Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "When you were on the near bank"
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Question:
Peace be upon you. In his other question, he says: Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Anfal 8:42] What is the interpretation of this noble verse? And what is meant by the near bank and the far bank? Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
This verse is about the Battle of Badr, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Companions with him met the polytheists without a prior appointment. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had set out with his companions intending to intercept the caravan coming from Sham to Quraysh, who had expelled them from their homes and wealth, deprived them of their rights, and wronged them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to avenge the Muslims against these oppressors and seize these goods destined for the enemies of Allah and His Messenger in Makkah, who had wronged the Muslims and expelled them from their homes and wealth. However, Allah willed otherwise; He willed that the Muslims and the disbelievers meet, that the battle take place, and that Islam triumph over the disbelievers. As for the caravan, it was saved because its leader, Abu Sufyan, took it along another route via the coast. This is the meaning of His saying:[Al-Anfal 8:42]. "They" refers to Quraysh, the disbelievers of Quraysh, on the far bank. The two banks are the names of two locations in Badr. "And the caravan was below you" means the caravan took another route and did not meet the Muslims, so it was safe. Yes.
Peace be upon you. In his other question, he says: Allah the Exalted said:
[Remember] when you were on the near side of the valley, and they were on the farther side, and the caravan was lower [in position] than you. If you had made an appointment [to meet], you would have missed the appointment. But [it was] so that Allah might accomplish a matter already destined
إِذْ أَنتُم بِالْعُدْوَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَهُم بِالْعُدْوَةِ الْقُصْوَىٰ وَالرَّكْبُ أَسْفَلَ مِنكُمْ وَلَوْ تَوَاعَدتُّمْ لَاخْتَلَفْتُمْ فِي الْمِيعَادِ وَلَٰكِن لِّيَقْضِيَ اللَّهُ أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُولًاAnswer:
This verse is about the Battle of Badr, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Companions with him met the polytheists without a prior appointment. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had set out with his companions intending to intercept the caravan coming from Sham to Quraysh, who had expelled them from their homes and wealth, deprived them of their rights, and wronged them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to avenge the Muslims against these oppressors and seize these goods destined for the enemies of Allah and His Messenger in Makkah, who had wronged the Muslims and expelled them from their homes and wealth. However, Allah willed otherwise; He willed that the Muslims and the disbelievers meet, that the battle take place, and that Islam triumph over the disbelievers. As for the caravan, it was saved because its leader, Abu Sufyan, took it along another route via the coast. This is the meaning of His saying:
when you were on the near side of the valley, and they were on
إِذْ أَنتُم بِالْعُدْوَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَهُم بِالْعُدْوَةِ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 5715- تفسير قوله تعالى: إذ أنتم بالعدوة الدنيا وهم بالعدوة القصوى... - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.