The Famous Verse of "Allah Being Pleased with the Companions" Was Revealed Only to COVER Allah's Mistake

The First Hidden Truth: The "Pleased" Verse was revealed not at the time of the Pledge, but only three months after the Pledge.

Did Muslim scholars ever allow you to even remotely suspect that the famous verse, which announces “Allah’s pleasure with the companions who pledged allegiance under the tree,” was actually not revealed at the time of the pledge?

Have Muslim scholars ever allowed you to catch even a whiff of the fact that the famous verse, which announces "Allah’s pleasure with the companions who pledged allegiance under the tree," was actually not revealed at the time of the pledge?

No, rather, this verse was revealed three months after the Pledge of Hudaybiyyah.

And why was that?

It was done to conceal a serious mistake made by Allah (i.e., Muhammad) during that very incident.

For more than fourteen hundred years, Muslim scholars have successfully hidden this reality from the public, ensuring that ordinary Muslims would never know the true story behind this verse.

The verse is as under:

Verse 48:18:

لَقَدۡ رَضِیَ اللّٰہُ عَنِ الۡمُؤْمِنِیۡنَ اِذۡ یُبَایِعُوۡنَکَ تَحۡتَ الشَّجَرَۃِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِیۡ قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ فَاَنۡزَلَ السَّکِیۡنَۃَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا  

Indeed Allah was pleased with the believers, when they were pledging allegiance to you under the tree, so He came to know what was in their hearts, and so He sent down tranquility upon them, and rewarded them (past tense) with a near/speedy victory (of Khaibar).

The Grammatical Evidence for a Post-Event Revelation:

The timing of the revelation is confirmed by the verse’s own grammar, particularly the phrase: وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا ("He rewarded them with a near victory").

In classical Arabic, the verb أَثَابَهُمْ ("He rewarded them") is in the past tense. Its use here serves as undeniable proof that the event—the "near victory"—had already transpired when the verse was delivered. As traditional commentaries confirm (including those from figures like Tabari and Maududi), this "near victory" explicitly refers to the Conquest of Khaybar, which occurred approximately three months after the Pledge.

The entire sequence of verbs in the verse reflects completed actions:

• لَقَدۡ رَضِیَ (He was pleased)

• فَعَلِمَ (So He came to know)

• فَاَنۡزَلَ (And so He sent down)

• وَأَثَابَهُمْ (And He rewarded them)

The verse thus reads as a retrospective summary of events that were already history, not a real-time divine decree.

Ibn Jarir al-Tabari wrote in his Tafsir (link):

Ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Ja‘far narrated to us, saying: Shu‘bah narrated to us from al-Hakam from Ibn Abi Layla regarding the verse “and He rewarded them with an imminent victory” (48:18) — he said: It refers to Khaybar. 

Bishr narrated to us, saying: Yazid narrated to us, saying: Sa‘id narrated to us from Qatadah regarding “and He rewarded them with an imminent victory” — he said: It was Khaybar.

Ibn ‘Abd al-A‘la narrated to us, saying: Ibn Thawr narrated to us from Ma‘mar from Qatadah regarding “and He rewarded them with an imminent victory” — he said: It has reached me that it refers to Khaybar.

Consequently, the astonishing fact was revealed here that the verse announcing (Allah's) pleasure with the pledge was revealed in Khaybar, three months after the pledge.

And when a person begins to ponder the question of why this verse was revealed after three months, it is then that he begins to suspect that "there is something fishy".

And when a person reflects further on this question, a mistake of Allah (the details of which will be described later in this article) begins to be revealed to him.

The Mistake at Hudaybiyyah: Why did All-Knowing Allah not aware that Uthman was not killed? 

The core theological assertion put forth by Muhammad was that God (Allah) is All-Knowing (Alim) and All-Aware (Khabir). Yet, an event at Hudaybiyyah introduced a fatal flaw that directly questions the existence of an omniscient deity.

However, at Hudaybiyyah, Allah (i.e. Muhammad himself) made a mistake that raised questions about Allah's existence and His attributes of being All-Knowing and All-Aware.

Let us first examine this error:

In the sixth year of Hijrah (Sirat Ibn Hisham), Muhammad set out toward Mecca with the intention of performing pilgrimage. Then, stopping at Hudaybiyyah, Muhammad sent Uthman ibn Affan as an envoy to the people of Mecca to inform them that he had come not with the intention of war but to perform pilgrimage. However, when Uthman's return was delayed, a false report spread among the Muslims that the people of Mecca had killed Uthman.

Ibn Kathir writes in his commentary under verse 48:10 (link):

"The Messenger of Allah sent Uthman ibn Affan to Mecca, and when Uthman's return was delayed, the people said: Uthman has been killed..."

Ibn Kathir further writes under the same verse (link):

This alarming news deeply distressed the Muslims and the Messenger of Allah himself, and he said that now we will not leave without reaching a decision. Consequently, the Prophet called the companions and took a pledge from them under a tree - this was the Pledge of Ridwan... The caller of the Messenger of Allah announced that the Holy Spirit (Gabriel) had come to Allah's Messenger and commanded the pledge - come and take the pledge in Allah's name. Then the Muslims rushed forward eagerly. The Prophet was under the tree at that time. Everyone took the pledge that they would never turn their backs from the battlefield under any circumstances.

The Divine Confirmation:

At the peak of this crisis, with the certainty of Uthman's death, Muhammad claimed the immediate revelation of a verse that seemingly validated the news and consecrated the resulting pledge:

(Quran 48:10) اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ یُبَایِعُوۡنَکَ اِنَّمَا یُبَایِعُوۡنَ اللّٰہَ ۚ یَدُ اللّٰہِ فَوۡقَ اَیۡدِیۡہِمۡ...

Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you are actually pledging allegiance to Allah. The hand of Allah is over their hands...

The use of the imperfect (present continuous) verb "یُبَایِعُونَکَ" (are pledging allegiance) confirms that Muhammad asserted the verse was being revealed in real-time, sanctifying the action as it was underway. The implication was clear: by accepting the pledge through this revelation, Allah Himself confirmed the casus belli (the cause for war) (i.e. the death of Uthman) was true.

Crucially, after accepting the solemn, life-or-death pledge, no further revelation was sent to clarify the actual situation --- for instance, a message stating: “Allah is pleased with your loyalty, but rest assured, Uthman is alive.”

The Contradiction: Uthman Returns Alive:

However, contrary to this divine confirmation, Uthman later returned alive. Ibn Kathir writes further (link):

فبايع الناس ... ثم أتى رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - أن الذي كان من أمر عثمان باطل.

The people pledged allegiance... but then information came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, that what was reported concerning Uthman was false.

Consequently, doubts arose in people's hearts about this revelation, and questions began to be raised about whether this was truly from an All-Knowing, All-Aware heavenly Allah, or whether it was human and Muhammad himself was presenting it. Since he was merely a human being and not All-Knowing and All-Aware, did he make this error in the revelation?

The Final Strategic Move: Covering the Mistake with Spoils of war:

The contradiction posed by the failure of the "All-Knowing" God to confirm a simple fact and Uthman's return, persisted for three months.

That situation was dangerous for Muhammad.

Therefore, he once again adopted the old, tried-and-tested formula of "test/trial" to escape this crisis.

The narrative crisis was resolved only after the Conquest of Khaybar, which yielded immense wealth.

Muhammad seized the post-victory euphoria, claiming the revelation of Surah Al-Fath (48:18 onward). In this strategically timed message, the error was recast as a profound test:

• The Excuse: 
  The Pledge at Hudaybiyyah was not a factual affirmation but merely a "trial" through which Allah sought to observe and "know the state of your hearts." This excuse shifted the focus from the veracity of the news (Uthman's death) to the loyalty of the Companions.

• The Reward and Diversion:
  Simultaneously, Muhammad announced that Allah was now "pleased" with them. To solidify this new narrative and ensure the Companions dropped all questions about the mistake, he repeatedly tempted them with the promise of imminent wealth. The verses emphasized that the immediate spoils of Khaybar were just the first installment, with much more treasure to follow, thus successfully diverting their focus from the theological failure to the material success of the conquest.

The delayed revelation, delivered amidst the wealth and satisfaction of Khaybar, effectively functioned as damage control, re-establishing legitimacy and securing loyalty by substituting spiritual justification and material incentive for the divine omniscience that had demonstrably failed at Hudaybiyyah.

Thus, three months later, Muhammad used this occasion to claim the revelation of these verses of Surah Al-Fath. 

Surah Al-Fath 48:18–21

Verse 18: لَّقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا

Indeed Allah was pleased with the believers, when they were pledging allegiance to you under the tree, so He came to know what was in their hearts, and so He sent down tranquility upon them, and rewarded them with a near/speedy victory (of Khaibar).

Verse 19: وَمَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً يَأْخُذُونَهَا ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا

And many war-booties they will gain (in future), and Allah is Mighty and Wise.

Verse 20: وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً تَأْخُذُونَهَا فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَٰذِهِ وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنكُمْ وَلِتَكُونَ آيَةً لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا

Allah has promised you abundant of war-booties which you will acquire. He has already given you this (the war-booty of Khaybar) immediately and restrained the hands of people from you, that it may be a sign for the believers, and that He may guide you to a straight path.

Verse 21: وَأُخْرَىٰ لَمْ تَقْدِرُوا عَلَيْهَا قَدْ أَحَاطَ اللَّهُ بِهَا ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرًا

And, besides this (the spoils of Khaybar), He will grant you another (set of spoils) which you have not yet been able to achieve. Allah has already encompassed it. And Allah is over all things competent.

It is important to understand the purpose of these verses and why Muhammad claimed their revelation:

• Firstly, Muhammad used that same old and tested method to present the excuse that the pledge at Hudaybiyah was actually a TEST through which Allah wanted to know "what was in your hearts." 

• And then, Muhammad gave the good news in these verses that Allah was "pleased" with them, so that the Companions would become HAPPY and stop raising questions about the pledge, and why Allah didn't tell even after the completion of the pledge that the news was false, and Uthman was not killed, but alive. 

• Furthermore, in those verses, Muhammad repeatedly tempted the Companions with the lure of "war-booty" (ghanīmah)  so that they would stop raising any further questions why Allah confirmed that false news by taking the allegience, and not making it clear even after it. 

The victory at Khaybar and the wealth from the war-booty helped distract the companions from the doubts that had arisen due to the false news at Hudaybiyyah.

Unfortunately, Muslim apologists still repeat the excuse that:

Allah already knew that Uthman was alive, but it was meant as a divine test to see what was in the hearts of the people.

However, the question arises: if it was truly a test,

1. Then as soon as the test was over (that is, as soon as the companions completed the pledge), revelation should have immediately been sent at Hudaybiyyah, saying that it was a test so that Allah might know what was in your hearts, that you succeeded in it, that Allah was pleased with you, and that Uthman had not been killed but was alive.

2. Why then did Allah remember only after three months to tell the companions that the pledge was merely a test?

3. And why did Allah remember to tell the companions that He was pleased with them for an action, which had already happened 3 months earlier? Why didn't Allah tell at the spot on Hudaybiyyah, at the time of allegience that He became pleased with them?

But the issue remains that even after the pledge, the test, and their success in it, divine revelation stayed silent about Uthman’s being alive. The matter was only resolved when Uthman himself appeared alive before the Muslims.

Think for a moment. Thinking is not a crime.

The Pits Dug in the Path of Truth

The question is, why do the seekers of truth wander for centuries with the lamps of knowledge, intellect, and faith, yet fail to reach their destination? Is the truth really that distant, or has someone laid traps along the way?

The reality is that in this world, false propaganda, religious brainwashing, and intellectual deception are deep pits that pose the greatest test for every seeker of truth. This world is not perfect, nor can the truth always be seen easily here. Here, the truth is buried under layers of power, tradition, and devotion, and anyone who tries to unearth it begins to fall into the same pits that religious leaders and self-interested scholars dug centuries ago.

The purpose of these pits is not for man to reach the truth, but for him to remain lost forever. And this is why countless intelligent and sincere people, no matter how much they research, ultimately get entangled in these deceptions.

Let us now look at the pits that Muslim scholars dug in the path of truth, so that the true reality of the Pledge of Ridwan and the verses revealed after it would be suppressed forever.

The First Pit: "Victory" does not mean "The Conquest of Khaybar," but "The Victory of Hudaybiyyah"

The fact that the "Pleased" verse was revealed three months later was a reality that Muslim scholars had to hide at all costs, lest this mistake of God be exposed to the public. And even if it were exposed, doubts should be created so that they could never question it.

Therefore, to escape this difficulty, the first pit was dug.

Some exegetes offered the interpretation that "Victory" here does not mean Khaybar but the Truce of Hudaybiyyah. Thus, they claimed that the verse was revealed at the very moment of the pledge, to show that God was pleased at that exact instant.

For instance, Ibn Kathir writes in his commentary (Link):

"This victory is the peace treaty that took place at Hudaybiyyah, from which general welfare was achieved, and it was followed by the conquest of Khaybar, Makkah, and other areas."

But here they overlooked a fundamental contradiction:

If the victory referred to Hudaybiyyah, then why is there mention of spoils of war in the very next verses? No battle took place at Hudaybiyyah, nor did the Muslims receive any spoils. On the contrary, the spoils of war were only obtained after the Conquest of Khaybar.

Thus, the first pit collapsed on its own.

Because the continuation of the verses clearly indicated that the mention of spoils came immediately with "Victory," and this was only possible after Khaybar, not at Hudaybiyyah.

The Second Pit: The verse was revealed at Hudaybiyyah, but it mentions a "Future" Victory

After the failure of the first excuse, a second deception was fabricated.

And it was claimed:

"All right, the verse was indeed revealed at the time of the pledge, but the mention of victory in it is a prophecy of a future victory (i.e., Khaybar)."

And to justify this, another interpretation was invented that:

In the Quran, future events are sometimes narrated in the past tense to create certainty.

This interpretation sounds reasonable, but the context of the verses refutes it.

Because Surah Al-Fath, verses 20 and 21, mention two types of spoils:

(48:20) "Allah has promised you abundant spoils which you will acquire, and He has hastened this (one, the spoils of Khaybar) for you..."

(48:21) "And besides this (the spoils of Khaybar), He will grant you other (spoils) over which you have not yet gained power."

It is clearly evident here that there is a mention of a spoils acquired in the past (Khaybar), and a second mention of future spoils.

If the verse had been revealed at Hudaybiyyah, these words would lose their meaning immediately after the pledge.

Thus, the second pit also collapsed like the first, because the context of the Quran clearly indicated that this was revealed in Khaybar after the pledge, and not at Hudaybiyyah.

The Third Pit: Replacing "Spoils" with "Victory"

When it became clear from these verses that the "Pleased" verse was actually revealed after Khaybar, and the mention of "spoils" in it was a sign that God was trying to divert attention from His mistake at the time of the pledge, some Muslim scholars found a new way to overcome this difficulty.

They changed the clear mention of "spoils" to "victory" in the translation and commentary of these verses, so that the meaning would change and the question of whether these verses were actually revealed after Khaybar would not arise in people's minds.

Surah Al-Fath, Ayah 20. وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً تَأْخُذُونَهَا فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَٰذِهِ وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنكُمْ وَلِتَكُونَ آيَةً لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا

Allah promises you abundant spoils, which you will acquire. And immediately, this (victory) was granted to you, and the hands of people were restrained from attacking you, so that it may be a sign for the believers and that Allah may guide you to the straight path.

Surah Al-Fath, Ayah 21. وَأُخْرَىٰ لَمْ تَقْدِرُوا عَلَيْهَا قَدْ أَحَاطَ اللَّهُ بِهَا ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرًا

And besides this (victory), He will grant you other (victories) over which you have not yet gained power.

You can see these distorted translations here (Ayah 20 and Ayah 21).

But this deception ultimately did not last long, because:

• The mention of "Victory" is only in Ayah 18.

• Whereas the mention of "Spoils" continues in sequence in Ayahs 19, 20, and 21.

Therefore, it is perfectly clear that what is being described in these verses is not "Victory," but the spoils of Khaybar.

That is why this distortion of the translation also failed, and this third pit proved ineffective in concealing the truth.

The Fourth Pit: The Crutch of "Doubt" – The Interpretations of Maududi and Other Scholars

When the issue of the false news regarding the killing of Uthman came up in the incident of the Pledge of Ridwan, the exegetes faced a major difficulty. The Quran states:

"إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ" (Al-Fath 48:10) "Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you are only pledging allegiance to Allah."

Now, if this pledge was taken based on false news, the question arises why did God accept a pledge based on a lie? And why did He not clarify immediately after the pledge concluded that Uthman was actually alive?

To eliminate this serious contradiction, scholars like Maududi presented a new excuse that the Prophet was not "certain" that Uthman had been killed, but rather had doubt. He wrote in his commentary ("Tafhim al-Qur'an," Surah Al-Fath 48:10):

"Since the matter was not yet certain on this occasion whether Uthman had truly been martyred or was alive, the Messenger of Allah included himself in the pledge on his behalf."

However, the problem is that no single narration proves that there was any doubt regarding this matter (i.e., Uthman's killing) at the time of the pledge. This claim was fabricated by Maududi himself.

The narrations state clearly that the news of the killing came, the Prophet announced the pledge, and the people took the pledge.

In no narration did the Prophet say: "I am not yet satisfied; it is possible Uthman is alive."

And even if the Prophet and the Muslims had doubt whether Uthman was alive or killed, then logically, immediately after the pledge was completed, God should have informed the companions that:

• This pledge was merely a trial so that God could know what was in your hearts.

• And after knowing the state of your hearts, God is pleased with you,

• But the good news is that Uthman was not killed, but is alive.

However, what happened was that even after the pledge was completed, the good news of Uthman being alive was not given.

And this story of trial and pleasure was presented only 3 months later to conceal this clear contradiction, and then the companions' attention was diverted from the issue by repeatedly tempting them with the spoils of war.

The Fifth Pit: Deliberate Distortion in the Translation of the ‘Verse of Trial’ by Religious Scholars

When questions were raised about Surah Al-Fath, Ayah 18—specifically why Allah did not know that Uthman was alive at the time of the pledge—the religious establishment had no answer. Consequently, they distorted the translation of the verse to conceal this contradiction.

This distortion was not just of one word, but an attempt to save the entire edifice of Islam, namely the doctrine of Allah's Eternal Knowledge.

The core of the issue is the phrase in the verse: فَعَلِمَ مَا فِی قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ (fa‘alima mā fī qulūbihim), which means, “Then Allah came to know what was in their hearts.”

For traditional Islamic translations, see (IslamAwakened.com) where more than 50 Muslim translators are committing this distortion in the translation.

Where is the Distortion?

The letter 'fa' (فَـ) has been used twice in this verse:

فَعَلِمَ – So/Then He came to know

فَأَنْزَلَ – So/Then He sent down

Now, according to the rules of Arabic grammar, 'fa' (فَـ) always indicates a sequence of action. That is, “first this happened, then that happened.”

But more than 50 Muslim translators changed the first 'fa' to “and He (already) knew,”  while correctly translating the second 'fa' in the same verse as: “then He sent down.”

This contradiction proves that the issue here is not a mistake in Arabic grammar, but a deliberate act of translation change by these 50 Muslim translators.

If ‘fa’ means ‘and’ in the first instance, it should mean ‘and’ in the second instance too. And if it means ‘then’ in the second instance, it should also be ‘then’ in the first. But the translators did not do this because if they did, the meaning of the verse would become: “First the pledge took place, then Allah came to know what was in their hearts, then He sent down tranquility.” But this meaning is unacceptable to Muslim scholars because it collapses the doctrine of Allah's “Eternal Knowledge.”

Please note that the letter 'fa' (fa) is used hundreds of times in the Quran. And these 50-plus Muslim translators have correctly translated the letter 'fa' in those other places (i.e., so/then/thus, etc.). But only in this single verse, 48:18, do they distort the translation of the letter 'fa'.

Reasons for the Distortion:

Islamic translators committed this distortion in the verse for only one reason: to prevent the linguistic reality of the Quran from becoming apparent to the public—that Allah acquired knowledge, not that He knew beforehand. If this is accepted, it creates a consistent pattern when combined with dozens of other places in the Quran where Allah gains new information, changes His decision, and abrogates old verses.

For details, see our article:

• Questioning the Doctrine of Allah’s “Eternal Knowledge”

This verse is so weighty that if a person only ponders over it, they can understand that: the God of Islam is not one with eternal knowledge but one who gains knowledge instantaneously. The refutation of this doctrine exists at the grammatical level in the Quran itself. And the translators played with the words to hide this reality. Thus, the single word “فَعَلِمَ” (fa‘alima) completely destroys the entire Islamic concept of an “All-Knowing and All-Aware” God. This verse does not merely explain the incident of Hudaybiyyah, but becomes the greatest trial for the Islamic doctrine.

Other Pits: Intellectual Roadblocks and the Threats to Life

The difficulty for the seeker of truth is compounded by powerful, religiously imposed obstacles that transcend textual interpretation. Muslim scholars often present two primary deterrents to critical thought:

• The first roadblock is the assertion that human intellect is inherently limited. Should a theological point or Quranic event seem contradictory or illogical, the seeker is instructed not to question the wisdom of Allah, but rather to accept the limitation of their own understanding. This doctrine effectively halts all further rational inquiry.

• The second, and far more dangerous, deterrent is the swift declaration of disbelief or blasphemy (kufr) against anyone who voices critical questions. This accusation places the questioner's life in immediate jeopardy, creating an environment where curiosity is punishable by death.

These tactics form a powerful net of blind faith and fear, intellectual pits designed to trap sincere individuals and prevent them from reaching objective reality.

It is quite possible that countless seekers before us in the past also discovered this truth, but the climate of fear and the threat of death silenced them, leaving their doubts buried forever.