أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَـٰتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا۟ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ 39
Translations
Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allāh is competent to give them victory.
Transliteration
Udhina lilladhina yuqataloon bi-annahum dhulimoo wa-inna Allaha ala nasrihim laqadir
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah marks the first Quranic permission granted to Muslims to engage in defensive warfare against those who oppressed them. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain that this verse was revealed when the Muslims faced persecution in Mecca and were forced to migrate to Medina, establishing the principle that self-defense against tyranny and injustice is not merely permissible but divinely sanctioned. Al-Tabari and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that the permission is specifically conditioned upon being wronged (dhulm), and that Allah's power to grant them victory is absolute and certain.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in Medina (despite Surah Al-Hajj being primarily Meccan) after the Muslims had endured years of persecution in Mecca and established their community in Medina. It came during a period when the Muslims faced threats from Quraysh and other hostile forces, providing divine authorization for the defensive warfare that would characterize the early Islamic period. This represents a pivotal shift from the Meccan period of patience and forbearance to the Medinan period of permitted resistance.
Related Hadiths
The Hadith of Ibn Abbas (Tirmidhi) relates the context of persecution that necessitated this permission. Additionally, Sahih Muslim records that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of martyrs is Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib,' connecting to the reality of believers fighting back against oppression that this ayah authorizes.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Muslims have a divine right to defend themselves against injustice and oppression, but equally important is that such defense must be in response to actual wrongdoing, not aggression—establishing a principle of proportional and justified resistance. For modern readers, it emphasizes that faith does not demand passive submission to tyranny, and that seeking justice through legitimate means has divine sanction and support.
Related Ayahs
وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ جَعَلْنَا مَنسَكًا لِّيَذْكُرُوا۟ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّنۢ بَهِيمَةِ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ ۗ فَإِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ فَلَهُۥٓ أَسْلِمُوا۟ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُخْبِتِينَ
And for every [religious] community We have appointed a rite [of sacrifice] that they may mention the name of Allāh over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. For your god is one God, so to Him submit. And, [O Muḥammad], give good tidings to the humble [before their Lord]
ثَانِىَ عِطْفِهِۦ لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ لَهُۥ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا خِزْىٌ ۖ وَنُذِيقُهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ عَذَابَ ٱلْحَرِيقِ
Twisting his neck [in arrogance] to mislead [people] from the way of Allāh. For him in the world is disgrace, and We will make him taste on the Day of Resurrection the punishment of the Burning Fire [while it is said],
وَقَوْمُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَقَوْمُ لُوطٍ
And the people of Abraham and the people of Lot.
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَآ أَوْ ءَاذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۖ فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَلَـٰكِن تَعْمَى ٱلْقُلُوبُ ٱلَّتِى فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ
So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts.