Translation
In light of your current weaknesses, God intends to lighten your burden; so, if there be one hundred of you who are committed and steadfast, you can overcome two hundreds, and if you be a thousand (committed and steadfast), you can overcome two thousands of them, by God’s will. God is with those who are patient (under difficult circumstance and who do not compromise truth or justice).
It is not dignified for a prophet (see also 47:4) to take prisoner until he has fought hard and triumphed on earth (for truth and justice). One may desire the transient goods and pleasure of this life, whereas God desires for you the lasting goods of the life to come. God is Mighty and Wise! Had it not already been ordained by God, a serious misdeed and consequence would have unfolded for what you were about to do. Relish than what is lawful and what is good from your effort in war and be mindful of God and your mutual responsibilities. God is Ever Forgiving, Merciful! 416
Interpretation
416 Classical commentaries on this matter refer to the discussions that occurred among the followers of the prophet with respect to what to do with the prisoners of war from Badr. One group, led by Omar ibn Khattab, was of the opinion to kill them on account of what they had done to the Muslims in terms of torture, confiscation of their property, and forcing them out of their homeland, the city of Makkah, for no reason other than their faith and desire of social justice for all. Abu Bakr was advocating leniency and that they should be freed without any physical harm and possibly of ransom. Since the following verses describes God’s guidance about the prisoners, it seems to me that God’s serious admonition was about an act that the Prophet and his companion initially contemplated (attacking the lightly armed trade caravan) for the easy spoil of a conflict that in God’s eye was not justified. God instead put them face to face in a serious battle with a well-armed army that was numerically three times their size. This is also corroborated by verse 67, that no prisoners can be taken without a context and actual occurrence of a real armed conflict where one party is unjustly engaging in an act of war.
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REFLECTION
Numerical superiority in matters of size and resources is not a guarantee of success, especially if the numerically inferior people have faith, moral stance, and goodwill for all in the conflict. Time and again this has been proven in human history and reflects God’s promises to such people, as evident in these verses. I see too many groups in the name of God lacking patience and purposefulness commit acts of aggressions against people of their own faith and other people, as is evident in the acts of ISIS, Al Qaeda, Buddhist followers in Myanmar, white supremacists in Europe and America, Hindu nationalists in India, and wider political, social, and economic corruptions in many parts of the world. Large-scale acts of injustice and violence have also been committed in the past in terms of slavery, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, cultural revolution, holocausts, colonialism, inquisitions, crusades, and so on and so forth.
ACTION
With faith in God, one should strive hard for truth and justice, knowing that the real outcome depends on God’s will, but the effort and its purposefulness is in our control; these are evidence enough for God to bless us and help our cause. The assurance is repeated throughout the Qur’an that God will help truth, justice, and faith to prevail if we demonstrate true commitment to such ideals.