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wa-dhkurū ʾidh ʾantum qalīlun mustaḍʿafūna fī l-ʾarḍi takhāfūna ʾan yatakhaṭṭafakumu n-nāsu fa-ʾāwākum wa-ʾayyadakum bi-naṣrihī wa-razaqakum mina ṭ-ṭayyibāti laʿallakum tashkurūna
Remember when you were few, abased in the land, and feared lest the people should despoil you, and He gave you refuge, and strengthened you with His help, and provided you with all the good things so that you may give thanks.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Anfal – Verse 26
26 . “And remember when you were few, deemed weak in the land, and were fearful that people would snatch you away, but He gave you refuge (in Medina), and strengthened you with His help, and provided you with the good things (of sustenance) in order that you might be thankful.”
Once again the Quran assists Muslims to review their past history, and makes them understand both their former state and their present stage which they enjoy, so that they may catch well the concept of the lesson taught through the previous holy verses. This verse implies that they should remember the time that they were few in number and could do nothing. They were captured in the grips of their enemies who had drawn them into weakness and incapability. It says:
They were in a state that they feared that both pagans and those who were their opponents might despoil them away. The verse says:
This meaning makes manifest the utmost weakness and fewness of the members of Muslims in front of pagans in Mecca before migration of the Prophet (S) to Medina, or after migration in front of the great powers of that time, like the forces of Iran and Rom. Then, the verse continues saying:
Then it adds: