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ʾidh yurīkahumu llāhu fī manāmika qalīlan wa-law ʾarākahum kathīran la-fashiltum wa-la-tanāzaʿtum fī l-ʾamri wa-lākinna llāha sallama ʾinnahū ʿalīmun bi-dhāti ṣ-ṣudūri
When Allah showed them to you as few in your dream, and had He shown them as many, you would have lost heart, and disputed about the matter. But Allah spared you. Indeed He knows well what is in the breasts.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Anfal – Verse 43
43 . “(Remember) when Allah showed them to you as few in your dream and had He shown them as many, you would have become dishearted and disputed about the matter; but Allah did save (you). Surely He is aware of what is in the breasts.”
Following the explanation of some Allah's graces and His helps unto the Muslims, this verse speaks about the number of pagans which was shown few in the eyes of the Muslims. This was done in a few stages. The first stage was that the Prophet (S) saw them as few in his dream, and, saying that to the Muslims, promoted their courage. The second stage was that He showed the number of the Muslims in the eyes of pagans so few that they would not call for further fresh forces from Mecca to help them.
It is principally true that prophets’ dream is a glow of revelation, but that the Prophet of Islam (S) saw the large crowd of the pagans so few in his dream was an indication to the reality of the inward state of the pagans, which was fear, weakness and incapability. Surah Al-Hashr, No. 59, verse 14 in this regard says:
However, dream is one of the ways of communication, seeking help, and taking courage through Allah's succor. It should also be noted that, in the most terrible conditions, Allah may protect believers and crush their enemies. The verse says: