Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Anfal Verse 17

Mufti Taqi Usmani

So, it is not you who killed them, but in fact Allah killed them. And you did not throw when you threw but Allah did throw, so that He might bless the believers with a good favour. Surely, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

It was not you ˹believers˺ who killed them, but it was Allah Who did so. Nor was it you ˹O Prophet˺ who threw ˹a handful of sand at the disbelievers˺,[[ Before the battle, the Prophet (ﷺ) threw a handful of sand at the disbelievers and prayed for their defeat. ]] but it was Allah Who did so, rendering the believers a great favour. Surely Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Ruwwad Translation Center

It was not you who killed them, but it was Allah Who killed them; and it was not you [O Prophet] who threw when you threw [a handful of sand] but it was Allah Who threw, so that He might test the believers with a great test. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

A. J. Arberry

You did not slay them, but God slew them; and when thou threwest, it was not thyself that threw, but God threw, and that He might confer on the believers a fair benefit; surely God is All-hearing, All-knowing.

Abdul Haleem

It was not you who killed them but God, and when you [Prophet] threw [sand at them] it was not your throw [that defeated them] but God’s, to do the believers a favour: God is all seeing and all knowing-

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Wherefore ye slew them not, but Allah slew them, and thou thrtwest not, When thou threWest, but Allah threw, in order that he might prove the believers with a goodly proving from Him. Verily Allah is Hearing, Knowing.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah; when thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but Allah's; in order that He might test the Believers by a gracious trial from Himself; for Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things).

Abul Ala Maududi

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, (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.

Ahmed Ali

It was not you who killed them, but God did so. You did not throw what you threw, (sand into the eyes of the enemy at Badr), but God, to bring out the best in the faithful by doing them a favour of His own. God is all-hearing and all-knowing.

Ahmed Raza Khan

So you did not slay them, but in fact Allah slew them; and O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) you did not throw (the sand) when you did throw, but in fact Allah threw; and in order to bestow an excellent reward upon the Muslims; indeed Allah is the All Hearing, the All Knowing.

Ali Quli Qarai

You did not kill them; rather, it was Allah who killed them; and you did not throw when you threw, rather, it was Allah who threw, that He might test the faithful with a good test from Himself. Indeed Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing.

Ali Ünal

You (O believers) did not kill them (by yourselves in the battle), but God killed them; and when you (O Messenger) threw (dust at them at the start of the battle), it was not you who threw but God threw. (He did all this) so that He might put the believers to a test by a fair testing from Him (so that could attain to their goal and should know that victory is from God). Surely, God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Therefore (in this war O Muslims!) you killed them not. (As a matter of fact) it was Allâh Who killed them. And (O Prophet!) it was not you who threw (a handful of small stones) when you did (apparently) throw them (towards the enemy) but it was Allâh Who threw (that He might vanquish your enemies) and that He might confer on the believers from Himself a bounteous favour. Verily, Allâh is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

English Literal

So you did not kill them, and but God killed them, and you did not throw when you threw, and but God threw, and (it is for) God to test the believers from Him a good test, that God (is) hearing/listening, knowledgeable.

Faridul Haque

So you did not slay them, but in fact Allah slew them; and O dear Prophet (Mohammed - peace and blessings be upon him) you did not throw (the sand) when you did throw, but in fact Allah threw; and in order to bestow an excellent reward upon the Muslims; indeed Allah is the All Hearing, the All Knowing.

Hamid S. Aziz

It is not you who slew them, but it was Allah who slew them; nor was it you who threw (the dust to blind the enemy), but Allah who threw it to test the believers by goodly test from Himself; verily, Allah is Hearer, Knower.

Hilali & Khan

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.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And whoso turns his back to them on that day -- unless manoeuvring for battle turning to join a company -- he, indeed, incurs Allah’s wrath and his refuge is hell. And an evil destination it is.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

So you did not slay them, but it was Allah Who slew them, and you did not smite when you smote (the enemy), but it was Allah Who smote, and that He might confer upon the believers a good gift from Himself; surely Allah is Hearing, Knowing.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Ye (Muslims) slew them not, but Allah slew them. And thou (Muhammad) threwest not when thou didst throw, but Allah threw, that He might test the believers by a fair test from Him. Lo! Allah is Hearer, Knower.

Muhammad Sarwar

It was not you (believers) but God who slew the pagans. It was not you (Muhammad) but God who threw dust at them. He did this as a favorable test for the believers. God is All-hearing and All-knowing.

Qaribullah & Darwish

It was not you who killed them, but Allah slew them, neither was it you who threw at them. Allah threw at them in order that He confers on the believers a fair benefit. Indeed, Allah is Hearing, Knowing.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

You killed them not, but Allah killed them. And you 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.

Wahiduddin Khan

You did not kill them; it was God who killed them; and when you [Prophet] threw [sand] at them it was not you, but God who threw it so that He might confer on the believers a great favour from Himself. Surely, God is all hearing, all-knowing,

Talal Itani

It was not you who killed them, but it was God who killed them. And it was not you who launched when you launched, but it was God who launched. That He may bestow upon the believers an excellent reward. God is Hearing and Knowing.

Tafsir jalalayn

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.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

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 اللّهَ 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 شَيْياً وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الَارْضُ 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 فِيَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِيَةٍ 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 اللّهَ 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).

وَلِيُبْلِيَ الْمُوْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ بَلء حَسَناً

that He might test the believers by a fair trial from Him.

Muhammad bin Ishaq said that Muhammad bin Jafar bin Az-Zubayr narrated to him that Urwah bin Az-Zubayr said;

"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 بَلَءٍ حَسَنٍ أَبْلَنَا


Every trial (from Allah) is a favor for us.

Allah said next,

إِنَّ اللّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ



Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.

Allah hears the supplication and knows those who deserve help and triumph.

Allah said,

ذَلِكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللّهَ مُوهِنُ كَيْدِ الْكَافِرِينَ