48: Victory
This chapter of 29 verses arranged
in four sections was revealed in the interval after
the truce made at the tree of Hudaybiyya in the sixth year following the
Hijra,
or during 628 A. D.; thus it belongs to the Madinese period. It was revealed
after
Friday (or congregation) 62, when we consider the sequence of the chapters
within the Qur'an itself.
The chapter mentions political difficulties section II, while a mob scene
is
described in section III. Ultimate victory is promised the Prophet and
believers
in section IV, which also contains the fable of The Sturdy Plant
. One great
problem facing the early Muslims was how to divide up or dispose of booty
that
fell to them in battle; the Prophet did not want any followers who joined
his forces
merely in order to acquire it. This chapter reinforces the Muslim's sense
of duty.