A Dream That Steadied the Believers

The night before the battle started, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saw a dream — and these are dreams that those who strive in the path of Allah, al-mujāhidīn fī sabīlillāh, see, in which Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, strengthens them. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saw the army of Quraysh to be fewer than it really was. Why would Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, make him see the army as less than it really was — is it not better for him to see it as it is? Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, wanted to strengthen the hearts of the believers: the army was three times the number of the Muslim army, and that would weaken their morale, for if a soldier is going to fight and feels he has no chance, he will be weak on the battlefield. They had to have hope that at least they had a chance to win, so Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, showed the army of the enemy to be fewer than it really was.

Remember, O Muhammad, when Allah showed them to you in your dream as few — and if He had shown them to you as many, the believers would have lost courage and would have disputed the matter of whether to fight, but Allah saved them from that; indeed He is knowing of what is within the breasts. This was to strengthen them, and it happened the night before the battle.