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fa-lam taqtulūhum wa-lākinna llāha qatalahum wa-mā ramayta ʾidh ramayta wa-lākinna llāha ramā wa-li-yubliya l-muʾminīna minhu balāʾan ḥasanan ʾinna llāha samīʿun ʿalīmun
You did not kill them; rather, it was Allah who killed them; and you did not throw when you threw, rather, it was Allah who threw, that He might test the faithful with a good test from Himself. Indeed Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Anfal – Verse 17
17 . “You did not slay them, but Allah slew them; and you (O’ Muhammad) did not throw when you did throw, but Allah threw, that He might test the believers by a gracious trial from Himself. Verily Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”
In order that Muslims might not be proud of the victory in the Battle of Badr and that they would not rely on their own bodily power alone, but they should make their minds and spirits clear and encouraged with the remembrance of Allah and His helps, the Quran says:
Then, it addresses the Holy Prophet (S) saying that it was not he who threw dust and sand unto the faces of them in that battle, but Allah (s.w.t) threw. The verse immediately after that continues saying:
In the continuation of the verse, the Qur’an points to another important matter. The fact is that the battle-field in the Battle of Badr was a trial place for Muslims from the side of Allah. The verse says:
Then, the verse is concluded with this holy, phrase:
That is, Allah has heard the invocations of the Prophet (S) and the believers, and He was aware of the truthfulness of their intention and of their sincerity. That was why that He bestowed His grace upon all of them and made them victorious over their enemy. In future, too, Allah (s.w.t) will treat Muslim believers according to the intention and standard of the sincerity and level of perseverance that they will show.