It was also said that the particle rendered “as” means “upon”; that is: Proceed according to that for which your Lord brought you forth.

Abu Ubaydah said: It is used figuratively in the sense of an oath: “By Him who brought you forth,” since the relative pronoun means “the One who,” and the clause that answers it is, “they dispute with you”; it is this clause to which the oath applies. Its sense is: By Allah, who brought you forth from your home in accordance with the truth, they dispute with you. It was also said that the particle rendered “as” means “when”; that is: Remember when your Lord brought you forth.

It was said that this departure refers to his leaving Mecca for Madinah. The majority, however, hold that it refers to his departure from Madinah for Badr; that is: just as your Lord commanded you, in truth, to leave your home in Madinah. It was said: by revelation, in pursuit of the polytheists. “Though a party of the believers among them were unwilling.”

“They dispute with you concerning the truth,” that is, concerning fighting, “after it had become clear.” This was because, once the believers became certain that there would be fighting, they disliked it and said, “You did not inform us that we would meet the enemy, so that we might prepare to fight them. We only set out for the caravan.” This was their disputation after it had become clear to them that you did nothing except what you had been commanded, and after the truthfulness of your promise had become clear. “As though they were being driven toward death,” because of the intensity of their dislike for fighting, “while looking on.”

There is transposition in the wording here. Its intended order is: Though a party of the believers were unwilling, as though they were being driven toward death while looking on, disputing with you concerning the truth after it had become clear.

Ibn Zayd said: These were the polytheists who disputed with him concerning the truth, as though they were being driven toward death when they were called to Islam, because of their aversion to it, while looking on.

His saying, Exalted is He: “And when Allah promised you one of the two groups—that it would be yours.” Ibn Abbas, Ibn al-Zubayr, Muhammad ibn Ishaq, and al-Suddi (1) said: Abu Sufyan was returning from Syria with a Quraysh caravan, accompanied by forty riders from among the disbelievers of Quraysh, including Amr ibn al-As and Makhramah ibn Nawfal al-Zuhri. It carried abundant merchandise and was the great laden caravan (2). When they came near Badr, news of this reached the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He urged his Companions to go after it, informing them of the abundance of its wealth and the small number of its escort. He said: “This is the caravan of Quraysh, carrying your wealth. Set out after it; perhaps Allah, Most High, will grant it to you as spoils.”

The people responded to the call: some readily set out, while others were reluctant, for they did not think that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would encounter a battle.

When Abu Sufyan heard of the Prophet’s march, peace and blessings be upon him, he hired Damdam ibn Amr al-Ghifari and sent him to Mecca. He instructed him to come to Quraysh, call them to arms, and inform them that Muhammad had moved against their caravan with his Companions. Damdam then hurried swiftly to Mecca.