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Surah 47 · Madinah · 38 āyāt

Phase 05 · Hijrah and the building of Madinah(1–5 AH) — view in timeline

MuḥammadMuḥammad

محمد

Also known as Sūrat al-Qitāl (the surah of fighting), this Madinan surah legislates the conduct of armed conflict, contrasts the fate of those who disbelieve and obstruct Allah's path with those who believe and do righteous deeds, and repeatedly diagnoses the disease in the hearts of the hypocrites who dread any command to fight. It closes with a description of Paradise's four rivers and a warning against withholding charity out of miserliness.

Why it was revealed

Revealed as the young Madinan state faced organised military opposition, the surah gives believers rules of engagement — how to treat captives, when war may end — while exposing those among the community whose hearts were diseased, who dreaded any sūrah that mentioned fighting.

Drawn fromal-Qurṭubī on 47:2; Ibn Kathīr on 47:20; Ibn Kathīr on 47:24; Ibn Kathīr on 47:4; Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat Muḥammad

Commentators note the surah's opening contrast: those who disbelieve and obstruct the path of Allah have their deeds nullified, while those who believe and do righteous deeds, and believe in what was sent down to Muḥammad ﷺ — which is the truth from their Lord — have their sins removed and their condition set right (yuṣliḥu bālahum).

Cited toIbn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat Muḥammad; al-Qurṭubī on 47:2

In the Prophet's ﷺ life

GuidanceMadinan period · Age Madinan years · Madinah

Rules of engagement revealed

The surah instructs believers, when meeting disbelievers in battle, to strike firmly until they prevail, then either show favour or take ransom afterwards, until the war lays down its burdens.

Recalled in āyah 4

فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فَضَرْبَ ٱلرِّقَابِ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَثْخَنتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا۟ ٱلْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّۢا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَآءً حَتَّىٰ تَضَعَ ٱلْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَآءُ ٱللَّهُ لَٱنتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَبْلُوَا۟ بَعْضَكُم بِبَعْضٍ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَلَن يُضِلَّ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ

So when you meet those who disbelieve [in battle], strike [their] necks until, when you have inflicted slaughter upon them, then secure [their] bonds, and either [confer] favor afterwards or ransom [them] until the war lays down its burdens. That [is the command]. And if Allāh had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them [Himself], but [He ordered armed struggle] to test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the cause of Allāh - never will He waste their deeds.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 47:4

  • Madd — 2 vowels
  • Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
  • Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
  • Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
  • Ghunnah — 2 vowels
  • Qalqalah
  • Ikhfāʾ
  • Ikhfāʾ shafawī
  • Idghām shafawī
  • Idghām with ghunnah
  • Idghām without ghunnah
  • Idghām mutajānisayn
  • Idghām mutaqāribayn
  • Iqlāb
  • Hamzat al-waṣl
  • Lām shamsiyyah
  • Silent letter

Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).

THEME 01Āyāt 4–6

Rules of engagement in war

When believers meet disbelievers in battle, they are told to strike firmly until inflicting decisive defeat, then to secure captives, followed afterwards by either favour or ransom, until the war lays down its burdens. Allah notes He could have taken vengeance Himself, but ordained struggle to test people by means of one another, and promises that those killed in His cause will never have their deeds wasted.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 47:4; Ibn Kathīr on 47:4

4

فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فَضَرْبَ ٱلرِّقَابِ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَثْخَنتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا۟ ٱلْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّۢا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَآءً حَتَّىٰ تَضَعَ ٱلْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَآءُ ٱللَّهُ لَٱنتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَبْلُوَا۟ بَعْضَكُم بِبَعْضٍ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَلَن يُضِلَّ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

So when you meet those who disbelieve [in battle], strike [their] necks until, when you have inflicted slaughter upon them, then secure [their] bonds, and either [confer] favor afterwards or ransom [them] until the war lays down its burdens. That [is the command]. And if Allāh had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them [Himself], but [He ordered armed struggle] to test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the cause of Allāh - never will He waste their deeds.

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From the tafsīr

The sequence — combat, securing captives, then a later choice between releasing them by favour or by ransom — establishes an ordered, humane process rather than indiscriminate violence, applicable only within active combat, not to civilians or after surrender.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 47:4

'Until the war lays down its burdens' is read as pointing to a natural end to conflict, after which the earlier options of clemency or ransom, not continued fighting, are what governs prisoners.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 47:4

Key takeaways

Reflect

How does a structured, rule-bound approach to conflict differ from how anger usually wants to handle confrontation?

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Question 1 of 2

Why does 47:4 say Allah ordained struggle rather than taking vengeance Himself?

Question 2 of 2

What options does 47:4 give regarding captives after decisive combat?

THEME 02Āyāt 20–23

The mark of hypocrisy: dread of a decisive command

Some believers had asked why no sūrah about fighting had been revealed; when a precise, decisive sūrah finally came mentioning combat, those with disease in their hearts stared at the Prophet ﷺ like someone overcome by the throes of death. The surah says obedience and honourable speech would have been better for them, and warns that turning away invites corruption in the land and severed ties of kinship.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 47:22; Ibn Kathīr on 47:20

20

وَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَوْلَا نُزِّلَتْ سُورَةٌ ۖ فَإِذَآ أُنزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ مُّحْكَمَةٌ وَذُكِرَ فِيهَا ٱلْقِتَالُ ۙ رَأَيْتَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ نَظَرَ ٱلْمَغْشِىِّ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۖ فَأَوْلَىٰ لَهُمْ

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Those who believe say, "Why has a sūrah not been sent down?" But when a precise sūrah is revealed and battle is mentioned therein, you see those in whose hearts is disease [i.e., hypocrisy] looking at you with a look of one overcome by death. And more appropriate for them [would have been]

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From the tafsīr

The demand for a sūrah about fighting, followed by dread when it arrived, exposes that the disease was never about lacking clarity — it was reluctance once the clear command actually required sacrifice.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 47:20

The link drawn between turning away from obedience and 'spreading corruption in the land and severing ties of kinship' shows that refusing a costly command has social consequences beyond the individual.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 47:22

Key takeaways

Reflect

Is there a command you say you want clarity on, but would actually resist once it arrived?

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0 / 2 correct

Answer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.

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Question 1 of 2

What social consequence does 47:22 link to turning away from obedience?

Question 2 of 2

What did those with disease in their hearts do when a decisive sūrah on fighting was revealed?

THEME 03Āyāt 24–29

Sealed hearts and reflection on the Qurʾān

The surah asks whether people fail to reflect (yatadabbarūn) on the Qurʾān, or whether there are locks upon their hearts — placing responsibility squarely on wilful refusal rather than any deficiency in revelation. By contrast, those who are guided are increased in guidance and given their taqwā, showing that sincere response to truth compounds itself.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 47:17; Ibn Kathīr on 47:24

17

وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱهْتَدَوْا۟ زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَءَاتَىٰهُمْ تَقْوَىٰهُمْ

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And those who are guided - He increases them in guidance and gives them their righteousness.

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24

أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ أَمْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَآ

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’ān, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?

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From the tafsīr

The rhetorical question implies the answer is obvious: failure to reflect on so clear a revelation can only be explained by the hearts themselves being locked shut, a self-inflicted barrier.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 47:24

'He increases them in guidance' establishes that guidance is not a fixed quantity received once; sincere response to truth is met with further guidance from Allah, an ongoing exchange.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 47:17

Key takeaways

Reflect

When did you last genuinely reflect, rather than merely recite, a passage of the Qurʾān?

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Check yourself

0 / 2 correct

Answer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.

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Question 1 of 2

According to Ibn Kathīr, what does the rhetorical question in 47:24 imply about failing to reflect on the Qurʾān?

Question 2 of 2

What does al-Saʿdī note about 'He increases them in guidance' in 47:17?

THEME 04Āyāt 15

The description of Paradise's rivers

Paradise, promised to the righteous, is described through four rivers: water forever unaltered, milk whose taste never changes, wine delicious to those who drink it, and purified honey — alongside every kind of fruit and forgiveness from their Lord. This is contrasted starkly with those who abide eternally in the Fire, given scalding water that severs their intestines.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 47:15; Ibn Kathīr on 47:15

15

مَّثَلُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ٱلَّتِى وُعِدَ ٱلْمُتَّقُونَ ۖ فِيهَآ أَنْهَـٰرٌ مِّن مَّآءٍ غَيْرِ ءَاسِنٍ وَأَنْهَـٰرٌ مِّن لَّبَنٍ لَّمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ طَعْمُهُۥ وَأَنْهَـٰرٌ مِّنْ خَمْرٍ لَّذَّةٍ لِّلشَّـٰرِبِينَ وَأَنْهَـٰرٌ مِّنْ عَسَلٍ مُّصَفًّى ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ كَمَنْ هُوَ خَـٰلِدٌ فِى ٱلنَّارِ وَسُقُوا۟ مَآءً حَمِيمًا فَقَطَّعَ أَمْعَآءَهُمْ

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

Is the description of Paradise, which the righteous are promised, wherein are rivers of water unaltered, rivers of milk the taste of which never changes, rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of purified honey, in which they will have from all [kinds of] fruits and forgiveness from their Lord... [Are its inhabitants] like those who abide eternally in the Fire and are given to drink scalding water that will sever their intestines?

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From the tafsīr

Each river is described with a quality that corrects its worldly counterpart's flaw: water that does not stagnate, milk that never sours, wine without the harm or intoxication of this world's wine, and honey already purified.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 47:15

The juxtaposition with the Fire's scalding drink at the end of the same āyah is deliberate, forcing a direct comparison between the two destinations within a single verse.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 47:15

Key takeaways

Reflect

Which of the four rivers' descriptions speaks most to something you currently lack access to in this life?

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Check yourself

0 / 2 correct

Answer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.

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Question 1 of 2

What is placed in direct contrast to the four rivers within the same āyah?

Question 2 of 2

What are the four rivers of Paradise described in 47:15?

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VOCABULARY

Roots from this surah

Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.

ق ت ل

āyāt 4, 20

to fight, kill

  • ٱلْقِتَالُfighting
  • قُتِلُوا۟they were killed
  • مُقَاتِلcombatant

ن ص ر

āyāt 7

to support, give victory

  • تَنصُرُوا۟you support
  • نَصْرvictory/support
  • أَنصَارhelpers

د ب ر

āyāt 24

to reflect, consider deeply

  • يَتَدَبَّرُونَthey reflect deeply
  • تَدَبُّرdeep reflection
  • أَدْبَارaftermath/rear

ق ف ل

āyāt 24

lock

  • أَقْفَالlocks
  • قُفْلa lock

ب خ ل

āyāt 38

to withhold, be miserly

  • يَبْخَلُhe withholds
  • بُخْلmiserliness
  • بَخِيلmiser

ه د ي

āyāt 5, 17

to guide

  • ٱهْتَدَوْا۟they were guided
  • هُدًىguidance
  • هَادٍguide

م ر ض

āyāt 20, 29

sickness, disease

  • مَّرَضٌdisease
  • مَرِيضsick

Carry this with you

  • Rules of engagement in Islamic warfare are ordered and sequential, never indiscriminate.
  • The trial of armed struggle exists to test people by means of one another, not from any lack of divine power.
  • Wanting clarity about a command in theory while dreading it in practice is a documented mark of hypocrisy.
  • Turning away from a costly command is linked to social harm, not confined to private failing.
  • Failure to reflect on clear revelation is attributed to self-locked hearts, not deficiency in the message.
  • Guidance is not a one-time gift; it increases for those who respond to it sincerely.
  • Paradise's four rivers are each described as perfected, correcting the exact flaw of their worldly counterpart.
  • Withholding charity out of miserliness harms only the one who withholds, since Allah is free of need.

Where this surah connects

Cross-surah threads

Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.

The four trials2 movementsRefuge, protection and the unseen harm2 movementsThe Hour and the accounting1 movementThe signs you already walk on1 movement
All threads →

Sources behind Sūrah Muḥammad

Every line of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these references. Ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com and āyah references open on quran.com, so you can check the claim rather than take it on trust. The Arabic text itself is fetched live from a verified public corpus.

FINAL ASSESSMENT

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Muḥammad — full exam

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8 questions across 4 themes.

Muḥammad · The description of Paradise's rivers

What are the four rivers of Paradise described in 47:15?

Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol