Surat An-Nasr In Focus

When there comes the Help of Allâh and the Conquest. And you see that the people enter Allâh’s religion in crowds. So glorify the Praises of your Lord, and ask for His Forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and forgives. (An-Nasr 110:1-3)

Its Name
It is called Surat An-Nasr because it is a word that appears in the first verse. It literally means “help” and it is referring to Allah’s help that caused the conquest of Makkah. It is also called Surat At-Tawdi’ (farewell, because it suggests the parting of the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam from this world).

The Subject Matter of This Surah
This Surah discusses the conquest of Makkah, through which Allah Almighty granted victory and honor to the Muslims. Islam then spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula, and ever so quickly, Shirk and misguidance were rooted out. With this conquest people entered into Allah’s religion in crowds: the banner of Islam was raised and the religion of statues faded away. That the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam was informed about this conquest before it occurred is one of the clear signs that indicate the validity of his Prophethood.

Its Relation To What is Before It
In the previous Surah [Kafirun], Allah Almighty said that the religion that Muhammad salAllahu alayhi wa sallam was calling to was diametrically opposed to the religion of the disbelievers; here, Allah Almighty informs the disbelievers of Makkah that their religion will die away and that the religion called to by the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam will overcome it, and become the religion of the vast majority in their populated areas.

The Virtues of This Surah
At-Tirmithi recorded a Hadith from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, and he said that it was Hasan. In it the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam said:
It (An-Nasr) is equivalent to one quarter of the Qur’an.

In What Context Was This Surah Revealed
Al-Bukhari and others recorded that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, said, “Umar bin Al-Khattab used to make me sit with the elderly men who fought in the Battle of Badr. Some of them were uncomfortable with that and said to ‘Umar: ‘Why do you bring this boy to sit with us while we have sons like him?’ One day, ‘Umar called me and made me sit in the gathering of those people; and I think that he called me just to show them. ‘Umar then asked them, ‘What do you say about the interpretation of the saying of Allah:
When there comes the help of Allah and the Conquest (An-Nasr 110:1)

Some of them said, ‘We are ordered to praise Allah and ask His forgiveness when Allah’s help and Conquest comes to us.’ Some others kept quiet and did not say anything. On that, ‘Umar asked me, ‘Do you say the same, O Ibn Abbas?’ I replied, ‘No.’ He asked what do you say then?’ I replied, ‘That is the sign of death of Allah’s Messenger salAllahu alayhi wa sallam which Allah informed him of. Allah said:
When there comes the Help of Allâh and the Conquest. And you see that the people enter Allâh’s religion in crowds. So glorify the Praises of your Lord, and ask for His Forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and forgives. (An-Nasr 110:1-3)
With that, ‘Umar said, ‘ I do not know anything about it other than what you have said.’”

The Meaning of Its Words
Itha Jaa’a Nasrullahi: i.e., when Allah makes His Prophet Muhammad salAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam victorious over his enemies – the polytheists.
Al-Fath: i.e., the conquest of Makkah.
Fee Deenillahi: Allah’s religion, i.e., Islam.
Afwaaja: In many packed crowds.
Fasabbih Bihamdi Rabbika: Glorify Allah Almighty, considering Him far above having a partner, and at the same time, praise Him.
Wastaghfirhu: Repent to Allah Almighty and ask Him to forgive you.
Tawwaba: i.e., Allah Almighty often accepts the repentance of His worshippers.

The Meaning in Summary
This Surah first gives glad tidings of a great event with far reaching implications and then gives the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasallam certain commands to follow when that event takes place. At the same time, Allah Almighty alludes to some of the results of that event.
The glad tidings are for Allah’s help to the Messenger of Allah salAllahu alayhi wa sallam, the conquest of Makkah, and the mass acceptance of Islam, when throngs upon throngs of people will enter the religion, many of whom were previously its enemies. All of those blessed events took place.
Upon the realization of the conquest, Allah Almighty ordered the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam to thank Him, glorify Him, praise Him, and ask His forgiveness. Then there are two matters that Allah Almighty alludes to:
1) That the victory of the religion will continue and increase with the Prophet’s glorification and praising of Allah Almighty; and with his asking for Allah’s forgiveness. Allah Almighty says:
If you give thanks, I will give you more. (Ibrahim 14:7)

This was seen during and after the period of the rightly-guided caliphs, which is why Allah’s help continued, so that the boundaries of Islam expanded to a size unsurpassed by any other religion in history. And there were peoples who entered the fold of Islam, who had previously resisted entering any other religion. But only when Muslims abandoned Allah’s commands and divided into groups did well-known events take place that signified something of a decline for Muslims. Nonetheless, Allah’s favors and mercy for this nation and religion have reached high levels that surpassed anyone’s expectations and dreams.
2) That the Prophet’s death is near. His life was a most superior one, and in Islam, all superior matters end with asking forgiveness from Allah, such as in prayer and Hajj. By ordering the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam to praise Him and seek forgiveness from Him, Allah Almighty hints to his death, and suggests that he should prepare to meet his Lord. So the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam ended his life on the highest of notes – may Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him. When bowing and prostrating, he salAllahu alayhi wa sallam would say, “How perfect You are, O Allah, our Lord, and I praise you. O Allah, forgive me.”

What Can Be Derived From These Verses
1) It is legislated to inform others of someone’s death, but not in the way of an announcement and not in a loud voice.
2) When a blessing is realized for us, we must be thankful to Allah Alnighty; one way of doing so is to make the prostration for thankfulness.
3) When bowing or prostrating in the prayer, it is legislated to say, “How perfect You are, O Allah, our Lord, and I praise you. O Allah, forgive me.”
4) Allah’s religion is Islam, for He said:
Truly, the religion with Allah Almighty is Islam. (Aal ‘Imraan 3:19)

And, He said:
And whoever seeks the religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him. (Aal ‘Imran 3:85)
5) We appreciate the virtues of saying, “SubhaanAllah (How perfect Allah is!)” and “Alhamdulillah (All praise is for Allah)” when we consider this: To glorify and praise Allah Almighty was enough for the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam and his nation to fulfill what was incumbent upon them in terms of showing thankfulness for the blessings of the victory and conquest.

• Transcribed from: Explanation of Important Lessons (For Every Muslim), Written by: Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz, Compiled by: Muhammad bin Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Arfaj

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