Sura-48 [Al Fath madina 111]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s version:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ ...

48:10. Verily those who plight their fealty to thee do no less than plight their fealty to Allah:

C4877. In the Hudaybiyah negotiations, when it was uncertain whether the Quraish would treat well or ill the Prophet's delegate to Makkah, there was a great wave of feeling in the Muslim camp of 1400 to 1500 men. They came with great enthusiasm and swore their fealty to the Prophet, by placing hand on hand according to the Arab custom: see paragraph 3 of the Introduction to this Surah.

This in itself was a wonderful demonstration of moral and material strength, a true Victory: it is called Baiat ur Ridhwan (Fealty of Allah's Good Pleasure) in Islamic History. They placed their hands on the Prophet's hand, but the Hand of Allah was above them, and He accepted their Fealty.

...يَدُ اللَّهِ فَوْقَ أَيْدِيهِمْ ...

the Hand of Allah is over their hands:

...فَمَن نَّكَثَ فَإِنَّمَا يَنكُثُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ ...

Then anyone who violates His oath, does so to the harm of his own soul,

...وَمَنْ أَوْفَى بِمَا عَاهَدَ عَلَيْهُ اللَّهَ فَسَيُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا ﴿١٠﴾

and anyone who fulfills what he has covenanted with Allah, Allah will soon grant him a great Reward.

'Alaihu is an archaic form for 'Alaihi.

Asad’s Version:

48:10 Behold, all who pledge their allegiance to thee pledge their allegiance to God: the hand of God is over their hands. 8 Hence, he who breaks his oath, breaks it only to his own hurt; whereas he who remains true to what he has pledged unto God, on him will He bestow a reward supreme.

[[Asad’s note - 8 Lhis refers, in the first instance, to the pledge of faith and allegiance (bay'at ar-ridwan) which the Muslims assembled at Hudaybiyyah gave to the Prophet (see introductory note). Beyond this historical allusion, however, the above sentence implies that as one's faith in God's message-bearer is to all intents and purposes synonymous with a declaration of faith in God Himself, so does one's willingness

to obey God necessarily imply a willingness to obey His message-bearer. - The phrase "the hand of God is over their hands" does not merely allude to the hand-clasp with which all of the Prophet's followers affirmed their allegiance to him, but is also a metaphor for His being a witness to their pledge.]]