48:4

هُوَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ فِي قُلُوبِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ لِيَزۡدَادُوٓاْ إِيمَٰنٗا مَّعَ إِيمَٰنِهِمۡۗ وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمٗا

Huwa allathee anzala alssakeenata fee quloobi almumineena liyazdadoo eemanan maAAa eemanihim walillahi junoodu alssamawati waalardi wakana Allahu AAaleeman hakeeman

It is He who sent down tranquillity into the hearts of the believers that they would increase in faith along with their [present] faith. And to Allah belong the soldiers of the heavens and the earth, and ever is Allah Knowing and Wise.

Word by word
  1. هُوَHe
  2. ٱلَّذِيٓ(is) the One Who
  3. أَنزَلَsent down
  4. ٱلسَّكِينَةَ[the] tranquility
  5. فِيin (to)
  6. قُلُوبِ(the) hearts
  7. ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ(of) the believers
  8. لِيَزۡدَادُوٓاْthat they may increase
  9. إِيمَٰنٗا(in) faith
  10. مَّعَwith
  11. إِيمَٰنِهِمۡۗtheir faith
  12. وَلِلَّهِAnd for Allah
  13. جُنُودُ(are the) hosts
  14. ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ(of) the heavens
  15. وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚand the earth
  16. وَكَانَand Allah
  17. ٱللَّهُand Allah
  18. عَلِيمًا(is) All-Knower
  19. حَكِيمٗاAll-Wise
Al-Fath · 48:4Madinah

Calm sent into hearts so faith could grow.

Sakinah at Hudaybiyyah


What happened in their hearts
the Companionsaccepted the decision
Allah sent
sakinahtranquility
so
faith increasedadded to their faith
What faith does
fixed amountyou have it or not
grows and shrinkscan be added to

Ibn Kathir says the Companions accepted the call of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ at Hudaybiyyah. When their hearts settled into acceptance, Allah increased their faith. Al-Bukhari used this verse as proof that faith increases and decreases. To Allah belong the armies of the heavens and earth.

The surgery date is set, the decision has been made, and you cannot control the rest. Sometimes calm arrives right when you stop fighting what Allah decided. And faith quietly grows in that calm.

My faith is what it is; it does not really change.

Faith can grow, and calm from Allah is one way He grows it.

Try this

Ask Allah for sakinah by name in your next prayer.

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

He it is Who sent down As-Sakinah into the hearts of the believers, that they may grow more in faith along with their faith. And to Allah belong the armies of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is Ever All-Knower, All-Wise (4)That He may admit the believing men and the believing women to Gardens under which rivers flow to abide therein forever, and He may expiate from them their sins; and that is with Allah supreme success (5)And that He may punish the hypocrites men and women, and also the idolators men and women, who think evil thoughts about Allah, for them is a disgraceful torment. And the anger of Allah is upon them, and He has cursed them and prepared Hell for them and worst indeed is that destination (6)And to Allah belong the armies of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise (7)

Allah sent down the Sakinah into the Hearts of the Believers

Allah the Exalted said,

هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ 

(He it is Who sent down As-Sakinah), meaning, tranquility. Qatadah commented, "Grace into the hearts of the believers", that is, the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, on the Day of Al-Hudaybiyyah. The companions were they, who accepted the call of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and obeyed the decisions of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. When their hearts felt content with acceptance and were at peace, Allah increased their faith, joining it to the faith they already had. Al-Bukhari, and other Imams, relied on this Ayah as proof that faith increases and decreases in the hearts. Allah the Exalted said next that had He willed, He would have inflicted defeat on the disbelievers, Allah says;

وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ 

(And to Allah belong the armies of the heavens and the earth) and had He willed to send only one angel to them, that angel would have brought destruction to all what they had. However, Allah the Exalted willed Jihad and fighting to be established for, and by, the believers for great wisdom, clear reasons and unequivocal evidences that He had in all this. This is why Allah the Great said next,

وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا 

(and Allah is Ever All-Knower, All-Wise.) Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,

لِيُدْخِلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا 

(That He may admit the believing men and the believing women to Gardens under which rivers flow to abide therein forever,) We mentioned the Hadith that Anas narrated in which the Companions said, "Congratulations, O Allah's Messenger! This good news is for you, so what good news do we have?" Allah the Exalted sent down this Ayah,

لِيُدْخِلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا 

(That He may admit the believing men and the believing women to Gardens under which rivers flow to abide therein forever,) meaning they will remain in Paradise forever,

وَيُكَفِّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ

(and He may expiate from them their sins;) Allah will not punish them for their errors and mistakes. Rather, He will forgive, absolve and pardon them and cover the errors, grant mercy and appreciate,

وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا 

(and that is with Allah supreme success.) Allah the Exalted said in a similar Ayah,

فَمَنْ زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ 

(And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful.)(3:185) Allah said,

وَيُعَذِّبَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ وَالْمُشْرِكَاتِ الظَّانِّينَ بِاللَّهِ ظَنَّ السَّوْءِ ۚ 

(And that He may punish the hypocrites, men and women, and also the idolators, men and women, who think evil thoughts about Allah,) who question the wisdom in Allah's decisions and think that the Messenger ﷺ and his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, might be killed and exterminated. This is why Allah the Exalted said,

عَلَيْهِمْ دَائِرَةُ السَّوْءِ ۖ وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَنَهُمْ

(for them is a disgraceful torment. And the anger of Allah is upon them, and He has cursed them) He has cast them away from His mercy,

وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا

(and prepared Hell for them – and worst indeed is that destination.) Allah the Exalted and Most Honored asserted His ability to take revenge from the enemies of Islam and all disbelievers and hypocrites,

وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا

(And to Allah belong the armies of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise.)