Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Ahzab Verse 9

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O you who believe, remember Allah’s favor to you, when the forces (of the infidels) came upon you, and We sent upon them a wind, and the forces (of angels) you did not see. Allah is watchful of whatever you do.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O believers! Remember Allah’s favour upon you when ˹enemy˺ forces came to ˹besiege˺ you ˹in Medina˺,[[ In 5 A.H./627 C.E., the Meccan pagans along with some Arab and Jewish tribes (totalling around 10 000 soldiers) laid a siege around Medina, where the Prophet (ﷺ) was positioned with 3000 soldiers. The Prophet (ﷺ) had anticipated the offence and, upon an advice from one of his companions, dug a trench around the city to protect it from invaders. After several unsuccessful attempts to cross the trench, the allied enemies quickly lost morale, and were forced to end the siege due to severe weather conditions. This encounter is commonly known as the Battle of the Trench or the Enemy Alliance. ]] so We sent against them a ˹bitter˺ wind and forces you could not see.[[ The angels. ]] And Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.

Ruwwad Translation Center

O you who believe, remember Allah’s favor upon you when [enemy] forces came against you, but We sent against them a violent wind and forces that you could not see. And Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.

A. J. Arberry

O believers, remember God's blessing upon you when hosts came against you, and We loosed against them a wind, and hosts you saw not; and God sees the things you do.

Abdul Haleem

You who believe, remember God’s goodness to you when mighty armies massed against you: We sent a violent wind and invisible forces against them. God sees all that you do.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

O Ye who believe! remember Allah's favour unto you when there came unto you hosts, and We sent against them a wind and hosts which ye saw not, and Allah was of that which ye were working a Beholder.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe! Remember the Grace of Allah, (bestowed) on you, when there came down on you hosts (to overwhelm you); But We sent against them a hurricane and forces that ye saw not; but Allah sees (clearly) all that ye do.

Abul Ala Maududi

Believers, call to mind Allah's favour to you when enemy hosts invaded you. Then We sent against them a wind and hosts that you did not see although Allah was observing all that you were then doing.

Ahmed Ali

O you who believe, remember the favours of God to you when an army came against you and We sent a wind against them and forces that you did not see. But God sees all that you do.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O People who believe! Remember the favour of Allah upon you when some armies came against you, so We sent against them a windstorm and the armies you could not see; and Allah sees your deeds.

Ali Quli Qarai

O you who have faith! Remember Allah’s blessing upon you when the hosts came at you, and We sent against them a gale and hosts whom you did not see, and Allah sees best what you do.

Ali Ünal

O you who believe! Remember God’s favor on you when hosts (of the enemy) came down on you, and We sent against them a fierce, (freezing) wind and (heavenly) hosts that you could not see. And God saw all that you did.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Believers! remember how Allâh favoured you when (the combined) forces (of the Quraish and their allies) came against you (in the Battle of Ahzâb) and We sent against them (the forces of nature) a strong wind and hosts (of angels) that you could not see. And Allâh is ever a close observer of your (painstaking efforts and toilsome) deeds.

English Literal

You, you those who believed, remember/mention God`s blessing/goodness on you, when soldiers/warriors came to you, so We sent on (to) them a wind , and soldiers/warriors you did not see it (them), and God was/is with what you make/do seeing/knowing .

Faridul Haque

O People who believe! Remember the favour of Allah upon you when some armies came against you, so We sent against them a windstorm and the armies you could not see; and Allah sees your deeds.

Hamid S. Aziz

That He may question the Custodians of Truth about the truth (or the Loyal about loyalty), and He has prepared for the unfaithful a painful doom.

Hilali & Khan

O you who believe! Remember Allah's Favour to you, when there came against you hosts, and We sent against them a wind and forces that you saw not [i.e. troops of angels during the battle of AlAhzab (the Confederates)]. And Allah is Ever AllSeer of what you do.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

That He may question the truthful of their truth, and He has prepared for the disbelievers a painful chastisement.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O you who believe! call to mind the favor of Allah to you when there came down upon you hosts, so We sent against them a strong wind and hosts, that you saw not, and Allah is Seeing what you do.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O ye who believe! Remember Allah's favour unto you when there came against you hosts, and We sent against them a great wind and hosts ye could not see. And Allah is ever Seer of what ye do.

Muhammad Sarwar

Believers, recall God's favor to you when the army attacked you. We sent a wind and the armies, which you did not see, to support you. God sees all that you do.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Believers, remember the Favor of Allah to you when there came against you hosts (armies). We unleashed against them a wind and hosts (angels) you could not see. Allah sees the things you do.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O you who believe! Remember Allah's favor to you, when there came against you hosts, and We sent against them a wind and forces that you saw not. And Allah is Ever All-Seer of what you do.

Wahiduddin Khan

You who have attained to faith, remember God's blessings upon you when mighty armies massed against you. We sent a violent wind against them and hosts that you could not see. God sees all that you do.

Talal Itani

O you who believe! Remember God’s blessings upon you, when forces came against you, and We sent against them a wind, and forces you did not see. God is Observant of what you do.

Tafsir jalalayn

O you who believe! Remember God's favour to you when hosts, of disbelievers, came against you, as confederates, at the time the Ditch (al-khandaq) was being dug, and We unleashed against them a [great] wind and hosts, of angels, you did not see. And God is ever Seer of what you do (read ta`malna to imply `in the way of [your] digging of the ditch'; or read ya`malna, `[of what] they do', to imply `the idolaters' forming of a confederation').

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Campaign of the Confederates (Al-Ahzab)

Allah tells us of the blessings and favors He bestowed upon His believing servants when He diverted their enemies and defeated them in the year when they gathered together and plotted. That was the year of Al-Khandaq, in Shawwal of the year 5 AH according to the well-known correct view.

Musa bin Uqbah and others said that it was in the year 4 AH.

The reason why the Confederates came was that a group of the leaders of the Jews of Banu Nadir, whom the Messenger of Allah had expelled from Al-Madinah to Khyber, including Sallam bin Abu Al-Huqayq, Sallam bin Mishkam and Kinanah bin Ar-Rabi, went to Makkah where they met with the leaders of Quraysh and incited them to make war against the Prophet.

They promised that they would give them help and support, and Quraysh agreed to that. Then they went to the Ghatafan tribe with the same call, and they responded too. The Quraysh came out with their company of men from various tribes and their followers, under the leadership of Abu Sufyan Sakhr bin Harb. The Ghatafan were led by Uyaynah bin Hisn bin Badr. In all they numbered nearly ten thousand.

When the Messenger of Allah heard that they had set out, he commanded the Muslims to dig a ditch (Khandaq) around Al-Madinah from the east. This was on the advice of Salman Al-Farisi, may Allah be pleased with him.

So the Muslims did this, working hard, and the Messenger of Allah worked with them, carrying earth away and digging, in the process of which there occurred many miracles and clear signs.

The idolators came and made camp to the north of Al-Madinah, near Uhud, and some of them camped on the high ground overlooking Al-Madinah, as Allah says;
إِذْ جَاوُوكُم مِّن فَوْقِكُمْ وَمِنْ أَسْفَلَ مِنكُمْ
(When they came upon you from above you and from below you),

The Messenger of Allah came out with the believers, who numbered nearly three thousand, or it was said that they numbered seven hundred. They had their backs towards (the mountain of) Sal` and were facing the enemy, and the ditch, in which there was no water, was between the two groups, preventing the cavalry and infantry from reaching them. The women and children were in the strongholds of Al-Madinah.

Banu Qurayzah, who were a group among the Jews, had a fortress in the south-east of Al-Madinah, and they had made a treaty with the Prophet and were under his protection. They numbered nearly eight hundred fighters. Huyay bin Akhtab An-Nadari went to them and kept trying to persuade them until they broke the treaty and went over to the side of the Confederates against the Messenger of Allah. The crisis deepened and things got worse, as Allah says;
هُنَالِكَ ابْتُلِيَ الْمُوْمِنُونَ وَزُلْزِلُوا زِلْزَالاً شَدِيدًا
(There, the believers were tried and shaken with a mighty shaking). (33;11)

They besieged the Prophet and his Companions for almost a month, but they did not reach them and there was no fighting between them, except for when `Amr bin Abd Wadd Al-Amiri, who was one of the most famous and bravest horsemen of the Jahiliyyah, came with some other horsemen, and crossed the ditch to the Muslim side.

The Messenger of Allah called for the Muslim cavalry, and it was said that no one came forward. Then he called Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, who came forward and they fought in single combat until Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, killed him, and this was a sign of imminent victory.

Then Allah sent an intensely cold wind with strong gusts against the Confederates, and they were left with no tents or anything else; they could not light any fires or do anything, and so they departed, disappointed and defeated, as Allah says;

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُوا اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ جَاءتْكُمْ جُنُودٌ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِيحًا وَجُنُودًا

O you who believe! Remember Allah's favor to you, when there came against you hosts, and We sent against them a wind and forces.

Mujahid said;"This was the easterly wind."

This view is supported by another Hadith;

نُصِرْتُ بِالصَّبَا وَأُهْلِكَتْ عَادٌ بِالدَّبُور

I was given victory by the easterly wind, and `Ad were destroyed by the westerly wind.

وَجُنُودًا

لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا

and forces that you saw not.

This refers to the angels who shook them and cast fear and terror into their hearts.

The chief of each tribe said, "O Banu so-and-so, to me!" So they gathered around him, and he said, "Let us save ourselves," when Allah cast fear and terror into their hearts.

In his Sahih, Muslim recorded that Ibrahim At-Taymi said that his father said;

"We were with Hudhayfah bin Al-Yaman, may Allah be pleased with him, and a man said to him;`If I had met the Messenger of Allah I would have fought alongside him and I would have striven my utmost.'

Hudhayfah said to him;`Would you really have done that?

I was present with the Messenger of Allah during (the campaign) against the Confederates on a very cold and windy night, and the Messenger of Allah said;
أَلَا رَجُلٌ يَأْتِي بِخَبَرِ الْقَوْمِ يَكُونُ مَعِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة
(Is there any man who will bring me news of the people; He will be with me on the Day of Resurrection).

None of us answered him, and he repeated it a second and a third time. Then he said;
يَاحُذَيْفَةُ قُمْ فَأْتِنَا بِخَبَرٍ مِنَ الْقَوْم
(O Hudhayfah, get up and bring us news of the people).

When he called me by name, I had no choice but to get up. He said,
ايْتِنِي بِخَبَرِ الْقَوْمِ وَلَاتَذْعَرْهُمْ عَلَي
(Bring us news of the people, but do not alarm them).

So I went, walking as if I were walking among pigeons, until I came to them. I saw Abu Sufyan warming his back by the fire, and I put an arrow in my bow, wanting to shoot it at him, then I remembered what the Messenger of Allah said,
وَلَاتَذْعَرْهُمْ عَلَي
(Do not alarm them).

If I shot the arrow, I would have hit him. So I came back, again walking as if I were walking among pigeons, and I came to the Messenger of Allah. After my returning I began to feel very cold. I told the Messenger of Allah and he gave me to wear a spare cloak of his which he used to pray in. I slept until morning came, and when morning came, the Messenger of Allah said,
قُمْ يَانَوْمَان
(Get up, O sleepy one!)"'

And Allah says,

وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرًا



And Allah is Ever All-Seer of what you do.

Then Allah says