3. Sura al-Imran

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَلَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمُ اللّهُ وَعْدَهُ إِذْ تَحُسُّونَهُم بِإِذْنِهِ...

3: 152. Allah did indeed fulfil His promise to you when ye with His permission were about to annihilate your enemy,

...حَتَّى إِذَا فَشِلْتُمْ وَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ وَعَصَيْتُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا أَرَاكُم مَّا تُحِبُّونَ...

until ye flinched and fell to disputing about the order and disobeyed it after He brought you in sight (of the Booty) which ye covet.

C462. The order was: not to leave the post and strictly to maintain discipline. Uhud was in the beginning a victory for the Muslims. Many of the enemy were slain, and they were retiring when a part of the Muslims, against orders, ran in pursuit, attracted by the prospects of booty.

See note to 3:121.

...مِنكُم مَّن يُرِيدُ الدُّنْيَا وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرِيدُ الآخِرَةَ ...

Among you are some that hanker after this world and some that desire the Hereafter.

...ثُمَّ صَرَفَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ لِيَبْتَلِيَكُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَفَا عَنكُمْ ...

Then did He divert you from your foes in order to test you, but He forgave you:

C463. The disobedience seemed at first pleasant: they were chasing the enemy, and there was the prospect of booty. But when the gap was noticed by the enemy, they turned the flank round the hill and nearly overwhelmed the Muslims.

Had it not been for Allah's grace, and the firmness of their Prophet and his immediate Companions, they would have been finished.

...وَاللّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١٥٢﴾

for Allah is full of grace to those who believe.

وَمَا أَصَابَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ فَبِإِذْنِ اللّهِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١٦٦﴾

3: 166. What ye suffered on the day the two armies met, was with the leave of Allah, in order that He might test the believers.

Asad’s Version:

3: 152 At Uhud, who desired this life more and wanted war booty, God put them to trials and partial defeat. Their thinking and desire preceded consequence befell them.

3: 166 and all that befell you on the day when the two hosts met in battle happened by God's leave, so that He might mark out the (true) believers, and mark out those who were tainted with hypocrisy and ,…………"