86 – Moreover, the wording of the verse is merely an announcement that victory is tied to patience. This wording entails that holding one’s ground against twice one’s number is obligatory, yet it does not categorically remove the duty when the enemy force exceeds that ratio. Instead, it suggests that the ruling for numbers beyond two-to-one is different and may demand an even nobler response. Hence, if the believers themselves are the aggressors, they are not obliged to persevere against more than double their number; but if they are the wronged party and the fighting is in self-defence, perseverance can become mandatory—just as it was on the Day of Uhud and the Day of the Trench, even though the enemy then outnumbered them many times over.
87 – Allah reproached those who fled on the Day of Uhud and those who shirked the struggle on the Day of the Trench, as recorded in Surahs Al-‘Imran and Al-Ahzab, in verses that are unmistakably clear and widely known.
The wording appears in the indicative mood, yet its meaning is imperative—just like the verse: “wa-l-walidatu yurdhi‘na awladahunna” (“Mothers shall nurse their children”) and the verse: “wa-l-mutallaqatu yatarabbasna bi-anfusihinna” (“Divorced women shall wait by themselves”). These statements are not reports of what actually happens; they are commands. Likewise, the verse that one believer should not flee before ten (of the enemy) is an order, not a mere description. If it were only informative, the subsequent verse “al-ana khaffafa-llahu ‘ankum” (“Now Allah has lightened the burden for you”) would be meaningless, for relief applies to a legal obligation, not to a piece of information.
It is also clear that the people originally addressed—those commanded to stand firm when one of them faced ten polytheists—are included in the words, “Now Allah has lightened the burden for you and knows that there is weakness among you”. Consequently, the earlier ruling imposed on them has undeniably been abrogated. Their insight and patience had not diminished; rather, others who lacked their resolve and intention had joined them, and these newcomers are the ones meant by the phrase “and He knows that there is weakness among you”.
Thus the objection raised by that critic collapses, as we have shown. He himself concedes that part of the original duty was removed by the second verse, and this is precisely what abrogation (naskh) means. Allah knows best what is correct.
(Ahkam al-Quran, vol. 4, pp. 256-257)