“So whoever wills may take heed of it. But they will not take heed unless Allah wills.” (74:55–56) And Allah knows best.

[Surah al-Anfāl (8): verse 64]

“O Prophet, Allah is sufficient for you and for the believers who follow you.” (64)

That is, Allah alone is sufficient for you and your followers. With Him, they have no need of anyone else.

There are two possible grammatical analyses here.

The first is that wa (“and”) coordinates man (“those who”) with the genitive pronoun -ka (“you”). According to the preferred grammatical view, coordination with a genitive pronoun is permissible without repeating the governing preposition. There are many examples supporting this, while the objections raised against it are weak.

The second is that wa indicates accompaniment, with man in the accusative through coordination according to syntactic position. For hasbuka (“sufficient for you”) means kāfīka (“sufficing you”): that is, Allah suffices you and those who follow you. Similarly, the Arabs say, “A dirham is enough for you and Zayd.” The poet said:

When battle comes and unity is shattered,
An Indian-forged sword suffices for you and al-Dahhāk.

This is the more correct of the two analyses.

There is also a third analysis: man is nominative as the subject of a new clause, meaning, “As for the believers who follow you, Allah is sufficient for them.”

There is a fourth analysis—which is erroneous in meaning—in which man is nominative, coordinated with the name of Allah. The meaning would then be, “Allah and your followers are sufficient for you.”

Although some have expressed this view, it is utterly mistaken, and the verse cannot be interpreted in this way. For Allah alone suffices and meets one’s needs, just as He alone is to be relied upon, feared, and worshipped. Allah Most High says (8:62):

“But if they intend to deceive you, then Allah is sufficient for you. He is the One who strengthened you