Surah Anfal ayat 17 Tafsir Quran 8:17

﴿فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ رَمَىٰ ۚ وَلِيُبْلِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ بَلَاءً حَسَنًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾
[ الأنفال: 17]

8:17 And you did not kill them, but it was Allah who killed them. And you threw not, [O Muhammad], when you threw, but it was Allah who threw that He might test the believers with a good test. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.

You did not slay them at Badr by your own might but God slew them by giving you assistance and you threw not O Muhammad (s) against the eyes of the unbelieving folk when you threw the pebbles for a handful of pebbles thrown by a human being cannot strike the eyes of every person in a large troop but God threw by making that throw reach them. He did this in order to vanquish the disbelievers and that He might try the believers with a fair test a fair gift namely booty; surely God is Hearing of their sayings Knowing of their conditions.

You people must realize that it was not you who brought death upon the infidels but it was Allah Who destroyed them. It was not you O Muhammad who aimed when you spattered, but it was Allah Who directed the sand you hurled at your enemy. Nor was it you who deprived them of power when you threw the handful of sand at their faces, but it was Allah Who eclipsed their sight. Nonetheless, Allah has determined to test the quality of those who have conformed to Islam with gracious intentions; on the one hand with His prevenient grace producing the repentance and faith without which the grace of justification cannot be received and on the other hand with the efficacious grace really effecting the end for which it is given; Allah is indeed Samiun (Omnipresent) with unlimited audition and Alimun (Omniscient)

Allah's Signs displayed during Badr, And throwing Sand in the Eyes of the Disbelievers Allah states that He creates the actions that the servants perform and that whatever good actions they take, it is He Who should be praised for them, for He directed and helped them perform these actions.
Allah said, فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ ( You killed them not, but Allah killed them. ) meaning, it is not because of your power and strength that you killed the pagans, who were many while you were few.
Rather, it is He Who gave you victory over them, just as He said in another Ayah, وَلَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِبَدْرٍ وَأَنتُمْ أَذِلَّةٌ ( And Allah has already made you victorious at Badr, when you were a weak little force. ) 3:123, and, لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ فِى مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنكُمْ شَيْئاً وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُم مُّدْبِرِينَ ( Truly, Allah has given you victory on many battlefields, and on the day of Hunayn when you rejoiced at your great number, but it availed you naught and the earth, vast as it is, was straitened for you, then you turned back in flight. ) 9:25 Allah, the Exalted and Ever High, states that victory does not depend on numbers or collecting weapons and shields.
Rather, victory is from Him, Exalted He is. كَم مِّن فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةٍ كَثِيرَةً بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّـبِرِينَ ( How often has a small group overcome a mighty host by Allah's leave" And Allah is with the patient. ) 2:249 Allah then mentioned the handful of sand that His Prophet threw at the disbelievers during the day of Badr, when he went out of his bunker.
While in the bunker, the Prophet invoked Allah humbly and expressing his neediness before Allah.
He then threw a handful of sand at the disbelievers and said,
«شَاهَتِ الْوُجُوه»
( Humiliated be their faces. ) He then commanded his Companions to start fighting with sincerity and they did.
Allah made this handful of sand enter the eyes of the idolators, each one of them were struck by some of it and it distracted them making each of them busy.
Allah said, وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ رَمَى ( And you threw not when you did throw, but Allah threw. ) Therefore, it is Allah Who made the sand reach their eyes and busied them with it, not you ( O Muhammad ) . Muhammad bin Ishaq said that Muhammad bin Ja`far bin Az-Zubayr narrated to him that `Urwah bin Az-Zubayr said about Allah's statement, وَلِيُبْلِىَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ بَلاَءً حَسَنًا ( that He might test the believers by a fair trial from Him.
) "So that the believers know Allah's favor for them by giving them victory over their enemy, even though their enemy was numerous, while they were few.
They should thus know His right and express gratitude for His favor on them." Similar was said by Ibn Jarir.
It is stated in a Hadith,
«وَكُلَّ بَلَاءٍ حَسَنٍ أَبْلَانَا»
( Every trail (from Allah ) is a favor for us.) Allah said next, إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ( Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower. ) Allah hears the supplication and knows those who deserve help and triumph.
Allah said, ذلِكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مُوهِنُ كَيْدِ الْكَـفِرِينَ ( This (is the fact ) and surely Allah weakens the deceitful plots of the disbelievers.) This is more good news, aside from the victory that the believers gained.
Allah informed them that He will weaken the plots of the disbelievers in the future, degrade them and make everything they have perish and be destroyed, all praise and thanks are due to Allah.

(8:17) So the fact is that it was not you, but it was Allah Who killed them; and it was not you when you threw [sand at them], but it was Allah Who threw it, *14 (and the believers were employed for the task) that He might cause the believers to successfully pass through this test. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

And you did not kill them, but meaning

*14).
This refers to the occasion wnen the armies of the Muslims and the unbelievers stood face to face in the Battle of Badr and were on the verge of actual fighting.
At that moment, the Prophet ( peace be on him ) threw a handful of dust at the enemy saying: 'May, their faces be scorched.' So saying the Prophet ( peace be on him ) made a gesture and the Muslims started their charge.
( See Ahmad b.
Hanbal, Musnad, vol.
1, p.
368; Ibn Hisham, vol.
1, p.
668; Ibn Kathir, comments on the verse - Ed. )
 

Allah's Signs displayed during Badr, And throwing Sand in the Eyes of the Disbelievers Allah states that He creates the actions that the servants perform and that whatever good actions they take, it is He Who should be praised for them, for He directed and helped them perform these actions.
Allah said, فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ ( You killed them not, but Allah killed them. ) meaning, it is not because of your power and strength that you killed the pagans, who were many while you were few.
Rather, it is He Who gave you victory over them, just as He said in another Ayah, وَلَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِبَدْرٍ وَأَنتُمْ أَذِلَّةٌ ( And Allah has already made you victorious at Badr, when you were a weak little force. ) 3:123, and, لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ فِى مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنكُمْ شَيْئاً وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُم مُّدْبِرِينَ ( Truly, Allah has given you victory on many battlefields, and on the day of Hunayn when you rejoiced at your great number, but it availed you naught and the earth, vast as it is, was straitened for you, then you turned back in flight. ) 9:25 Allah, the Exalted and Ever High, states that victory does not depend on numbers or collecting weapons and shields.
Rather, victory is from Him, Exalted He is. كَم مِّن فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةٍ كَثِيرَةً بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّـبِرِينَ ( How often has a small group overcome a mighty host by Allah's leave" And Allah is with the patient. ) 2:249 Allah then mentioned the handful of sand that His Prophet threw at the disbelievers during the day of Badr, when he went out of his bunker.
While in the bunker, the Prophet invoked Allah humbly and expressing his neediness before Allah.
He then threw a handful of sand at the disbelievers and said, «شَاهَتِ الْوُجُوه» ( Humiliated be their faces. ) He then commanded his Companions to start fighting with sincerity and they did.
Allah made this handful of sand enter the eyes of the idolators, each one of them were struck by some of it and it distracted them making each of them busy.
Allah said, وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ رَمَى ( And you threw not when you did throw, but Allah threw. ) Therefore, it is Allah Who made the sand reach their eyes and busied them with it, not you ( O Muhammad ) . Muhammad bin Ishaq said that Muhammad bin Ja`far bin Az-Zubayr narrated to him that `Urwah bin Az-Zubayr said about Allah's statement, وَلِيُبْلِىَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ بَلاَءً حَسَنًا ( that He might test the believers by a fair trial from Him.
) "So that the believers know Allah's favor for them by giving them victory over their enemy, even though their enemy was numerous, while they were few.
They should thus know His right and express gratitude for His favor on them." Similar was said by Ibn Jarir.
It is stated in a Hadith, «وَكُلَّ بَلَاءٍ حَسَنٍ أَبْلَانَا» ( Every trail (from Allah ) is a favor for us.) Allah said next, إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ( Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower. ) Allah hears the supplication and knows those who deserve help and triumph.
Allah said, ذلِكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مُوهِنُ كَيْدِ الْكَـفِرِينَ ( This (is the fact ) and surely Allah weakens the deceitful plots of the disbelievers.) This is more good news, aside from the victory that the believers gained.
Allah informed them that He will weaken the plots of the disbelievers in the future, degrade them and make everything they have perish and be destroyed, all praise and thanks are due to Allah.

( Ye (Muslims ) slew them not) on the Day of Badr, ( but Allah slew them ) through Gabriel and the angels. ( And thou (Muhammad ) threwest not when thou didst throw) you did make the dust reach the faces of the idolaters, ( but Allah threw ) did make it so reach, ( that He might test the believers ) through the throwing of dust ( by a fair test from Him ) by giving them victory and spoils of war. ( Lo! Allah is Hearer ) of your supplications, ( Knower ) of your help.

You killed them not, but Allah killed them. And you (Muhammad SAW) threw not when you did throw but Allah threw, that He might test the believers by a fair trial from Him. Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.

Page 179 English transliteration