48:18

۞لَّقَدۡ رَضِيَ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ إِذۡ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحۡتَ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمۡ فَأَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَأَثَٰبَهُمۡ فَتۡحٗا قَرِيبٗا

Laqad radiya Allahu AAani almumineena ith yubayiAAoonaka tahta alshshajarati faAAalima ma fee quloobihim faanzala alsakeenata AAalayhim waathabahum fathan qareeban

Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquillity upon them and rewarded them with an imminent conquest

Word by word
  1. ۞لَّقَدۡCertainly
  2. رَضِيَAllah was pleased
  3. ٱللَّهُAllah was pleased
  4. عَنِwith
  5. ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَthe believers
  6. إِذۡwhen
  7. يُبَايِعُونَكَthey pledged allegiance to you
  8. تَحۡتَunder
  9. ٱلشَّجَرَةِthe tree
  10. فَعَلِمَand He knew
  11. مَاwhat
  12. فِي(was) in
  13. قُلُوبِهِمۡtheir hearts
  14. فَأَنزَلَso He sent down
  15. ٱلسَّكِينَةَthe tranquility
  16. عَلَيۡهِمۡupon them
  17. وَأَثَٰبَهُمۡand rewarded them
  18. فَتۡحٗا(with) a victory
  19. قَرِيبٗاnear
Al-Fath · 48:18Madinah

Allah was pleased with them under the tree.

He saw their hearts and sent calm


Under the tree
the believerspledged
Allah
knew their heartstruthful, loyal
pleased, sent calmand a near victory
What mattered
the treeeven its place forgotten
the heartswhat Allah looked at

Ibn Kathir says Allah knew the truthfulness, loyalty and obedience in their hearts, and sent calm upon them. Sa'id bin al-Musayyib reported his father said that the next year they forgot which tree it was and could not agree. What lasted was Allah's pleasure, not the spot.

You keep the photo of the place where something meaningful happened: the masjid, the hospital, the hotel in Makkah. The place is a memory. What Allah sees is what was in your heart there.

Special places are what make a moment holy.

What Allah looks at is the heart, not the spot where it happened.

Try this

Renew one intention today that you made in a special moment, right where you are.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Indeed, Allah was pleased with the believers when they gave the pledge to you under the tree, He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down As-Sakinah upon them, and He rewarded them with a near victory (18)And abundant spoils that they will capture. And Allah is Ever All-Mighty, All-Wise (19)

Good News to the Participants of the Ridwan Pledge of Allah's Pleasure and earning Spoils of War

Allah declares that He is pleased with the believers who gave the pledge to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ under the tree. We mentioned the number of these believers as being one thousand and four hundred and that the tree was a Samurah tree, located in the area of Hudaybiyyah.

Al-Bukhari narrated from Tariq that 'Abdur-Rahman said, "I went on Hajj and passed by people praying and asked, 'What is this Masjid?' They said, 'This is the tree where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ took the pledge of Ar-Ridwan.' So, I went to Sa'id bin Al-Musayyib and told him. Sa'id said, 'My father told me that he was among those who gave their pledge to the Messenger of Allah under the tree. My father said: The following year, when we went out, we forgot its place and could not agree which tree it was.' Sa'id said, 'The Companions of Muhammad ﷺ forgot where the tree was, but you know where it is. Therefore, you have better knowledge than them!'" Allah said,

 فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ

(He knew what was in their hearts,) meaning, of truthfulness, trustworthiness, obedience and adherence,

فَأَنْزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ

(and He sent down As-Sakinah), calmness and tranquillity,

عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا

(upon them, and He rewarded them with a near victory.) in reference to the goodness that Allah the Exalted and Most Honored caused to happened to the Companions on account of the peace treaty between them and their disbelieving enemies. Ever after that, the Companions gained abundant, general and continuous benefits and accomplishments, leading to the conquest of Khaybar and Makkah and then the various surrounding provinces and areas. They earned tremendous glory, triumphs and an elevated and honorable status in this life and in the Hereafter, just as Allah the Exalted said,

وَمَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً يَأْخُذُونَهَا ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا

(And abundant spoils that they will capture. And Allah is Ever All-Mighty, All-Wise.)