CHAPTER 110: AN-NASR (THE DIVINE SUPPORT)

It was revealed in the Medina period, after the conquest of Mecca. It consists of eight verses. The word "nasr," which appears in the first verse and gives the surah its name, means "help." it took this name because it describes the help of Allah. (H. T. FEYIZLI 1/603)

Some companions, such as Abu Bakr and Abdullah b. Abbas, understood from the revelation of Surah An-Nasr that the death of the Prophet (pbuh) was approaching; while those who were unaware of the situation rejoiced at the news of help and victory here, they shed sorrowful tears. (From Bukhari, Tafsir 11; Tirmidhi, Tafsir 110; O. CELIK, 5/639)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

110/1-3 GLORIFY HIM AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS AFTER CONQUEST AND VICTORY

Translation

1- 3- [O my Prophet!] When the [promised] help of Allah and the victory [the conquest of Mecca] comes, 2- And you see the people entering the [final] religion of Allah in crowds, 3- Then glorify your Lord with praise [exalting Him] and ask for His forgiveness. Indeed, He is ever-accepting of repentance.

Commentary

‘When the (promised) help of Allah and the (Mecca) victory comes,’

According to the commentators, what is meant by "the help of Allah" is Allah helping the Prophet (pbuh) against the pagans of Mecca or all his enemies and leading him to victory; metaphorically, it has also been interpreted as "the religion reaching perfection and taking its final form." (QUR’AN WAY 5/707)

It is a fact that the conquest of Mecca took place in the month of Ramadan in the 8th year of the Hijra, while this surah was revealed at the end of the 10th year or in the middle of the 11th year of the Hijra. Therefore, there is a period of more than two years between the conquest of Mecca and the time of the revelation of the said surah. For this reason, the word "conquest" (fath) in Surah An-Nasr refers not only to the conquest of Mecca but also to the conquest of Taif in the 9th year of the Hijra, the Tabuk expedition mentioned in Surah At-Tawbah, and in short, all the conquests that Allah granted to the Prophet (pbuh) until before his death. This surah also mentions that in the 9th and 10th years of the Hijra, people came to Medina from all over the Arabian Peninsula to pledge allegiance to the Prophet (pbuh) and entered Allah's religion in crowds; in short, it speaks of the authority of Islam and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) spreading throughout the entire Arabian Peninsula from Yemen to Hijaz, and from East to West. (MAWDUDI) This, undoubtedly—as ELMALILI also stated—was made possible by the conquest of hearts that were closed to Islam. (M. DEMIRCI 3/659)

(2) ‘And you see the people entering the religion of Allah in waves’

The use of "entering" (in the present/continuous sense) instead of "entered" indicates that their entry was not yet complete, but that they had begun to enter and would continue to enter gradually. It is by this measure that "nas" (people) includes those other than Arabs, and it is understood that future entries will also be included in this state. That is, they are entering and they will enter. "Into the religion of Allah," that is, into the nation of True Islam, which is the religion in the sight of Allah. The religion of anyone who seeks a religion other than it will not be accepted. "Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam." (Al-i Imran 3/19; ELMALILI 10/28, 29)

‘When you see people entering the (final) religion of Allah in crowds,’

Abu Omar b. Abd al-Barr said: "At the time of the Messenger of Allah's death, no disbeliever remained among the Arabs. Following the conquest of Mecca and after the battles of Hunayn and Taif, they all entered Islam. Some came themselves, and some sent their messengers and representative delegations in groups (fawj fawj)." Ibn Atiyya also said: "The meaning of his saying 'no disbeliever remained'—Allah knows best—must mean that no idol-worshipping Arab remained. Because the Christians of Bani Taghlib had not yet entered Islam during the life of the Messenger of Allah but had accepted to pay the jizya. Therefore, the target [of the verse] becomes the people of Mecca, Taif, Yemen, Hawazin, and other idolaters." (ELMALILI 10/29)

(3) ‘Then glorify your Lord with praise and ask for His forgiveness. Indeed, He is ever-accepting of repentance.’

What is meant by "praise" (hamd) is to praise, extol, and thank Allah. What is meant by "glorification" (tasbih) is to declare Allah free from all deficiencies in every respect. Here, it is said, "After seeing this miracle of your Lord, praise Him and glorify Him." The meaning of praise is: "The thought should not even cross your mind that this great success occurred as a result of your own skill. This (success) has been entirely by the grace of Allah. For this, thank Allah and confess it with your heart and tongue. Because the one who accomplished such a great task and the creator of this success is only Allah; only He is worthy of praise." (MAWDUDI, 7/286, 287)

Hadith: "I swear by Allah that I ask for forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him more than seventy times a day." (Bukhari, Deavat 3; I. KARAGOZ,8/662)

Hadith: Aisha (ra) narrates: Before his death, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would frequently say: "Subhanakallahumma ve bi hamdike ve astaghfiruke ve atubu ilayk" (Glory be to Allah with His praise, I seek forgiveness from Allah and I repent to Him). I asked him: "O Messenger of Allah! I see that you say these words frequently, what is the reason for this?" The Pride of the Universe (pbuh) replied: "My Lord had informed me that I would see a sign in my Ummah. He commanded me to say this glorification frequently if I saw that sign. Now, I have seen that sign," and he recited Surah An-Nasr. (From Bukhari, Tafsir 110; Muslim, Salat 217; O. CELIK, 5/643)