His saying, “You will surely enter,” means: And He said, “You will surely enter.” Ibn Kaysan said: “You will surely enter” was part of the Messenger of Allah’s address to his Companions, recounting his vision. Thus, Allah informed us that His Messenger had said this. He only added the qualification ⦗133/b⦘ despite knowing, through Allah Most High’s informing him, that they would enter it, out of observance of Allah’s etiquette, for He had said to him: “Never say of anything, ‘I will certainly do that tomorrow,’ without saying, ‘if Allah wills.’” (al-Kahf 23)

Abu Ubaydah said: The particle “if” here means “when”; its intended sense is: when Allah wills, as in His saying: “if you are believers.”

Al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl said: The qualification may relate to entering, since a year passed between the vision and its fulfilment, and some people died during that year. Thus, the meaning of the verse is: You will all enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills.

It was also said that the qualification relates to safety, not to entering, since there was no doubt concerning their entry. This is like the Prophet’s statement, peace and blessings be upon him, when entering the graveyard: “And we, if Allah wills, will join you.” (1) Thus, the qualification relates to joining them, not to death.

“With your heads shaved”: all of them; “or your hair shortened”: by cutting some of it; “fearing no one. He knew what you did not know”: namely, that what was right lay in the treaty and in postponing entry. This is indicated by His saying: “Had it not been for believing men and believing women...” (al-Fath 25). “So He granted, before that”—that is, before your entering the Sacred Mosque—“a near victory”: according to the majority, this was the Treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah; it was also said to be the conquest of Khaybar.

“He is the One Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, so that He may make it prevail over every religion. And sufficient is Allah as a Witness.” (28)