(40) “If you do not support him, Allah has already supported him when those who disbelieved drove him out as one of two. When they were both in the cave, he said to his companion, ‘Do not grieve; Allah is with us.’ Allah then sent down His tranquility upon him, reinforced him with forces you did not see, and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while Allah’s Word is supreme. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.”
That is, if you do not support His Messenger Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—Allah has no need of you, and you cannot harm Him in the least. He already supported the Messenger when he had the least support and was at his most vulnerable: “when those who disbelieved drove him out” of Mecca after they had resolved to kill him, striven to do so, and pursued that aim with the utmost determination, thereby compelling him to leave.
“As one of two,” namely, he and Abū Bakr al-Siddīq—may Allah be pleased with him. “When they were both in the cave”: when they fled Mecca, they took refuge in the Cave of Thawr (1), south of Mecca, and remained there until the pursuit abated.
They were in that dire and extremely difficult situation while enemies spread out in every direction searching for them in order to kill them. Allah then bestowed upon them such aid as no mind could have conceived.
“When he said”—the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—“to his companion,” Abū Bakr, when he became sorrowful and intensely anxious, ⦗338⦘ “Do not grieve; Allah is with us” through His help, support, and reinforcement. “Allah then sent down His tranquility upon him,” meaning firmness, reassurance, and a calm that steadies the heart. Thus, when his companion grew anxious, he reassured him and said, “Do not grieve; Allah is with us.”
“And reinforced him with forces you did not see.” These were the noble angels, whom Allah appointed to guard him. “And made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest,” meaning fallen and forsaken. Those who disbelieved were resolutely intent and, as they imagined, capable of killing and capturing the Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and were enraged against him. They exerted their utmost effort to accomplish this, but Allah forsook them and did not allow them to achieve their aim; indeed, they did not attain any part of it.
Allah supported His Messenger by warding them off from him. This is the support mentioned here, for divine support is of two kinds. The first is Allah’s support for the Muslims when they seek to overcome their enemy: Allah enables them to accomplish what they sought and intended, gain mastery over their enemy, and prevail over them.
The second is Allah’s support for one who has been rendered weak and whom a powerful enemy seeks to overpower. Allah supports him by repelling his enemy and defending him. This may well be the more beneficial of the two kinds of support. Allah’s support of His Messenger when those who disbelieved drove him out as one of two was of this kind.
His words, “While Allah’s Word is supreme,” mean that His words of decree and His religious words are exalted above every other word. Among them are His statements: “It is a duty upon Us to support the believers”; “Indeed, We will surely support Our messengers and those who believe in the life of this world and on the Day when the witnesses arise”; and “Our forces will surely prevail.” Allah’s religion is therefore manifest and exalted above all other religions through clear proofs, dazzling signs, and victorious authority.
“Allah is Almighty”: no contender can overcome Him, nor can any fugitive escape Him. He is “All-Wise”: He places everything in its proper place. He may defer victory for His party until another time, as dictated by divine wisdom.
This noble verse establishes a distinction for Abū Bakr al-Siddīq that no one else in this nation possessed: he attained this magnificent merit and blessed companionship. The Muslims unanimously agreed that he is the one meant in this noble verse. They therefore regarded anyone who denied Abū Bakr’s companionship with the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—as a disbeliever, for such a person denies the Quran, which explicitly affirms it.
The verse also demonstrates the virtue of tranquility and that it forms part of Allah’s complete blessing upon His servant during hardships and fears that cause hearts to reel. It is granted in proportion to the servant’s knowledge of his Lord, his trust in His truthful promise, and the strength of his faith and courage.
It also shows that sorrow may afflict even Allah’s most devoted and steadfastly truthful servants. Nevertheless, when sorrow befalls a servant, the better course is to strive to dispel it, for it weakens the heart and saps resolve.