Surah Aal-i-Imraan
Chapter 3 · Verse 143 · Revealed in Madinah
“And you had certainly wished for martyrdom before you encountered it, and you have [now] seen it [before you] while you were looking on.”
Translation: Saheeh International
Listen to recitation
Mishary Rashid Alafasy
Reflection — Ibn Kathir
The Wisdom Behind the Losses Muslims Suffered During Uhud
Allah states to His believing servants who suffered losses in the battle of Uhud, including seventy dead,
قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ سُنَنٌ
Reflection — Maarif ul Quran
The second verse that follows gives consolation to Muslims from another angle. It has been said that if Muslims were wounded or hurt in that particular battle, so also were those fighting against them. If seventy Muslim men were martyred with many wounded, is it not that they had condemned an identical number of their enemies to Hell, and wounded many, a year ago? Then, in this very battle, many a men from the enemy ranks were killed and wounded initially. So, when the text says:
إِن يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِّثْلُهُ ۚ وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ
What does this verse bring up for you today?