(9–14) “When you cried out to your Lord for help, He answered you: ‘I will reinforce you with a thousand angels following one another.’ Allah made this only as glad tidings and so that your hearts might thereby be reassured. Victory comes only from Allah. Indeed, Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. When He caused drowsiness to envelop you as a source of security from Him and sent down water upon you from the sky to purify you with it, remove Satan’s defilement from you, strengthen your hearts, and make your feet firm. When your Lord revealed to the angels: ‘I am with you, so make those who believe stand firm. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. So strike above their necks and strike every fingertip of theirs.’ That was because they opposed Allah and His Messenger. Whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger—indeed, Allah is severe in punishment. Such is your punishment, so taste it; and for the disbelievers is the punishment of the Fire.”
That is: Remember Allah’s blessing upon you. When you were close to meeting your enemy, you cried out to your Lord for help and asked Him to aid you and grant you victory. “He answered you” and came to your aid in several ways.
One of these was that Allah reinforced you “with a thousand angels following one another”; that is, one group following another.
“Allah made this”—that is, the sending down of the angels—“only as glad tidings,” so that your souls would rejoice at it, “and so that your hearts might thereby be reassured.” Otherwise, victory lies in Allah’s hand; it does not come through numerical strength or equipment. “Indeed, Allah is Almighty”: none can overcome Him. Rather, He is the Supreme Subduer, who forsakes those whose numbers, manpower, and equipment have reached the utmost strength. He is “All-Wise,” for He ordains matters together with their causes and places all things in their proper places.
Another manifestation of His granting you victory and answering your prayer was that He sent down upon you drowsiness “to envelop you,” thereby dispelling the fear and apprehension in your hearts. It was “a source of security” for you and a sign of victory and reassurance.
Another was that He sent down rain upon you from the sky to purify you from ritual impurity and physical filth, and to cleanse you of Satan’s whisperings and defilement.
“And to strengthen your hearts”; that is, to make them firm, for firmness of heart is the foundation of bodily steadfastness. “And to make your feet firm”: the ground had been soft and loose, but when the rain fell upon it, it became compact and gave them firm footing.
Another was that Allah revealed to the angels, “I am with you,” with aid, victory, and support. “So make those who believe stand firm”; that is, instill courage in their hearts, inspire them with boldness against their enemy, and encourage them to pursue jihad and its merit.
“I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve,” which is your mightiest force against them. For when Allah makes the believers steadfast and casts terror into the disbelievers’ hearts, the disbelievers cannot stand firm against them, and Allah delivers them into the believers’ hands.
“So strike above their necks”; that is, upon their necks. “And strike every fingertip of theirs”; that is, every joint.
This address is either directed to the angels whom Allah commanded to make the believers stand firm—in which case it proves that they directly participated in the fighting on the Day of Badr—or to the believers, with Allah encouraging them, teaching them how to kill the polytheists, and instructing them not to show them mercy. This was because they opposed Allah and His Messenger; that is, they waged war against them and openly confronted them with hostility.
“Whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger—indeed, Allah is severe in punishment.” Part of His punishment is that He gives His allies power over His enemies and causes them to slay them. ⦗317⦘
“Such is your punishment”—the punishment just mentioned—“so taste it,” O you who oppose Allah and His Messenger, as an immediate punishment. “And for the disbelievers is the punishment of the Fire.”
This account contains great signs from Allah demonstrating that what Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, brought is indeed true.
One of them is that Allah made them a promise and then fulfilled it for them.
Another is expressed in the words of Allah Most High: “There was indeed a sign for you in the two groups that met: one group fighting in the cause of Allah and another consisting of disbelievers. They saw them to be twice their number with their own eyes”—to the end of the verse.
Another is that Allah answered the believers when they cried out to Him for help through the means He mentioned. This reflects His immense care for the condition of His believing servants and His provision of the means by which their faith and their footing were made firm, and by which harm and Satanic whisperings were removed from them.
Another is that part of Allah’s kindness toward His servant is that He makes obedience easy for him and facilitates it through both inward and outward means.