Second Verse: On the Number of Enemies in Battle; Third Verse: On Jihad; The Story of the Russians

دوسری آیت دشمنوں کی تعداد کے بارے میں — تیسری آیت جہاد — روسیوں کا واقعہ

Second: The Verse About the Number of Enemies (Patience in Battle)

Shah Sahib (rahimahullah) considers the verse about the ratio of patience in battle abrogated. He says: the first verse says that twenty patient believers shall overcome two hundred enemies, and the later verse reduced this to the ratio of one against two. Shah Sahib holds the first to have been abrogated by the second. I submit: this is not abrogation. Both verses address different audiences in different historical circumstances — the first addressed the early Companions who were distinguished by intense personal courage and unshakeable faith in Allah; the second was addressed to Muslims at a later period whose courage had somewhat declined. Hence the ruling was eased. Both verses remain operative, each applicable to its own kind of believers. Naskh has not occurred.

إِن يَكُن مِّنكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَابِرُونَ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ وَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُم مِّائَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفًا مِّنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا

'If there are twenty patient ones among you, they will overcome two hundred; and if there are one hundred of you, they will overcome one thousand of those who disbelieve.' (al-Anfāl 8:65).

الْآنَ خَفَّفَ اللَّهُ عَنكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفًا فَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُم مِّائَةٌ صَابِرَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ وَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُمْ أَلْفٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفَيْنِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ

'Now Allah has lightened your burden, for He knows that there is weakness in you. So if there are a hundred patient ones among you, they shall overcome two hundred; and if there are a thousand, they shall overcome two thousand by the permission of Allah, and Allah is with the patient.' (al-Anfāl 8:66). Shah Sahib (rahimahullah) says this verse abrogated the earlier one. But in my opinion these two verses address two different groups of believers at two different levels of faith and courage, and neither abrogates the other.

Third: The Verse of Jihad (Fighting in the Way of Allah)

(5) A ruling may be permissible — and even an obligatory act — and yet permission for it may be initially granted; later, after people have become accustomed to it, they might consider its permissibility to have been abrogated. People think: some rulings are legal (qanuni) and some are ethical (akhlāqi). Ethical commands cannot be abrogated by law — for legal commands do not need ethical demands, just as ethical obligations do not need legal enforcement.

The Story of the Russians: Gradual Introduction of Islamic Law

A singular historical event from the annals of Muslim nations: this incident is a verified historical record — certain Russian people were recent converts to Islam. When Islam reached them through their religious community, wine was a common feature of their lives. The Russian priests said: 'We cannot live here; those who keep wine cannot rest easy.' The Muslim scholars told them: 'We shall bring all these people to Islam.' First, they were taught monotheism (tawhid); then step by step each ruling was introduced — first, the prohibition of greater sins and the call to towhid; then Islam's fundamental obligations were introduced one by one. Prayer was established first in a simple form, then in full. Fasting was made obligatory by stages. Thus gradually all the obligations of Islam were implemented. The optional prayers were given their due importance. May Allah have mercy on these needy new Muslims.