Surah Al-Anfal, Ayah 14

Slumber overcomes Muslims

Allah reminds the believers of the slumber that He sent down on them as security from the fear they suffered from, because of the multitude of their enemy and the sparseness of their forces. They were given the same favor during the battle of Uhud, which Allah described,

ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّن بَعْدِ الْغَمِّ أَمَنَةً نُّعَاساً يَغْشَى طَآئِفَةً مِّنْكُمْ وَطَآئِفَةٌ قَدْ أَهَمَّتْهُمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ

(Then after the distress, He sent down security for you. Slumber overtook a party of you, while another party was thinking about themselves. ) 3:154

Abu Talhah said, "I was among those who were overcome by slumber during (the battle of) Uhud. The sword fell from my hand several times, and I kept picking it up again, several times. I also saw the Companions' heads nodding while in the rear guard." Al-Hafiz Abu Ya`la narrated that `Ali said, "Only Al-Miqdad had a horse during Badr, and at some point, I found that all of us fell asleep, except the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He was praying under a tree and crying until dawn." `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, "Slumber during battle is security from Allah, but during prayer, it is from Shaytan." Qatadah said, "Slumber affects the head, while sleep affects the heart."

Commentary

Being enumerated from the very beginning are blessings of Allah Ta` ala which descended upon His obedient servants. The events of the battle of Badr are parts of the same chain. Out of the many blessings bestowed by Allah Ta` ala during the battle of Badr, the very first blessing is the bringing out of Muslims for this Jihad, which finds mention in: كَمَا أَخْرَ‌جَكَ رَ‌بُّكَ (When your Lord made you leave your home - 5). The second blessing is the promise of providing the support of angels which has been made وَإِذْ يَعِدُكُمُ اللَّـهُ (And when Allah was promising you - 7). The third blessing is the answer to the prayer made and the fulfill-ment of the promise of support given, which has been mentioned in: إِذْ تَسْتَغِيثُونَ رَ‌بَّكُمْ (When you were calling your Lord for help - 9). The fourth blessing finds its description in the first of the set of four verses cited immediately above (11). Mentioned here are two blessings for the believers: (1) The removal of anxiety and fatigue through a mass descension of drowsiness; and (2) the provision of water for them through rains which also made the battlefield smooth for them and muddy for the enemy.

At the time of confrontation what is required of the people of Truth is steadfastness. They should not be disheartened under any circumstances. The gift readily given by God in return for this steadfastness is the striking of terror into the hearts of the enemies of Truth, and nothing can save from defeat any such group as is terror-stricken by its opponents.