3,000 Angels Is Sufficient (Part One)

 RE: Vegan Atheist RE: How many angels? Is it a contradiction?

Ayah, 124-25, Chapter A’ali Imran (Ch.: 3)

Ayah, 9, Chapter Al-Anfal (Ch.: 8)

The explanation on the internet is easier to understand (apparently) - a link follows (only in Arabic).

(See P.293, “the Gracious Quran” by Ahmad Zaki Hammad, for a clear explanation of the verses.)

The book P.179, and/or P.67, “Al Mawsua al Qurania al Muwyaisara”,

Allah, SWT, tells the Prophet, SWS, to remember, when he told the Muslims when they prayed for help, “Behold, O Prophet! You said to the believers: Will it not suffice you that your Lord shall reinforce you with three thousand forces from the angels sent down to help you?”

The next ayah (and the arabic tafsir is explained) says,” Most certainly, if you are patient and God-fearing and the enemy forces come upon you suddenly your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand forces from the angels…” Allah is speaking; answering the question above (or what the Prophet had asked) as instruction only, because He is all-Aware. He promises even to send as many angels as there are enemies; “ and the enemy forces suddenly come upon you” is another exacerbating condition, requiring more divine assistance, but will come only “if you remain patient and God-fearing” despite the strength of the enemy.

Therefore, there is no contradiction; Allah would send more angels to strengthen the Muslims in certain conditions (as He wills). It is apparent that some pagans arrived, so even 3,000 angels were sent, but the Muslims were strong enough to defeat them (with 3,000 angels present) and 5,000 (or 2,000 additional angels) did not come (according to the opinion of scholars).

The Sahaba (on the internet, an Arabic site I will provide the link for, mentions his name) tells that when the Muslims heard that Karaz bin Jabber Fahri was going to assist the non-believers, the ayah to send 3,000 angels, and that 5,000 would be sent if they were needed (and the Muslims in that case would have showed patience, or would not get the greater assistance of 5,000 additional angels) was revealed. This teaches that they Mujahedeen should always have patience if they want the assistance, whether or not they can see the angels, they still believe in Allah’s promise, etc.

About Surah Al-Anfal, the explanation for it, says, that Allah sent them one thousand angels, "Murdifeen", one after the other/consecutively (also) at the Battle of Badr. This means that both instances, some angels were sent, that it is in fact NOT the same battle (of Badr) but that the troops of angels came consecutively (is what happened). This occasion was at Badr (a location), and is simply referred to as Badr (known as the first major battle in Islam). Badr II happens much later after the Battle of Uhud (it is the appointment (mentioned) which is to take place, for fighting, one year after the battle of Uhud.)

Both, 124,125 of Chapter 3 and verse 9 of Chapter 8, were revealed about battles at Badr. (Or one is at Badr I, mentioned in the verse in Sura Al-Anfal [Ch:8, V:9] the other at Uhud (or possilbly) another battle or a skirmish after the battle of Uhud; there were many of them over the course of 23 years or so – It isn’t clear to me where the battle (in connection with Chapter 3, Verse 125) took place, but I will provide all the references, from Quran (The Gracious Quran, by Hammad Zaki Hammad) translation (of the meanings), and the Seera of the Prophet Muhammad, in English, by Al-Mubarakpuri. This will be in the next post, with my comments, which are largely my own thoughts, but which could also be the opinion of others, as I have read. - Revised)

www.burhanukum.com (Arabic site)

www.Islamweb.net (Arabic site)

The Explanation with Proofs:

3:121 “Remember, O Muhammad, when you went forth in the morning from your household to settle the believers in positions for fighting at the Battle of Uhud…”

3:122 “Then two groups among you were about to become faint-hearted…”

Is speaking about the famous “Battle of Uhud”. (checking the details, revise)

3:123 is (obviously) speaking about the Battle of Badr (Badr I, is meant, because it was the only battle taking place at Badr before the battle of Uhud).

Reads, “And truly God gave you victory at the Battle of Badr before this, though you were humble in number. “

Only fourteen Muslims died in this battle, as the sheikh writes, in the biography of the Prophet, on page 270. (Al-Mubarakpuri)

3:124 “Behold, O Prophet! You said to the believers: Will it not suffice you that your Lord shall reinforce you with three thousand forces from the angels sent down to help you?

Allah is reminding the Prophet, SAWS,  of what he said previously, or before the battle, meaning either at Uhud, or possibly at some skirmish before Uhud. More than likely this verse is revealed during the battle or just when it was about to start, and in response to the Prophet's supplications which he made every time the Muslims fought - Even during the 'fear prayer' in the thick of the war with the different enemies of Islam, throughout his prophethood. He was then informed of the guarantee of the angels (3,000 of them was the actual number.) Because it was a tougher battle, the divine assistance was greater than at Badr I. (Revised, Mar. 31st)

In comparison to Badr I, at Uhud 70 Muslims were killed/martyred.

3:125 “Most certainly, if you remain patient and God-fearing and the enemy forces come upon you suddenly, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand forces from the angels of marked distinction.”

This verse is (probably) about the Battle of Uhud. But can be also used generally for any occasion when the number of Muslims is much less than the numbers of the non-Muslims, requiring that angels be sent, e.g. three thousand, or five thousand.

This is Allah reassuring the believers, that whatever the obstacles, He will help them, and if the non-believers are many, they only need remain constant and have firm belief, and He will assist them. (it doesn’t matter if the assistance is three or five thousand, and Allah knows and we don’t know, how many angels He will send, in such circumstances.)

The Quran is not only for the believers during Muhammad’s time, but for all believers, therefore, it is only to reassure the believers, no matter what the situation, whether the believers are slightly outnumbered, greatly outnumbered, or impossibly outnumbered. Since it is for all time, the Quran must be easy for the Muslims to understand, the fact that some non-believers argue against it, without sufficient knowledge, doesn’t detract from the message, which Muslims in all cases should believe in.

3:123 “…Thus be ever God-fearing and be conscious of His help, so that you may give thanks to Him.”

3:125 is clearly about a battle (Uhud, or another battle after the Battle of Uhud) where the numbers are greatly in favor of the non-believers, but also, after the first battle of the Muslims (Badr I).

It is possible, and I haven’t been able to identify, for sure, which battle it was , if it is Uhud, only, which this verse (#125) is about, or after that, e.g. Tabuk. In any case, it isn’t the same battle where 1,000 angels are sent.

Badr II is also called "the Appointment".

So, this is not a contradiction.

That the verse has 3,000 or 5,000 is not a contradiction, it is just Allah promising more “troops” if they are required, “and [if the] enemy forces come upon you suddenly”.

In human terms we would call this “upping the ante” or “reinforcements” in military lingo. Allah promises 2,000 reinforcements, e.g. 3,000 + 2,000 = 5,000, or it could mean, either 3,000 or 5,000 during the battle, (at the beginning, or during, isn’t mentioned), which is probably the correct interpretation (This is my analysis, not a scholar’s, so that’s why I am giving two different “interpretations”, but from the language it seem to be that either 3,000 or 5,000 "in quick succession" (only) is meant, not 3,000 and later 2,000 additional angels. God knows Best.)

It is the fault of the non-Muslims, whether atheist, or Christian, or other, who do not hesitate to jump to conclusions about the nature of the Quran, assuming it is replete with errors, or contradictions, when in fact that isn’t the case.

I hope I’ve explained this particular case sufficiently so that there isn’t a question about any contradiction or human effort about these verses. (in Surah Al’ Imran, and Surah Al-Anfal)

Some non-Muslims ask me why I say there are different "interpretations"? I assume they are asking why we don’t know the meaning of the verse, but it is obvious that the interpretations are either correct or incorrect, and that they rely on the writer’s own assumptions or misunderstandings, if they are not correct, and rely on correct views of scholars, with proofs, if they are correct. It is that simple. Of course, in that light, there are many interpretations, some will be correct, some will be wrong and others will be “close” or “almost right”.

If I’m interpreting a verse, with my imperfect knowledge and I haven’t asked a scholar for his opinion, then of course there might be a flaw in my understanding and interpretation. It is not necessarily my own “opinion” only, but it might not be the correct view of a majority of the knowledgeable people (e.g. scholars or according to the earlier Muslims views). Sometimes, what I write is my own opinion only, so then I should tell the reader this, as in the example above. But it is much better to avoid speculation, and to give proper sources and quote knowledge from people or sources which are reliable.

Some Advice:

When reading the Quran, please keep in mind that the verses throughout the book were revealed piecemeal, or little by little, over the course of 23 years. Also, some chapters are revealed before the Hijra (in Mecca) and others are revealed after the Hijra (when the Muslims had travelled to their new home in Medina). Actually, some Meccan verses will probably have been revealed at other places, but during the Meccan period. I.E., the prophet, pbuh, travelled to Taif to invite people to Islam and to other places, and was either rejected or assisted, or some people accepted Islam. There are probably some verses, but definitely hadiths connected with some of these times, which were revealed outside of Mecca, during the Prophets call to Islam. The same can be said about some of the verses (called Medina verses) revealed after the Hijra. They may have been revealed at locations outside of Medina.

It isn’t much easier to tell when hadiths/narrations were on occasions outside of Mecca and Medina; some details will mention the name of the place, or who was spoken to, but that isn’t always the case. For this particular exercise, I compared the hadiths, the verses (The Gracious Quran) and the book of seera (biography of the Prophet) to determine, as best I could where the verses about certain battles or skirmishes, and invasions were revealed.

The Arrangement:

It is obvious that verses are interspersed, some dealing with different battles, even in the same chapter. This is why there is much commentary about how the verses and chapters have been arranged. Allah, the Wise, revealed and arranged the verses, and instructed Muhammad, pbuh, about the arrangement (also by a kind of revelation – e.g. He spoke to or inspired him, or the Angel Gabriel was sent to tell Muhammad about these things).Of course, the Quran was arranged once all the verses had been revealed (into its final form).

The verse, "itha ja al-nasr...", or Sura/Chapter Al -Nasr (The Assistance) revealed in Mecca when the Muslims were a small band of believers, before they were permitted to defend themselves, which caused hardship, and the non-believers used to defend some of them, or some wealthy Muslims would buy their freedom. In fact, without the assistance of some of the non-believers, it is likely more of the Muslims would have died, and Muhammad himself was put to some trials (though the Muslims know he was not going to be killed, and those occasions were trials for him, to purify him and to elevate his status) When this verse was revealed the pagans laughed at the revelation and ridiculed the Muslims, who were unable even to fight back - they laughed that the Muslims could be confident that they would some day attain a great victory in a battle, or that would even imagine supremacy over the pagans in the future.

The first ayah/verse revealed was "Read in the name of your lord..." in Mecca.

The final ayah/verse, revealed in Medina, was, "This day have I perfected your religion for you...". 

The seera (biography) tells how, on the occasion of his visit to Taif, when the non-Muslims rejected his invitation to Islam, and they abused him, the arch angel Gabriel, AS, came to him and said, “here is the angel of the mountain…”, and he was given the option for the city to be destroyed, but he didn’t want that. There is no verse connected with this event (but I could be wrong about this point.)

The fact is, many ordinary Muslims know these verses and have learned the context of their revelation, and also know that the Quran was not sent down or revealed in one Book, before it’s arrangement, so it is even more miraculous, that verses revealed over twenty-three years, were then organized into the Book, in such a way that it is easy to memorize, melodious, beautiful and inspiring, etc. and also proves that it was not the work of a man, but divine inspiration. The Quran is in the “Preserved Tablet” where it was before it was revealed to mankind.

Caution:

As for comments by non-Muslims who cannot even read Arabic, or don’t have any books of tafsir, including the works of Muslim scholars, there is a fitting verse in Sura Al’ Imran which says,

“O you who believe! Do not take anyone as a confident, apart from those who believe in your own faith. And beware! Those who disbelieve will spare nothing to corrupt you. They love that which overburdens you. Already, bitter hatred has become apparent from their own mouths. And what their hearts conceal is greater still. We have, indeed, made clear to you the revealed signs, if you but use your reason to understand His admonitions.”

(Ch: 3, V: 118, The Quran)

There are other things still to be said about these two chapters in particular (regarding the battles). For example, that the number of angels sent matches the number of enemy fighters, etc. for which I will provide more proof, in an upcoming post. The best book to read for a true picture of the history connected with Quran, is my favorite book of seera, "The Sealed Nectar", which I reference often in my writing.