrance and the other as a hidden exit. A hypocrite is a person with two faces who pretends to be your friend but speaks and plots against you behind your back.

When the Muslim community became strong in Madinah, their enemies didn't dare abuse or mock them openly. They pretended to be part of the Muslim community but worked against Islam and Muslims in secret. This is why many Madani surahs (like this one) talk about hypocrites, their attitude, and their punishment on Judgment Day.

Verses 60-61 give a strong warning to the hypocrites who spread rumors about Islam and Muslims to disturb the community. It's worth noting that the Prophet (ﷺ) never killed any hypocrite as long as they did not join the enemy to attack and kill Muslims.

Musa (A.S.) was a great prophet who faced many challenges. His stories in the Quran provided comfort to the Prophet (ﷺ), because his Makkan enemies were not as brutal as Pharaoh and his people. The followers of Musa (A.S.) challenged and questioned him more than the Prophet's (ﷺ) companions ever did.

For example, they asked Musa (A.S.) to make Allah visible to them, to make an idol for them to worship, and they worshipped the golden calf in his absence.

They also made things difficult for him every time he asked them to do something, as shown in the stories of the cow and the food.

According to verse 69, some of them even made false accusations against him. It is reported that he was falsely accused of killing his own brother Harun (A.S.) or having a skin disease. But Allah cleared him of these lies and honored him in this life and the Next.

One time, the Prophet (ﷺ) was distributing war gains and he favored some important people to strengthen their faith. Someone protested, 'This distribution is not fair and it's not done to please Allah!' Hurt, the Prophet (ﷺ) replied, 'If Allah and His Prophet are not fair, then who is? May Allah shower His mercy on my brother Musa—he was harmed much more than this, but he was always patient.'

According to the Quran, when Allah created the heavens and the earth, He asked them if they wanted to have free choice. They chose to always submit to Him, so everything in creation—the planets, sun, moon, stars, animals, and plants—obeys the laws of Allah.

However, humans chose to carry the trust of **free choice**. This is why some humans choose to obey Allah, while others don't. Some are grateful to Him, while others are not. Some do their best to please Allah, while others think they are smart and strong enough to challenge Him.

In the end, Allah will judge our actions and choices. As far as the trust of **free choice** is concerned, people are divided into three groups: The **believers** are those who carry the trust by having faith in Allah and obeying Him. The **disbelievers** are those who betray the trust by denying Allah. The **hypocrites** are those who cheat by pretending to have faith in public but denying Him in private.

Allah says: 'Do you not see that to Allah submits everything in the heavens and everything on the earth, and the sun, moon, stars, mountains, trees, and all living creatures, as well as many humans, but many deserve to be punished. And whoever Allah puts to shame, no one can honor. Surely Allah does what He wants.' (22:18)