In a few years (less than ten). God's is the imperative first and last. On that day the believers will rejoice
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Tafseer
'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī
تفسير : (within a few years) at the beginning of the seventh year from now; abu bakr al-siddiq betted ten camels on this against ubayy ibn khalaf al-jumahi (allah's is the command) victory and the upper hand to muhammad (pbuh) (in the former case) before the persians defeated the romans (and in the latter) and after the persian defeated the romans; it is also said that this means: before and after the victory of the romans against the persians; it is also said: to allah belongs knowledge, power, will, before the beginning of creation and after the evanescence of creation; and it is also said that this means: allah was commander before and after the creation of those he commanded just as he was creator before and after the existence of creation, and provider before and after the existence of those for whom he provided, and master before and after the existence of his subjects (and in that day) when the romans will defeat the persians and also when he gives victory to muhammad (pbuh) over the disbelievers of mecca, on the day of badr, or on the day of al-hudaybiyyah, (believers will rejoice
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī
تفسير : in a few years (bid‘, [usually means] between three and nine or ten years). so the two armies met again seven years after this former encounter and the byzantines defeated the persians. to god belongs the command before and after, that is, before the defeat of the byzantines and thereafter, that is to say, the persian victory at first and the byzantine victory later were [the result of] god’s command, in other words, his will, and on that day, the day when the byzantines will be victorious, the believers shall rejoice
Sahl al-Tustari
تفسير : …to god belongs the command, before and after…this means, before everything else [existed], and after everything else [ceases to exist]. this is because he is the one who initiates [everything] (al-mubdiʾ) and brings it back [to its source] (al-muʿīd). his arrangement (tadbīr) of [the affairs of] his creatures was antecedent [to them] (sabaqa), for he knows them in their origin (aṣl) and what will proceed from them (farʿ).his words:
