إِذْ يُرِيكَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي مَنَامِكَ قَلِيلًا وَلَوْ أَرَاكَهُمْ كَثِيرًا لَفَشِلْتُمْ وَلَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ سَلَّمَ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ ﴿۴۳﴾ وَإِذْ يُرِيكُمُوهُمْ إِذِ الْتَقَيْتُمْ فِي أَعْيُنِكُمْ قَلِيلًا وَيُقَلِّلُكُمْ فِي أَعْيُنِهِمْ لِيَقْضِيَ اللَّهُ أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُولًا وَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ الْأُمُورُ ﴿۴۴﴾

﴾43﴿ Iz yureekahumul laahu fee manaamika qaleela; wa law araakahum kaseeral lafashiltum wa latanaaza'tum fil amri wa laakinnal laaha sallam; innahoo 'aleemum bizaatis sudoor
﴾44﴿ Wa iz yureekumoohum izil taqaitum feee a'yunikum qaleelanw wa yuqallilukum feee a'yunihim liyaqdiyal laahu amran kaana maf'oolaa; wa ilal laahi turja'ul umoor

﴾43﴿ When Allah showed them to you in your dream as few, and had He shown them to you as many, you would surely have become discouraged and would have disputed about the matter (of battle). But Allah saved you (from cowardice and discord). Surely, Allah knows well what is in the hearts.
﴾44﴿ And when He showed them to you—when you met—in your eyes as few, and He made you appear few in their eyes as well, so that Allah might accomplish a matter that was already destined. And to Allah all matters return.

[43] This is the third reason for the earlier claim.
The main point is: In a dream, the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) was shown the disbelievers as few in number. Had they appeared to him as many, there was a chance that fear might have spread among the believers and they would have hesitated to fight.
But Allah Most High showed them as few, so that it would lead to the battle—and through that, to victory and spoils of war (ghanimah). Thus, you should not argue or assert personal preference in the distribution of spoils.
Question: The disbelievers were actually many, so wouldn’t showing them as few be a falsehood?
Answer: Dreams are based on inner truths, not just outward appearances. So in reality, the disbelievers were “few” either: – because they were insignificant and humiliated in the sight of Allah, or
– because many of them were soon to be killed, and some would later accept Islam.
(إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ) — “Indeed, He is All-Knowing.”
This comes without the connecting “wa” (and), because it directly supports the preceding statement with a necessary conclusion—like saying: “If He had shown them as many, you would have feared; (therefore) He is All-Knowing.”
[44] This is the fourth reason supporting the earlier claim. The summary is: On the battlefield, Allah made both groups appear few in number to each other— so that the battle would take place, leading to victory and the gaining of spoils (ghanimah).
Therefore, do not dispute over the spoils. (أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُولًا) — In this verse, the “decreed matter” refers to the actual fighting, whereas in the previous verse (8:42), it referred to the victory and dominance. (يُرِيكُمُوهُمْ) — The subject of the verb (“He shows them to you”) refers to Allah Most High. So, both the psychological preparation for war and the minimizing of fear were part of divine planning to ensure the battle occurred and to fulfill divine wisdom.