Translation
O Prophet, say to the captives from Badr: “If there is any goodness in your hearts (which God knows), then be mindful that God will give you something better than what has been taken from you; God is Forgiving, Merciful.” But if you fear deception and treachery from them, then know that they have been as such in the eye of God before and God gave you mastery over them. God is Aware and He is Wise (so behave with knowledge and wisdom). 417
Those who became faithful, fled (their homes in distress) and struggled for truth and justice with their persons and possessions (immigrants—Muhajirun) and those who helped and sheltered them (helpers—Ansar) are real friends of one another. But those who became faithful but chose not to flee, you are not and cannot be responsible for their protection until they flee. If on the other hand, they seek helps in matters of faith (against persecution for their faith), you have an obligation to help such individuals, unless they are part of a community with whom you have an existing covenant (which should be honored). God always sees how you conduct yourselves! 418
Those who deny the truth and act unjustly (kafirun) are friends of one another and if you do not (struggle in pursuit of truth and justice), there will be persecution and large-scale mischief in the world! (Again,) those who accepted faith (in God, truth and justice), fled (to avoid persecution) and actively struggled against injustice and evil and those who helped them and gave them shelter are the real believers worthy of forgiveness from God and dignified succor from God. Also, those who accepted faith afterward (another group or another generation), fled to avoid persecution and aligned with you to struggle, then they are of you and blood relations are nearer to one another as God sees it. God is the Knower of all things. 419
Interpretation
417 Human desire for revenge and unjustifiable acts (just because one can at a time when one has an upper hand or an opportune moment) is a serious character flaw in the eye of God. These discussions in the Qur’an in the context of the battle of Badr are sources of life-changing guidance for a community under distress and injustice, tempted to lash out since they have gotten the first opportunity. But God reminds them that empathy, wisdom, and forgiveness should override the narrowness of revenge and wash away any desire for an unjust act to anyone, even a prisoner who days before was bent on killing them. This is a guidance that the world today is violating in numerous ways—Muslims and non-Muslims alike, as well as by those who profess no faith. Such violations represent themselves through political corruption, economic disparities, racism, gender inequality, abuse of natural resources and of the environment, corporate greed, and the rise of political and religious rights for those who are unwilling to accept religious and political diversity.
418 An example is made of two groups of people: one group who suffered enormity of oppression, indignity, and loss of land and property by their adversaries for no reason other than their faith in God and human goodness, and another group who welcomed the first group with open arms and shared everything they owned and controlled to benefit and support the first group. God commends such groups. In light of our current migrant crisis, which is the direct result of political, religious, and economic corruption in many parts of the world, large groups of people are suffering and being dispossessed of their land, property, economic means, and basic human dignity (representing the first group), yet a second group has not risen to the occasion in the way the people of Madinah had risen up. On the contrary, the rapid rise of nationalism and religious rights in Europe and America are doing the opposite—instead of helping these migrants, we are adding insult to injury on a scale that the world has not witnessed before.
419 With two real-life examples in the aftermath of the Badr conflict, God is teaching the new groups of the faithful the need for constant struggle for faith, truth, and justice, even if it leads to suffering and dispossession, to rise to the occasion to help and shelter such dispossessed people, and when the wind turns, not to behave in a manner that they hated and suffered from in the first place. Such a moral stance for faith, truth, and justice, which lead to struggle against all forms of evil, and extending mutual help and protection against the deniers of truth and justice is how human societies should evolve, lacking which there is the potential for widespread corruption and anarchy in the world. It is a prediction that is coming true in our generation and around the world on a scale that we have never seen before.
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REFLECTION
The battle of Badr, the first armed conflicts between the early followers of the Prophet and their tribesmen who denied them their rights to practice their faith and to restore truth and justice in the society is steeped with lessons for life for all generations of faithful and people of all religions, not just the first generations of Muslims who followed the Prophet.
ACTION
A committed and sustained effort in the service of faith, truth, and justice is the hallmark of a human society that will be blessed by God, and the lack of such commitment to faith, truth, and justice will cause widespread corruption and anarchy in the world, a situation that is evident in our world today. It is only us (not them) who can change the world, and we need to reflect, plan, and act, each one of us, according to our own capacity and unique capabilities. This is the real challenge in life, and this is what God will ask us on the Day of Judgment, to assess how we had led our lives prior to our death.