Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Anfal Verse 65

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O Prophet, rouse the believers to fighting. If there are twenty among you, who are patient, they will overcome two hundred; and if there are one hundred among you, they will overcome one thousand of those who disbelieve, because they are a people who do not understand.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O Prophet! Motivate the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast among you, they will overcome two hundred. And if there are one hundred of you, they will overcome one thousand of the disbelievers, for they are a people who do not comprehend.

Ruwwad Translation Center

O Prophet, urge the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast among you, they will overcome two hundred; and if there are a hundred of you, they will overcome a thousand of the disbelievers, for they are a people who do not understand.

A. J. Arberry

O Prophet, urge on the believers to fight. If there be twenty of you, patient men, they will overcome two hundred; if there be a hundred of you, they will overcome a thousand unbelievers, for they are a people who understand not.

Abdul Haleem

Prophet, urge the believers to fight: if there are twenty of you who are steadfast, they will overcome two hundred, and a hundred of you, if steadfast, will overcome a thousand of the disbelievers, for they are people who do not understand.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

0 Prophet! urge the believers unto fighting. If there be twenty of you persevering, they will overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a hundred, they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, for they are a people who understand not.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O Prophet! rouse the Believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred; if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the Unbelievers; for these are a people without understanding.

Abul Ala Maududi

O Prophet! Rouse the believers to fighting. If they be twenty of you who persevere they shall vanquish two hundred; and if there be of you a hundred, they shall vanquish a thousand of those who disbelieve, for they are a people who lack understanding.

Ahmed Ali

O Prophet, urge the faithful to fight. If there are twenty among you with determination they will vanquish two hundred; and if there are a hundred then they will vanquish a thousand unbelievers, for they are people devoid of understanding.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O Herald of the Hidden! Urge the believers to fight; if there are twenty persevering men among you, they shall overcome two hundred; and if there are a hundred among you, they shall overcome a thousand disbelievers because the disbelievers are a people who do not have sense.

Ali Quli Qarai

O Prophet! Urge on the faithful to fight: If there be twenty patient men among you, they shall overcome two hundred; and if there be a hundred of you, they shall overcome a thousand of the faithless, for they are a lot who do not understand.

Ali Ünal

O (most illustrious) Prophet! Rouse the believers to fighting. If there be twenty of you who are steadfast, they will vanquish two hundred; and if there be of you a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of those who disbelieve, for they (the disbelievers) are a people who do not ponder and seek to penetrate the essence of matters in order to grasp the truth.

Amatul Rahman Omar

O Prophet! urge the believers frequently and strongly to (defensive) fighting. If there be of you twenty steadfast, they shall overcome two hundred and if there be a hundred of you they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because these are a people devoid of understanding.

English Literal

You, you the prophet, instigate/urge/encourage the believers on (to) the fighting/killing. If (there) be twenty patient from you, they will defeat/conquer two hundred, and if (there) be one hundred from you, they defeat/conquer a thousand, from those who disbelieved, because they (E) (are) a nation (that) do not understand/know .

Faridul Haque

O Herald of the Hidden! Urge the believers to fight; if there are twenty persevering men among you, they shall overcome two hundred; and if there are a hundred among you, they shall overcome a thousand disbelievers because the disbelievers are a people who do not have sense.

Hamid S. Aziz

O you Prophet! Urge on the believers to fight. If there be of you twenty steadfast men, they shall overcome two hundred; if there be of you a hundred, they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they are a people without understanding (or discernment).

Hilali & Khan

O Prophet (Muhammad SAW)! Urge the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast persons amongst you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there be a hundred steadfast persons they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are people who do not understand.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

O Prophet, Allah is sufficient for thee and those who follow thee of the believers.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O Prophet! urge the believers to war; if there are twenty patient ones of you they shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a hundred of you they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they are a people who do not understand.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there be of you twenty steadfast they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a hundred (steadfast) they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are a folk without intelligence.

Muhammad Sarwar

Prophet, mobilize the believers for the battle. It will take only twenty of your men who are steadfast (in prayer) to defeat two hundred unbelieving men. Your two hundred men would defeat their two thousand; the unbelievers have no understanding.

Qaribullah & Darwish

O Prophet, urge the believers to fight. If there are twenty patient men among you, you shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a hundred, they shall overcome a thousand unbelievers, for they are a nation who do not understand.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O Prophet! Urge the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast persons among you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there be a hundred steadfast persons they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are people who do not understand.

Wahiduddin Khan

Prophet, urge the believers to fight; if there are twenty of you who are steadfast, they will overcome two hundred, and if there are a hundred of you, they will overcome a thousand of those who deny the truth, for they are devoid of understanding.

Talal Itani

O prophet! Rouse the believers to battle. If there are twenty steadfast among you, they will defeat two hundred; and if there are a hundred of you, they will defeat a thousand of those who disbelieve; because they are a people who do not understand.

Tafsir jalalayn

O Prophet, urge on, exhort, the believers to fight, the disbelievers. If there be twenty of you, steadfast, they will overcome two hundred, of them. If there be (read as yakun or takun) a hundred of you, they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, for they are a people who do not understand (this [sentence] is predicative, but functions as an imperative, in other words, let the twenty of you fight the two hundred [of them], and the hundred [of you], the thousand [of them], and let them stand firm against them; but when they became numerous this was abrogated by God's saying);

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ حَرِّضِ الْمُوْمِنِينَ عَلَى الْقِتَالِ

O Prophet! Urge the believers to fight,

encouraged and called them to fight.

The Messenger of Allah used to encourage the Companions to fight when they faced the enemy. On the day of Badr when the idolators came with their forces and supplies, he said to his Companions,

قُومُوا إِلَى جَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَوَاتُ وَالاَْرْض

Get ready and march forth towards a Paradise as wide as the heavens and earth.

Umayr bin Al-Humam said, "As wide as the heavens and earth!"

The Messenger said,
نَعَم
(Yes).

Umayr said, "Excellent! Excellent!"

The Messenger asked him,

مَا يَحْمِلُكَ عَلَى قَوْلِكَ بَخٍ بَخ

What makes you say, `Excellent! Excellent!'

He said, "The hope that I might be one of its dwellers."

The Prophet said,

فَإِنَّكَ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا

You are one of its people.

Umayr went ahead, broke the scabbard of his sword, took some dates and started eating from them. He then threw the dates from his hand, saying, "Verily, if I lived until I finished eating these dates, then it is indeed a long life."

He went ahead, fought and was killed, may Allah be pleased with him.

Allah said next, commanding the believers and conveying good news to them,

إِن يَكُن مِّنكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَابِرُونَ يَغْلِبُواْ مِيَتَيْنِ وَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُم مِّيَةٌ يَغْلِبُواْ أَلْفًا مِّنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ

If there are twenty steadfast persons among you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there be a hundred steadfast persons, they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve.

The Ayah says, one Muslim should endure ten disbelievers.

Allah abrogated this part later on, but the good news remained.

بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لاَّ يَفْقَهُونَ



because they (the disbelievers) are people who do not understand.

Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak said that Jarir bin Hazim narrated to them that, Az-Zubayr bin Al-Khirrit narrated to him, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas,

"When this verse was revealed,
إِن يَكُن مِّنكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَابِرُونَ يَغْلِبُواْ مِيَتَيْن
(If there are twenty steadfast persons among you, they will overcome two hundred...) it became difficult for the Muslims, when Allah commanded that one Muslim is required to endure ten idolators. Soon after, this matter was made easy