Judgement and the Triumph of Truth
رَبَّنَا افْتَحْ بَيْنَنَا، وَبَيْنَ قَوْمِنَا بِالْحَقِّ، وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الْفَاتِحِينَ.
رَبَّنَا افْتَحْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ قَوْمِنَا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الْفَاتِحِينَ
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Our Lord! Judge between us and our people by the truth, for You are the Best of judges.
Form: The imperative ’iftah’ (judge, open the decision). The supplication of Shu‘ayb during the settling of a dispute with the pagans who were threatening him with expulsion.
Tafsir of Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Saadi
Sheikh as-Saadi writes: ‘The Arabic word al-fath in this context means judgement and the settling of a dispute. Shu‘ayb turned to the Most High Judge that He might manifest a sign and destroy the obstinate evildoers.’
Tafsir of Imam Ibn Kathir
Ibn Kathir notes: ‘Allah answered the prayer of Shu‘ayb by subjecting his people to punishment through an earthquake and the heat of a cloud (Adhab az-Zulla).’
Tafsir al-Baghawi
“Indeed, we would be fabricating a lie against Allah if we returned to your creed after Allah had saved us from it. It is not for us to return to it…” after Allah had saved us from it.
“…unless Allah, our Lord, wills it…” Shuʿayb says: “Unless it has been decreed for us in Allah’s knowledge and by His will; otherwise, we would return, and thus what Allah had decreed concerning us would come to pass, and His judgment concerning us would be fulfilled.”
If someone asks what is meant by Allah’s words, “Or else you will surely return to our creed” (Surah al-Aʿraf, verse 88), and “It is not for us to return to it,” when Shuʿayb (peace be upon him) had never held their belief, Shuʿayb said: “It is not fitting for us to enter into it.”
It has been said that the meaning of this expression is, “if we were to become among the followers of your belief”; in this case, the meaning of the word “return” is “become.”
It has also been said that this refers to the people of Shuʿayb, since they were unbelievers and then came to believe, and Shuʿayb spoke on their behalf. The words of Allah, Exalted is He:
“…Our Lord encompasses all things in His knowledge!…” His knowledge encompasses all things.
“…In Allah we have placed our trust!…” regarding that with which you threaten us. Then, when Shuʿayb despaired of their being saved, he said:
“…Our Lord! Judge between us and our people…” that is, pass judgment concerning us. The word “al-Fattāḥ” (the Opener) means “al-Qāḍī” (the Judge). “…in truth, for You are the best of those who judge.”… that is, those who pass judgment.
In Tafsir at-Tabari the linguistic meaning of the epithet al-Fatih is explained as ’the Judge who grants victory to the truth’.