Transliteration:( Wa iz ya'idukumul laahu ihdat taaa'ifataini annahaa lakum wa tawaddoona anna ghaira zaatish shawkati takoonu lakum wa yureedul laahu ai yuhiqqal haqqa bikalimaatihee wa yaqta'a daabiral kaafireen )
"And remember when Allah promised you that one of the two groups [13] would be yours, and you wished that the one which had no weapons [14] would be yours. But Allah intended to establish the truth by His words and to cut off the roots of the disbelievers [15]."
This refers to the two possible encounters: the caravan of Abu Sufyan, filled with goods and lightly guarded, and the well-equipped army of Abu Jahl. The Muslims were initially given hope by Allah that one of the two would be theirs—either the economic gain from the caravan or the victory in battle.
The Muslims, having set out from Madinah with no intent for war, hoped to intercept Abu Sufyan’s unarmed caravan, aiming to seize the wealth before it could be used by Quraysh for future hostility. However, Abu Sufyan escaped, and instead, the Muslims faced a fully prepared enemy force.
The phrase “the one which had no weapons” clearly indicates the caravan. The Muslims' wish was understandable from a strategic view, but Allah’s wisdom chose a greater outcome.
Allah intended that the Battle of Badr take place so that:
Truth would prevail
Leading Quraysh chiefs would be defeated
Spoils of war would enrich the Muslims
Prisoners would be taken, many of whom later embraced Islam
This teaches that initial hardship may conceal profound divine victory, and what appears as difficulty may unfold into honor, strength, and spiritual gain for the believers.
The tafsir of Surah Al-Anfal verse 7 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Anfal ayat 5 which provides the complete commentary from verse 6 through 8.
(8:7) And recall when Allah promised you that one of the two hosts would fall to you,[5] and you wished that the one without arms should fall into your hands.[6] But Allah sought to prove by His words the truth to be true and to annihilate the unbelievers to the last remnant
5. God’s promise was that the Muslims would be able to overcome whichever of the two parties they wished to attack – the trading caravan or the Quraysh army.
6. This refers to the trading caravan which had some 30 to 40 armed guards for protection.
[438]- i.e., either the caravan of Quraysh or their army.
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