ََُحم ْ 1244 الفتح
إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُبِينًا ﴿۱﴾ لِيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ وَيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَيَهْدِيَكَ صِرَاطًا مُسْتَقِيمًا ﴿۲﴾ وَيَنْصُرَكَ اللَّهُ نَصْرًا عَزِيزًا ﴿۳﴾
﴾1﴿ Innaa fatahnaa laka Fatham Mubeenaa
﴾2﴿ Liyaghfira lakal laahu maa taqaddama min zambika wa maa ta akhkhara wa yutimma ni'matahoo 'alaika wa yahdiyaka siraatan mustaqeema
﴾3﴿ Wa yansurakal laahu nasran 'azeezaa
﴾1﴿ Surely, We have granted you a clear victory
﴾2﴿ So that Allah may forgive you for your past and future shortcomings, complete His favor upon you, and guide you on the straight path
﴾3﴿ And Allah will support you with a mighty help
Relevancy:
This surah is connected to the previous one in several ways.
First, since the command for fighting (Qital) was mentioned in the previous surah, this surah now brings the glad tidings of victory along with the descent of tranquility (Sakinah).
Second, while the previous surah described eighteen qualities of the believers that encouraged them to fight in the path of Allah, this surah now mentions eighteen attributes that demonstrate Allah’s pleasure with them.
Claim of this surah:
Giving glad tidings to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of victory and his greatness, and giving glad tidings to the believers (the noble companions) with the descent of tranquility and the mention of their attributes—and the issue of monotheism is presented in various expressions in (27, 26, 14, 11, 9, 7), and it is not among the Beautiful Names of Allah, the Exalted.
Summary of the surah:
This surah is divided into two sections. The first section extends up to (18), containing two glad tidings, each associated with four matters. Then, it affirms the truthfulness of the Messenger and his greatness, along with the mention of monotheism. After that, it describes ten reprehensible traits of the hypocrites as a warning and mentions the people with valid excuses in (17).
[1] The correct interpretation of "victory" (Fatḥ) refers to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which became the cause of Islam's triumph. This is supported by the hadith from Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "You consider the conquest of Mecca as the victory—yes, it was a victory—but we consider the Pledge of Ridwan as the true victory." The phrase "a clear victory" (Fatḥan Mubīnan) is used because many evident miracles occurred during it, leading to the dominance of Islam, and there was no fighting involved. For this reason, the attribute "clear" (Mubīn) is mentioned.
[2,3] These are the four benefits of the victory (Fatḥ) for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
First Note:
(لِيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ) – This means th
at the victory serves as a cause for these four benefits. The reason for this causation is that the clear victory (Fatḥan Mubīnan) resulted from jihad and fighting in the path of Allah, following other religious obligations. Such efforts lead to the forgiveness of sins.
Question: The words maghfirah (forgiveness) and dhanb (sin) suggest that the Prophet (peace be upon him) committed sins, whereas he and all the prophets (peace be upon them) are infallible (maʿṣūm) and protected from sins. How is this explained?
Answer: There are several interpretations:
First Explanation: This statement does not necessarily imply committing sins. Instead, dhanb refers to actions that are contrary to the most virtuous choices (khilāf al-afḍal). These are not sins but may cause distress for the prophets. Allah removed this distress, and this removal is metaphorically referred to as maghfirah (forgiveness).
Second Explanation: Maghfirah here means divine protection (ʿiṣmah), as reported by al-Sharbīnī. This means that Allah safeguarded the Prophet (peace be upon him) from committing sins, both in the past and in the future, as stated in (مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ) ("what has passed of your faults and what is to come"). There are various interpretations regarding this phrase:
Mujāhid’s opinion: It refers to the period before and after prophethood.
Another view: It refers to the period before and after the victory.
A third interpretation: It refers to all time before and after this moment.
Second Note:
(وَيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ) – This indicates the completion of divine blessings upon the Prophet. It alludes to the laws and rulings revealed after the victory. It also suggests that many arrogant individuals would embrace Islam after the victory.
Third Note:
(وَيَهْدِيَكَ صِرَاطًا مُسْتَقِيمًا) – Here, hidayah (guidance) means affirmation and steadfastness. The victory led to greater stability and firmness in religion.
Fourth Note:
(وَيَنْصُرَكَ اللَّهُ نَصْرًا عَزِيزًا) – Nusrah (help) here means triumph over enemies, referring specifically to the Conquest of Mecca. Additionally, it points to future victories that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would achieve.