A discussion regarding the verse: “There was a sign for you in two armies that met: one army fighting in the cause of Allah and the other disbelieving, seeing them as twice their number with their own eyes.”
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His saying, Mighty and Majestic: [Ali 'Imran 3:13] Are there two readings? Yes, and . What is the position of His saying, the Exalted: [Ali 'Imran 3:13] in relation to what came before it in meaning? This contains an explanation. Look, Allah distinguished between these two groups and then explained, saying: So its position relative to what came before means that it contains a detailed explanation of what was summarized in His saying: . Good. In His saying: [Ali 'Imran 3:13] there is an omission, where what was mentioned in one of the two phrases was omitted from the other? And the description corresponding to the description of was omitted, omitting what corresponds to [Ali 'Imran 3:13]... and another disbelieving, fighting in the cause of the taghut. Is this so or not? And this is of the eloquence of the Qur'an, that one of the two corresponding items is omitted while the other is mentioned.
The Shaykh : What is the meaning of His saying, the Exalted:[Ali 'Imran 3:13]?
The student: Twice their number.
The Shaykh : This is one of the opinions, meaning: they see them as twice their number, based on the fact that it was revealed concerning the Battle of Badr, because the believers were three hundred and a few more, and the disbelievers were between nine hundred and a thousand. Good, is there another opinion? Meaning that the term refers to a large number, not restricted to exactly two times.
The Shaykh : Is there evidence for this? 'Umar?[Al-Mulk 67:4] The scholars said its meaning is: round after round, and it is not restricted to two times. From this is their saying in the ihram: Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik, the meaning being a response after a response, not a single response.
The Shaykh : Some scholars held that this was not revealed concerning Badr, but rather it is an example. Based on this opinion, there is no difficulty in, and the meaning is: that Allah obligated the believers to face two times [the enemy], to face two times the number of disbelievers. So Allah, the Exalted, said: [Al-Anfal 8:66] And in this opinion, there is absolutely no difficulty in the verse.
They saw them [to be] twice their [own] number by [their] eyesight
يرونهم مثليهم رأي العينseeing them
يرونهمyou see them
ترونهمone fighting in the cause of Allah and another of disbelievers
فئة تقاتل في سبيل الله وأخرى كافرةtwo armies that met
فئتان التقتاA group
فئةtwo armies that met
فئتين التقتاone fighting in the cause of Allah and another of disbelievers
فئة تقاتل في سبيل الله وأخرى كافرةand the other disbelieving
وأخرى كافرةfighting in the cause of Allah
تقاتل في سبيل اللهThe Shaykh : What is the meaning of His saying, the Exalted:
twice their [own] number by [their] eyesight
مثليهم رأي العينThe student: Twice their number.
The Shaykh : This is one of the opinions, meaning: they see them as twice their number, based on the fact that it was revealed concerning the Battle of Badr, because the believers were three hundred and a few more, and the disbelievers were between nine hundred and a thousand. Good, is there another opinion? Meaning that the term refers to a large number, not restricted to exactly two times.
The Shaykh : Is there evidence for this? 'Umar?
Then return [your] vision twice again
ثم ارجع البصر كرتينThe Shaykh : Some scholars held that this was not revealed concerning Badr, but rather it is an example. Based on this opinion, there is no difficulty in