Tafseer of The Clans · Al-Ahzaab · 33:25
And Allah repelled those who disbelieved, in their rage, not having obtained any good. And sufficient was Allah for the believers in battle, and ever is Allah Powerful and Exalted in Might.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the statement of the Exalted: وَرَدَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِغَيْظِهِمْ لَمْ يَنَالُوا خَيْرًا وَكَفَى اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْقِتَالَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ قَوِيًّا عَزِيزًا (25) (And Allah turned back those who disbelieved in their rage; they gained no good. And Allah was sufficient for the believers in the fighting (qitāl). And Allah is Strong, Almighty. (33:25))
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: ورَدَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ كَفُروا (And Allah turned back those who disbelieved) in Him and in His messenger, from the tribes of Quraysh and Ghaṭafān, بغَيْظِهِمْ (in their rage) — He says: with their grief and their sorrow, on account of missing out on that which they had hoped for, namely victory, and their disappointment over that for which they had craved, namely dominance. لَمْ ينَالوا خَيْرًا (they gained no good) — He says: they gained from the Muslims no property and no captives. وكَفَى اللَّهُ المُؤْمِنينَ القِتالَ (And Allah was sufficient for the believers in the fighting) through armies of angels and the wind that He sent against them.
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes have said.
* Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both of them — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His statement وَرَدَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِغَيْظِهِمْ لَمْ يَنالُوا خَيْرًا (And Allah turned back those who disbelieved in their rage; they gained no good): the confederates (al-Aḥzāb).
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda concerning His statement وَرَدَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِغَيْظِهِمْ لَمْ يَنالُوا خَيْرًا (And Allah turned back those who disbelieved in their rage; they gained no good): and that was on the day of Abū Sufyān and the confederates; Allah turned Abū Sufyān and his companions back in their rage, without their gaining any good, وكَفَى اللَّهُ المُؤْمِنينَ القِتالَ (And Allah was sufficient for the believers in the fighting) through the armies from His side and the wind that He sent against them.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, saying: Yazīd ibn Rūmān related to me وَرَدَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِغَيْظِهِمْ لَمْ يَنَالُوا خَيْرًا (And Allah turned back those who disbelieved in their rage; they gained no good): that is to say: Quraysh and Ghaṭafān.
Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī al-Ṣudāʾī related to me, saying: Shabāba related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Dhiʾb related to us, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Abī Saʿīd al-Maqburī, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Saʿīd al-Khudrī, on the authority of his father, who said: on the day of the Trench (al-Khandaq) we were kept from the prayer, and we performed neither the noon prayer (ẓuhr), nor the afternoon prayer (ʿaṣr), nor the sunset prayer (maghrib), nor the night prayer (ʿishāʾ), until a while after the night prayer, whereupon we were granted safety, and Allah sent down وكَفَى اللَّهُ المُؤْمِنينَ القِتالَ وكان اللَّهُ قَوِيًّا عَزِيزًا (And Allah was sufficient for the believers in the fighting, and Allah is Strong, Almighty). Then the messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded Bilāl and he made the call to prayer, and he performed the noon prayer and performed it well, just as he used to perform it in its time, then he performed the afternoon prayer likewise, then he performed the sunset prayer likewise, then he performed the night prayer likewise, and he gave a separate call to commence (iqāma) for each prayer, and that was before the prayer of fear had been sent down: فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ فَرِجَالا أَوْ رُكْبَانًا (And if you fear, then on foot or riding).
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam related to me, saying: Ibn Abī Fudayk related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Dhiʾb related to us, on the authority of al-Maqburī, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Saʿīd, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, who said: on the day of the Trench we were kept back — and he mentioned something similar.
And His statement وكانَ اللَّهُ قَوِيًّا عَزِيزًا (And Allah is Strong, Almighty) — He says: and Allah was powerful to do what He wished to do with His creatures, so that He aids from among them whom He wills against whom He wills to forsake, without any victor overcoming Him; (Almighty): He says: His retribution against whomever of His enemies He takes retribution upon is severe.
As Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda وكانَ اللَّهُ قَويًّا عَزيزًا (And Allah is Strong, Almighty): strong in His decree, mighty in His retribution.
