[Pooya/Ali Commentary 2:251] An account of the formidable strength of the mighty forces of Jalut is given in 1 Samuel 17: 4 to 11. Dawud killed Jalut in single combat. The Philistines, when they saw that their hero was dead, turned and ran. A similar event took place in the early days of Islam. The infidels of Makka with a mighty host of twelve thousand warriors encircled Madina to destroy a few hundred Muslims, including women and children. On the suggestion of Salman, a ditch was dug around the city in six days. This battle is known as the battle of khandaq (ditch) or ahzab. Amr bin Abdwad, a warrior who used to defeat one thousand soldiers single-handedly, jumped over the ditch and threw an open challenge to the Muslims. The Holy Prophet turned towards his companions, and invited each of them to go and fight Amr on behalf of Islam, but there was fear and panic in their hearts, as some of them had been close to him in the days of their infidelity and had witnessed his acts of bravery and strength. No one came out at the call of the Holy Prophet. Then Amr shouted aloud the names of the famous companions, one by one, but each looked aside. The Holy Prophet repeated his call three times. There was no response. Each time only Ali came forward and said: "I am ready to fight him O the messenger of Allah." After the third call the Holy Prophet put his turban on Ali's head and said: "Verily, here goes total belief to fight against total disbelief." "Allahu akbar' said Ali and hit Amr with his sword. It cut his sword, shield, iron head-gear in half, and Amr's head was lying on the ground. "Here is the head of the enemy of Allah and Islam O messenger of Allah", Ali said and put Amr's severed head before the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet said: "One strike of Ali, on the day of khandaq, is superior to all worship of both the worlds put together." Please also refer to the commentary of verse 214 of this surah. In the battle fought between the Jews and the Philistines the enemy ran away when Dawud killed Jalut; in like manner the whole army of infidels of Makka left the battlefield in chaos and confusion when Ali killed Amr, completely routed and annihilated. These two events are meaningfully connected because perhaps there is no other battle where an army of a large number of fighting men left the battlefield when only one warrior was killed. And Allah gave him (the conquering warrior) kingdom and wisdom. Since kingdom belongs to Allah, He grants it to whom he likes, on merit after test and trial, to exercise divine authority on His behalf. It was given to Dawud. It was given to Ali (as imamat). The right to administer the human society was also given to Ali. It is another issue that the people did not allow him to do so, but the office of imamat given to him could not be usurped by any one, because the ability to guide and wisdom, particularly bestowed by Allah, cannot be stolen. The last part of this verse says that the purpose of war is not to gain territorial expansion but to dispel mischief and establish peace on the earth. Aqa Mahdi Puya says: Before Adam "survival of the fittest" was the driving force among all types of creatures. In the struggle for existence, every living being used all available means, good or bad, to obtain maximum resources, without giving any thing to other fellow beings. It was almost an animal society. It was evil. Islam stopped it. With the development of intellectual faculties and inspiration, natural tendencies gave place to moral values, and instead of fighting for food and material necessities, men began to distinguish between right and wrong, good and bad. Verse 40 of al Hajj gives permission to fight against those who deprive people from the essential freedom to worship Allah and to make use of His bounties justly and equitably. Those who strive in the cause of Allah, to put an end to the survival of the fittest theory, receive help from Allah. Therefore the true servants of Allah vie with one another to fight against the evil in their own selves and in the society in order to be nearer to Allah. "And everyone has a direction to which he turns, so hasten to do good (Baqarah: 184)." "So vie one with another in good deeds (Ma-idah: 48)." To stop this striving in the cause of Allah means reversion to the animal way of life. And were it not for Allah's repelling some men by means of others the earth would certainly be in a state of disorder.