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At-Tawbah 40

Ayah 40 of 129 · Medinan

إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدۡ نَصَرَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِذۡ أَخۡرَجَهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ثَانِيَ ٱثۡنَيۡنِ إِذۡ هُمَا فِي ٱلۡغَارِ إِذۡ يَقُولُ لِصَٰحِبِهِۦ لَا تَحۡزَنۡ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَنَاۖ فَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَيۡهِ وَأَيَّدَهُۥ بِجُنُودٖ لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ٱلسُّفۡلَىٰۗ وَكَلِمَةُ ٱللَّهِ هِيَ ٱلۡعُلۡيَاۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ ٤٠

If you do not aid him [i.e., the Prophet (ﷺ)] - Allāh has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two,1 when they were in the cave and he [i.e., Muḥammad (ﷺ)] said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allāh is with us." And Allāh sent down His tranquility upon him and supported him with soldiers [i.e., angels] you did not see and made the word2 of those who disbelieved the lowest,3 while the word of Allāh4 - that is the highest. And Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

1 The second was his companion, Abū Bakr.

2 i.e., their claims and slogans.

3 i.e., degraded and dishonored.

4 "Lā ilāha ill-Allāh" ("There is no deity except Allāh").

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. إِلَّاIf notillā
  2. تَنصُرُوهُyou help himtanṣurūhu
  3. فَقَدۡcertainlyfaqad
  4. نَصَرَهُAllah helped himnaṣarahu
  5. ٱللَّهُAllah helped himl-lahu
  6. إِذۡwhenidh
  7. أَخۡرَجَهُdrove him outakhrajahu
  8. ٱلَّذِينَthose whoalladhīna
  9. كَفَرُواْdisbelievedkafarū
  10. ثَانِيَthe secondthāniya
  11. ٱثۡنَيۡنِ(of) the twoith'nayni
  12. إِذۡwhenidh
  13. هُمَاthey bothhumā
  14. فِي(were) infī
  15. ٱلۡغَارِthe cavel-ghāri
  16. إِذۡwhenidh
  17. يَقُولُhe saidyaqūlu
  18. لِصَٰحِبِهِۦto his companionliṣāḥibihi
  19. لَا(Do) notlā
  20. تَحۡزَنۡgrievetaḥzan
  21. إِنَّindeedinna
  22. ٱللَّهَAllahl-laha
  23. مَعَنَاۖ(is) with usmaʿanā
  24. فَأَنزَلَThen Allah sent downfa-anzala
  25. ٱللَّهُThen Allah sent downl-lahu
  26. سَكِينَتَهُۥHis tranquilitysakīnatahu
  27. عَلَيۡهِupon himʿalayhi
  28. وَأَيَّدَهُۥand supported himwa-ayyadahu
  29. بِجُنُودٖwith forcesbijunūdin
  30. لَّمۡwhich you did not seelam
  31. تَرَوۡهَاwhich you did not seetarawhā
  32. وَجَعَلَand madewajaʿala
  33. كَلِمَةَ(the) wordkalimata
  34. ٱلَّذِينَ(of) those whoalladhīna
  35. كَفَرُواْdisbelievedkafarū
  36. ٱلسُّفۡلَىٰۗthe lowestl-suf'lā
  37. وَكَلِمَةُwhile (the) Wordwakalimatu
  38. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allahl-lahi
  39. هِيَit (is)hiya
  40. ٱلۡعُلۡيَاۗthe highestl-ʿul'yā
  41. وَٱللَّهُAnd Allahwal-lahu
  42. عَزِيزٌ(is) All-Mightyʿazīzun
  43. حَكِيمٌAll-Wiseḥakīmun

Tafsir

If you O believers, do not help the Messenger (peace be upon him) and respond to his call to strive for the sake of Allah, then Allah has already helped him when you were not with him; when the idolaters drove him away from Mecca with Abū Bakr aṣ-Ṣiddīq (may Allah be pleased with him), and the two of them hid in the cave of Thawr from the disbelievers who were chasing them. On that occasion, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told his companion Abū Bakr, who was scared that the idolaters would discover him, not to worry, because Allah was with them, supporting and helping them. Allah sent down His reassurance and tranquility upon the heart of His Messenger, and sent angels which they could not see to support them, making the word of the idolaters the lowest, and the word of Allah the highest by aiding His Religion. Allah is Mighty in His essence, power and force – nothing can overcome Him – and He Wise in His planning, decree and laws.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran