003:014

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                                   003: 014

قَدۡ كَانَ لَـكُمۡ اٰيَةٌ فِىۡ فِئَتَيۡنِ الۡتَقَتَا ؕ  فِئَةٌ تُقَاتِلُ فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ وَاُخۡرٰى كَافِرَةٌ يَّرَوۡنَهُمۡ مِّثۡلَيۡهِمۡ رَاۡىَ الۡعَيۡنِ‌ؕ  وَاللّٰهُ يُؤَيِّدُ بِنَصۡرِهٖ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ  ‌ؕ اِنَّ فِىۡ ذٰ لِكَ لَعِبۡرَةً لِّاُولِى الۡاَبۡصَارِ‏

Qud-kaa-na-la-koom-aa-ya-toon                                                                                                        Fee-fay-aa-tai-nil-ta-qa-taa                                                                                                                 Fay-aa-toon-to-qaa-tay-lo-fee-sa-bee-lil-laa-hay                                                                           Wa-ookh-raa-kaa-fay-ra-toon                                                                                                             Ya-rao-na-hoom-mith-lai-him-rau-yul-aiy-n                                                                                  Wul-laa-ho-yo-uy-yay-do-bay-nus-ray-he-mun-ya-shaa-o                                                         In-na-fee-zaa-lay-ka-la-ib-raa-tun-lay-olil-ub-saa-r.

Surely there was a remarkable Sign for you                                                                     In the two groups that met in combat.                                                                            One group was fighting in the cause of Allah                                                                And the other disbelievers were                                                                                   Seeing them twice as the eye saw.  **                                                                               And by God Allah supports with His help whomever he pleases.                             Certainly in all this is a lesson for those who have the vision.

• قَدۡ — Qud — Surely (= Word laying emphasis; certainly; definitely, verily)
• كَانَ — Kaa-na — Had been (= Conveys continuation; One in 3^rd person had been)
• لّ — La — For (= For the benefit, object, purpose or reason of)
• کُمۡ — Koom — You all (= Refers to you all)
• اٰيَةٌ — Aa-ya-toon — Sign (= n., An argument, corroboration, indication,  insinuation, pointer, portent, sign, suggestion, symbol or token. See Note 002:074)
• فِىۡ — Fee — In (= 1. Amidst, among, contained or inside a duration, event time, place, period, thing or situation.  2. Concerning; in reference, regarding; relative to)
• فِئَتَيۡنِ — Fay-aa-tai-n..(il) — Two parties (= pl of …. 1. Assembly, band; bunch, contingent, faction; folks; force; gathering; henchmen; group; people; sect; supporter; tribe. 2. Army; force; combatant; company; fighters; hosts; opponent)
• الۡتَقَتَا — Il-ta-qa-taa — Met in combat (= Combated, confronted, encountered, faced, fought, met or pitched against each other in a battle-field)
• فِئَةٌ — Fay-aa-toon — One group (= s., 1. Assembly, band; bunch, contingent, faction;  folks; force; gathering; henchmen; group; people; sect; supporter; tribe.  2. Army; force; combatant; company; fighters; hosts; opponent)
• تُقَاتِلُ — To-qaa-tay-lo — Fought (= v., Attack; battle; combat; fight; fight back; oppose; push back; resist; retaliate; strive; struggle; war.  Also, act in self-defense. For other possible meanings, see 002:192)
• فِىۡ  — Fee — In (= In; concerning; regarding; in reference; relative to. Also, amidst, during or inside a time, place or event)
• سَبِيۡلِ — Sa-bee-l … (il) — Cause (= n., s., Action; alternative; cause, course; escape; line;  means; measure; method; path; pretext; remedy; road; way. See Note 004:089  & Phrase fee-sa-be-lil-laa-hay)
• اللّٰهِ‌ — Laa-hay — Allah (= The Almighty God; The only One worthy of worship)
• وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses; additionally; but also; more over; though; when; while; yet; whereupon)
• اُخۡرٰى — Ookh-raa– The other (= The second opposing group)
• كَافِرَةٌ — Kaa-fay-ra-toon — Disbelievers  (= n., pl., A bunch, group, host or party of the disbelievers, faithless, unappreciative, unbelievers or ungrateful.  1. Those who denied, refused or rejected faith to believe in Allah, the Holy Qor-aan and Islaam to become Moslem.  2 Acted ungratefully; failed to appreciate, thank or gratefully utilize Almighty God’s blessings and opportunities provided to them.  3. Heretics; infidels; resistors to God; unbelievers)
• يَّرَوۡن — Ya-rao-na –They seeing (= v., pres., Beholding; coming across; facing; observing; taking notice; watching. Some translations accentuated the verbs by adding to them the adjective ‘clearly’)
• هُمۡ‌ — Hoom — Their (= pro., pl., m., 3^rd person. Refers to the aforesaid persons)
• مِّثۡلَيۡ — Mith-lai — Twice (= Double the number, quality or quantity)
• هِم — Him –Their (= pro., pl., m., 3^rd person. Refers to the aforesaid persons)
• رَاۡىَ — Rau-ya…(ul) — Saw (= v., past., Beheld; came across; faced; observed; sight;  took notice; watched)
• الۡعَيۡنِ‌ — Ai-nay — The eye (= The organ of vision or of light sensitivity)
• وَ — Wa…(ul) –And (= This وَ vaao is tantamount to taking oath; solemn declaration)
• اللّٰهُ — Laa-ho — Allah (= The Almighty God; The only One worthy of worship)
• يُؤَيِّدُ — Yo-uy-yay-do — Empowers (= Aids; assists; helps; props; strengthens; supports)
• بِ — Bay — With (= About; due to; in ref to; relative to; on account of)
• نَصۡرِ — Nus-ray — Help (= n., Aid, assistance, guidance, might, power, promotion, rescue, succor or support that leads to a victory)
• هٖ — He — His (= Pronoun referring to that aforesaid single male person)
• مَنۡ — Mun…(ya) — Whomever (= What; which; whoever)
• يَّشَآءُ — Ya-shaa-o — He pleases (= v., pres., Does or will choose, decide, decree, desire, destine, dictate; like, mandate, order, please; prefer; rule, select, want, will or wish)
• اِنَّ — In-na — Surely (= Absolutely; certainly; definitely; doubtlessly; indeed; positively; really; surely; truly; verily)
• فِىۡ — Fee — In (= Inside a situation; concerning; regarding. See  فِىۡ  above)
• ذٰلِكَ — Zaa-lay-ka — All this (= Right in here)
• لَ — La — Certainly (= Absolutely; definitely; positively; surely; truly; verily)
• عِبۡرَةً‏ — Ib-raa-ton — A lesson (= n., Curse; experience to remember; precedent of a terrible doom; warning)
• لِّ — Lay — For (= For the benefit, object, purpose or reason)
• اُولِى‏ — Olil n– Those who have (= Masters; owners; with)
• الۡاَبۡصَارِ — Ub-saa-r — The vision (= Men of vision, comprehension or understanding. Seers. The discerning individuals who have eyes that see)

* Note 003:014. The real importance of the ruling in this verse is lasting and perpetual. The Believers are given a cart blanche mandate that if true in their Faith they will always win against much bigger, larger and stronger foes. The condition is that the Believers must be so in the real sense of the word with full faith in the Almighty God and not merely with a lip-service.

It is the application of this rule to one instance as its illustration where the translations vary. The Battle of Badr was fought on March 13, 624 AD [“17 Ramadan, 2 AH in the Islamic calendar” – Wikipedia]. On one side were about 1,000 armed soldiers invaders from Mecca. The other side was 313 Moslem Believers who were hardly equipped for a war. Odds were heavily stacked against Moslems and yet they defeated the 3-times-larger army.

The phrase seeing them twice them in this verse has been translated in different ways. The translations differ regarding Who saw with their own eyes and Whom did they see. The verse has used two words  هُمۡ  and  هِمۡ  and they both are pronouns. Do both these pronouns refer to only one side? If so, which one? Or, one pronoun to one side and the other to the opposing faction? That is why the following different interpretations exist.

1. The believers saw the invaders twice their own number whereas actually they were three times the number of Believers.
2. The invaders saw the believers twice their actual number which really was only 313 (as generally stated, or 319 as stated by N J Dawood).
3. The believers saw themselves as if they were twice their own actual number.
4. The invaders saw themselves as if they were twice their actual number of 1000.
5. Both groups appeared in their own eyes — as well as to those of their opponents — twice their actual numbers.