3. Sura al-Imran

Medina 89 [200 verses]

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.

...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:

...وَاللّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١٥٢﴾

for Allah is full of grace to those who believe.

Transliteration Wa laqad sadaqakumulla_hu wa'dahu_ iz tahussu_nahum bi iznih(i), hatta_ iza_ fasyiltum wa tana_za'tum fil amri wa 'asaitum mim ba'di ma_ ara_kum ma_ tuhibbu_n(a), minkum may yuridud dunya_ wa minkum may yuridul a_khirah(ti), summa sarafakum 'anhum liyabtaliyakum, wa laqad'afa_ 'ankum, walla_hu zu_ fadlin 'alal mu'minin(a).

Other Versions:

3: 152

Asad And, indeed, God made good His promise unto you when, by His leave, you were about to destroy your foes [note 107] – until the moment when you lost heart and acted contrary to the [Prophet’s] command [note 108], disobeyed after you within view of that [victory] …………….There were among you such as cared for this world [alone], …[note 109], whereupon, in order that He might put you to test, He prevented you form defeating your foes [note 110]. But now He has effaced your sin: for God is limitless in His bounty unto the believers.

Pickthall Allah verily made good His promise unto you when ye routed them by His leave, until (the moment) when your courage failed you, and ye disagreed about the order and ye disobeyed, after He had shown you that for which ye long. Some of you desired the world, and some of you desired the Hereafter. Therefore He made you flee from them, that He might try you. Yet now He hath forgiven you. Allah is a Lord of Kindness to believers.

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Ali’s comments:

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.

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.