Surah At-Tawba: Verse 48 - لقد ابتغوا الفتنة من قبل... - English

Tafsir of Verse 48, Surah At-Tawba

لَقَدِ ٱبْتَغَوُا۟ ٱلْفِتْنَةَ مِن قَبْلُ وَقَلَّبُوا۟ لَكَ ٱلْأُمُورَ حَتَّىٰ جَآءَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَظَهَرَ أَمْرُ ٱللَّهِ وَهُمْ كَٰرِهُونَ

English Translation

They had already desired dissension before and had upset matters for you until the truth came and the ordinance of Allah appeared, while they were averse.

English Transliteration

Laqadi ibtaghawoo alfitnata min qablu waqallaboo laka alomoora hatta jaa alhaqqu wathahara amru Allahi wahum karihoona

Tafsir of Verse 48

They sought to stir up sedition already before, and turned things upside down for thee, until the truth came, and God's command appeared, though they were averse.

Indeed they had plotted sedition before, and upset matters for thee, until,- the Truth arrived, and the Decree of Allah became manifest much to their disgust.

The opening sentence of the sixth verse (48): لَقَدِ ابْتَغَوُا الْفِتْنَةَ مِن قَبْلُ (They sought disorder even earlier...) refers to what had happened in the battle of 'Uhud.

The statement وَظَهَرَ‌ أَمْرُ‌ اللَّـهِ وَهُمْ كَارِ‌هُونَ (… and the will of Allah prevailed, though they disliked it) at the end of the verse indicates that victory is in the hands of Allah. This has been proved on earlier occasions when the Holy Prophet ﷺ was blessed with victory. The same will happen in this Jihad as well when all tricks played by hypocrites will fail.

Allah encourages His Prophet against hypocrites,

لَقَدِ ابْتَغَوُاْ الْفِتْنَةَ مِن قَبْلُ وَقَلَّبُواْ لَكَ الأُمُورَ

(Verily, they had plotted sedition before, and had upset matters for you,) `For a long time,' Allah says, hypocrites thought and plotted against you and your Companions, as well as, failing and attempting to extinguish your religion.' This occurred soon after the Prophet migrated to Al-Madinah, when pagan Arabs joined force and the Jews and hypocrites of Al-Madinah waged war against the Messenger . When Allah gave victory to the Prophet in Badr and raised high his word, `Abdullah bin Ubayy and his fellows said, "This (Islam) is a matter that has prevailed." They embraced Islam outwardly, and whenever Allah elevated Islam and its people in might, hypocrites increased in rage and disappointment,

حَتَّى جَآءَ الْحَقُّ وَظَهَرَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ وَهُمْ كَـرِهُونَ

(until the truth (victory) came and the decree of Allah became manifest though they hated it.)

Verse 48 - Surah At-Tawba: (لقد ابتغوا الفتنة من قبل وقلبوا لك الأمور حتى جاء الحق وظهر أمر الله وهم كارهون...) - English