513 Page Notes

48 Surah Al-Fath (continued)

Page 513 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 513 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 513 of the Quran marks a deeply emotional and triumphant transition for the early Muslim community. This page houses Surah Al-Fath (The Victory), verses 16 through 23, which details the immediate fallout of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (6 AH / 628 CE), the testing of the Bedouins, the immense honor bestowed upon those who took the Pledge under the Tree, and the promise of the Conquest of Khaybar.

Several rigorous Hadiths and historical traditions (Sunnah) directly detail the events surrounding these specific verses.

1. Verses 16–17: Testing the Bedouins & Exempting the Weak

"Say to the Bedouins who lagged behind, 'You shall be called to fight against a people given to great warfare...' There is no blame upon the blind nor any blame upon the lame nor any blame upon the sick..." (Quran 48:16-17)

When the Prophet ﷺ originally left Medina for Makkah to perform the minor pilgrimage (Umrah), several hypocritical Bedouin tribes stayed behind, assuming the Muslims would be wiped out by the Quraysh. Verse 16 establishes that their repentance will be tested by future difficult campaigns, while Verse 17 gracefully exempts those with genuine physical constraints.

• The Restlessness of the Disabled: Traditional accounts of revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul) record that when the strict warnings of fighting and punishment were revealed, companions with severe physical disabilities panicked. They approached the Prophet ﷺ expressing their deep spiritual anxiety about being left behind from earning Paradise. Allah immediately revealed verse 17 to establish a legal framework of mercy, assuring them that their physical limitations did not equal a spiritual deficiency.

2. Verse 18: Bay'at ar-Ridwan (The Pledge of Good Pleasure)

"Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility upon them and rewarded them with an imminent conquest." (Quran 48:18)

This is the central verse of page 513, granting the highest spiritual medal of honor to the 1,400 companions who swore to fight to the death when a false rumor spread that Uthman ibn Affan had been murdered by the Quraysh. Because Allah announced His absolute pleasure (Rida) with them, this historical event is forever known as Bay'at ar-Ridwan.

• "The Best People on Earth": Jabir bin 'Abdullah reported that on the day of Al-Hudaybiyyah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ looked at the 1,400 companions gathered under the Samurah (Egyptian balsam) tree and explicitly stated:
  "You are the best people on the earth today!"

  • Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 475), Sahih Muslim (Hadith 1856).

• Protection from Hellfire: The Prophet ﷺ guaranteed the eternal salvation of those highlighted in this verse. Hafsah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
  "No one who swore allegiance under the tree shall enter the Hellfire, if Allah wills."

  • Source: Sahih Muslim (Hadith 2496), Jami` at-Tirmidhi (Hadith 3860).

3. Verses 19–21: The Abundant Spoils of Khaybar

"And abundant spoils that they will capture... Allah has promised you much booty that you will take [in the future] and has hastened for you this [victory]..." (Quran 48:19-20)

To comfort the believers who felt downcast by the restrictive conditions of the peace treaty, Allah explicitly promised them near-future material and spiritual triumphs.

• The Quick Realization at Khaybar: The Sunnah establishes that the "abundant spoils" and the victory "hastened for you" referenced here was the Conquest of Khaybar, which occurred just weeks after returning from Hudaybiyyah. Scholars of Hadith, including Mujahid and Ibn Abbas, noted that the Prophet ﷺ strictly decreed that only the 1,400 companions who had displayed true sincerity under the tree were permitted to march out and claim the spoils of Khaybar. It was a divine reward restricted exclusively to the faithful.

  • Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Contextual background of Khaybar).

4. Verses 22–23: The Divine Law of Defeat for Disbelievers

"And if those who disbelieve had fought you, they would have turned their backs [in flight]... [This is] the established way of Allah which has occurred before..." (Quran 48:22-23)

Some companions wondered if the peace treaty was signed because they were too weak to defeat the Makkans. Allah completely corrects this narrative, explicitly stating that if battle had broken out, the Makkans would have been routed due to a immutable divine law (Sunnatullah) that sides with absolute sincerity.

• The Plot of the Eighty Makkans: The reality of how close they came to this fight is detailed in the Sunnah. Anas ibn Malik narrated:
  "Eighty armed men from the people of Makkah came down from the mountain of Tan'im intending to launch a surprise ambush on the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his companions during the treaty. The Muslims captured them all alive without a fight. The Prophet ﷺ graciously released them without executing them, and Allah subsequently revealed the verses of peace."

  • Source: Sahih Muslim (Hadith 1808), Sunan Abi Dawud (Hadith 2688).