Article Surah 110 · Ayah 1
Explanation of soorah An-Nasr
Explanation of soorah An-Nasr
The verses:
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
Almighty Allah Says (what means): "When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest [of Makkah]. And you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes. Then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance." [Quran: 110:1-4]
Explanation:
Imaam At-Tirmithi related from Anas Ibn Maalik may Allah be pleased with him that the Messenger once asked a man: "Are you married?" He replied: "No, I swear by Allah, O Messenger of Allah! For I have nothing, so how can I marry?" He asked the man: "Do you not have: "Say: `He is Allah, the One."'[i.e., Soorah Al-Ikhlaas]?" The man replied: "Certainly!" He said: "It is (equivalent to) one third of the Quran." Then he asked: "Do you not have: "When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest [of Makkah]" [i.e., Soorah An-Nasr]?" The man replied: "Certainly!" The Prophet then said: "It is (equivalent to) one quarter of the Quran."
`Ubaydullaah Ibn `Abdullaah Ibn `Utbah may Allah be pleased with him narrated that Ibn `Abbaas may Allah be pleased with him said to him: "Do you know which Soorah (chapter) was the last to be revealed from the Quran?" I replied: "Yes, and it was (what means): "When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest [of Makkah]."" He said: "You are right."
Abu Bakr Al-Bazzaar and Al-Bayhaqi both narrated from Ibn `Umar may Allah be pleased with him that he said: "This Soorah was revealed to the Messenger of Allah during the days of Tashreeq (i.e., the 11th, 12th and 13th of Thu'l-Hijjah) and he knew that it was his farewell address. He called for his riding-camel, and when he had travelled some way on it, he stood and addressed the people with his famous farewell speech. According to Imaam Al-Bayhaqi Ibn `Abbaas may Allah be pleased with him said: "This Soorah was revealed, following which the Messenger of Allah summoned his daughter Faatimah may Allah be pleased with her and said to her: "It heralds my death." At this, Faatimah may Allah be pleased with her began to cry; but she laughed when he said: "Have Patience, for you are the first of my family who will join me." [Muslim]
Imaam At-Tabaraani related on the authority of Ibn `Abbaas may Allah be pleased with him that he said: "When the Soorah: "When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest [of Makkah]." was revealed, it heralded to Allah's Messenger that his death was near, and so he intensified his preparations for the Hereafter (by increasing his prayers, fasting, supplicating etc.); after embarking upon this, he said: "The conquest and the help of Allah have come, and the people of Yemen have come." A man asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Who are the people of Yemen?" He replied: "A people who are gentle-hearted and moderate in their ways: faith is in Yemen; fiqh (understanding of Islam) is in Yemen." [Al-Bukhari]
It has been confirmed from Ibn `Abbaas may Allah be pleased with him that the Messenger of Allah said on the day of the conquest of Makkah: "There is no Hijrah (i.e. emigration) after the conquest, but there is Jihaad and Niyyah (pure intention) and if you are called upon, then respond to the call." [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
Masrooq may Allah be pleased with him said: "I heard `Aa'ishah may Allah be pleased with her saying that the Messenger of Allah would repeat: "Glorified be Allah and all praise be to Him, I ask Allah's forgiveness and I turn to Him in repentance." He continued: "Indeed, my Lord has informed me that I will see a sign amongst my people, and He ordered me, if I do see it, to glorify His praises and ask His forgiveness, and I have seen it, (it is): 'When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest [of Makkah]. And you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes. Then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance.'"" [Muslim]
Umm Salamah may Allah be pleased with her said: "Towards the end of his life, the Messenger of Allah would not stand, nor sit, nor depart, nor arrive, without saying: "Most Glorified is Allah and all praise is due to Him." So I said to him: "O Messenger of Allah! I have observed you frequently glorifying Allah and praising Him." He said: "I was ordered to do it." Then he said: "When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest [of Makkah]..." (to the end of the Soorah)." What is meant by 'the conquest' is the conquest of Makkah. The people of Arabia were slow in answering the call to Islam until the fall of Makkah, then they entered the Religion of Allah in crowds and within two years, the whole of Arabia became unified in faith and all the tribes of Arabia embraced Islam.
Imaam Al-Bukhari reported that when Makkah was conquered, delegations from all the tribes of Arabia came to the Messenger of Allah to declare their allegiance to Islam, while prior to it, they were slow to embrace Islam.
Imam Ahmad narrated on the authority of the neighbour of Jaabir Ibn `Abdullaah may Allah be pleased him that he (i.e., the neighbour) said: "I once returned from a journey and Jaabir Ibn `Abdullaah came to me and greeted me. I began to talk with him about the disunity of the people and their innovations (in religion). Jaabir then began to cry and said: "I heard Allah's Messenger say: "Indeed, the people entered the Religion of Allah in crowds and they will abandon it in crowds.
The Farewell Pilgrimage
In this year, (10 A.H.) the Holy Prophet performed his last pilgrimage, details of which are fairly well-known. During his journey back, the Holy Prophet stopped at Ghadir Khum.
Al-Nasa'i in Kitabul Khasa'is narrates a tradition from Zaid ibn al-Arqam on the authority of Abu al-Tufail which runs thus:
Returning from the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet camped at Ghadir Khum. He ordered a pulpit to be made for him. Once the pulpit had been made,he graced it and said, "I have been called back by the Lord, and I have submitted to His orders. Now I leave among you two valuable things, one of them is the Qur'an and the other is my progeny. These shall not separate from each other till they meet me together at the Kawthar in Heaven; therefore, be careful and guard yourselves in your dealings with the Quean and with my progeny after me." Then the Prophet added, "Hearken! Allah is my Master, and I am the master of the believers." Then he raised 'Ali's hand and said, "'Ali is the Master of whoever accepts me as his master. O Lord! Befriend whoever befriends 'Ali and alienate Yourself from whoever alienates 'Ali! "
Abu al-Tufail says:
"When I heard this tradition, I inquired from Zaid ibn al-Arqam: 'Did you hear the Prophet saying these words?' Zaid ibn al-Arqam said, 'Not only I but all those who surrounded the pulpit (did so). They had seen with their own eyes that the Prophet was speaking those words, and they heard them with their own ears. "'
According to another tradition quoted by al-Nasa'i, the Prophet stood up and, having praised the Lord and enumerated His mercies, he asked the gathering:
"My people! Do you not know that I have more authority over you than you yourselves have?"
All of them replied:
"Yes, we bear witness to the fact that you have more authority over us than we have ourselves."
Then the Prophet held 'Ali by the hand and said:
"Ali is the Master of anyone whose master I am."
This incident took place on the 18th of Dhu-Hijjah, 10 A.H.
Prophet's Illness and Usamah's Expedition
In Tarikh of Abul-Fida, it is stated that:
"After his return from the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet resided at Medina till the close of the 10th year of Hijrah. In Muharram of 11 A.H., the Prophet fell ill. Then he called all his wives at the residence of Maimunah, Mother of the Faithful, where he was staying at that time, requesting them to permit him to remain at the residence of any one particular wife from among them. All of them allowed him to stay during the period of his illness at'Ayishah's."
Ibn al-Wardi writes in his history that during his illness, the Prophet commissioned an army to be led by Usamah son of the late Zaid ibn Harithah to march to Mu'ta in order to avenge the death of his father. The Prophet insisted upon its immediate departure.
On the next day, in spite of his serious condition, the Prophet personally prepared a flag and handed it over to Usamah saying, "Go in the Name of Allah and fight the infidels in His Name." Usamah went out and handed over the standard to Buraidah ibn al-Khusaib whom he appointed as the army's standard-bearer. Having left Medina, he stopped at a village named Jarf which is close to Medina and the army gathered there. The Prophet had also ordered that barring 'Ali, all other principal Immigrants and Helpers, including Abu Bakr, 'Umar, Uthman, Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqas, Abu Ubaidah ibn al jarrah and others, should accompany Usamah. Some companions felt insulted at the Prophet's appointing the son of a freed slave to lead the senior Immigrants and Helpers, so they started grumbling and criticizing. When the news reached the Prophet, he felt dismayed. Despite his fever and headache, he angrily came out of his residence, mounted the pulpit and declared:
"O people! What is this you are saying on Usamah's appointment as the commander of the army? You talked in a similar manner when Usamah's father was commissioned to lead the army in the battle of Mu'ta. By Allah!, Usamah deserves to be a commander and his father also deserved the leadership of the army. "
The Farewell Pilgrimage
Shahristani, in his book Kitabul Milal wan Nihal, and Nawwab Siddiq Hasan Khan in his book Hujajul Karamah, state that the Prophet ordered his companions thus:
"Make haste in joining Usamah's legion. May Allah curse whoever fags behind Usamah's army."
In Madarijun-Nubuwwah, the following is stated:
"Then, in accordance with the orders of the Prophet, Usamah went to the camp and ordered the army to march. When he was about to mount his steed, his mother informed him that the Prophet was in the agony of death. Receiving this news, Usamah and other companions went back. Abu Bakr and 'Umar were still in Medina; they had not joined the army camp..."