Tafseer of The Family of Imraan · Aal-i-Imraan · 3:167
And that He might make evident those who are hypocrites. For it was said to them, "Come, fight in the way of Allah or [at least] defend." They said, "If we had known [there would be] fighting, we would have followed you." They were nearer to disbelief that day than to faith, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allah is most Knowing of what they conceal -
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The discourse on the explanation of His statement: وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا قَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَوِ ادْفَعُوا قَالُوا لَوْ نَعْلَمُ قِتَالا لاتَّبَعْنَاكُمْ هُمْ لِلْكُفْرِ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَقْرَبُ مِنْهُمْ لِلإِيمَانِ يَقُولُونَ بِأَفْواهِهِمْ مَا لَيْسَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَكْتُمُونَ (167) ("And it was said to them: come, fight in the way of Allah or repel [the enemy]. They said: if we knew that there would be fighting, we would follow you. On that day they were closer to disbelief (kufr) than to faith (īmān). They say with their mouths what is not in their hearts, and Allah knows best what they conceal." (167))
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted thereby means ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl, the hypocrite (munāfiq), and his companions, who turned away from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and from his companions, when the Prophet of Allah ﷺ marched out against the polytheists (mushrikīn) at Uḥud to fight them. The Muslims said to them: "Come, fight alongside us against the polytheists, or repel [them] by reinforcing our ranks with your numbers!" They said: "If we knew that you would fight, we would march out with you against them and stand at your side against them, but we do not think that any battle will take place between you and those people!" Thus they disclosed of their hypocrisy what they had been concealing, and they disclosed with their tongues, by their statement "if we knew that there would be fighting, we would follow you," something other than what they were concealing and hiding of enmity toward the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the people of faith in him, as follows:
8193 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, who said: Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī related to me, and Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Ḥabbān, and ʿĀṣim ibn ʿUmar ibn Qatāda, and al-Ḥuṣayn ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAmr ibn Saʿd ibn Muʿādh, and others of our scholars — they all transmitted and said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ marched out — that is, when he marched to Uḥud — with a thousand men of his companions, until they were at al-Shawṭ, between Uḥud and Medina. Then ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl separated himself from them with a third of the people, and he said: "He obeyed them and marched out, while he disobeyed me! By Allah, we do not know why we should kill ourselves here, O people!!" So he turned back with those who followed him among the people — of his own folk, of the people of hypocrisy and the people of doubt. ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥarām, the brother of the Banū Salima, followed them and said: "O my people, I remind you by Allah, that you do not forsake your Prophet and your people at the moment when their enemy has appeared!" They said: "If we knew that you would fight, we would not deliver you up, but we do not think there will be a battle!" When they disobeyed him and refused [to do] anything other than turn away from them, he said: "May Allah drive you away, O enemies of Allah! Allah will dispense with you!" And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ marched on.
8194 - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq: "And it was said to them: come, fight in the way of Allah or repel" — that is, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl and his companions who turned away from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he marched out against his enemy of the polytheists at Uḥud. And His statement "if we knew that there would be fighting, we would follow you" means: if we knew that you would fight, we would march out with you and defend you, but we do not think there will be a battle. Thus there became manifest from them what they were concealing within themselves. Allah, Mighty and Exalted, says: "On that day they were closer to disbelief than to faith, they say with their mouths what is not in their hearts" — they show you faith, while it is not in their hearts — "and Allah knows best what they conceal," that is: what they hide.
8195 - Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ marched out — that is, on the day of Uḥud — with a thousand men, and he had promised them victory if they would patiently endure. When they marched out, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl turned back with three hundred men. Abū Jābir al-Salamī followed them and called them, but when they got the upper hand over him, they said to him: "We do not know [of] a battle, and if you obey us, you will turn back with us!" He said: Then Allah mentioned the companions of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl, and the statement of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī when he called them and they said: "We do not know [of] a battle, and if you obey us, you will turn back with us," and He said: الَّذِينَ قَالُوا لإِخْوَانِهِمْ وَقَعَدُوا لَوْ أَطَاعُونَا مَا قُتِلُوا قُلْ فَادْرَءُوا عَنْ أَنْفُسِكُمُ الْمَوْتَ ("Those who said of their brothers, while they themselves sat [at home]: if they had obeyed us, they would not have been killed. Say: then repel death from yourselves.").
8196 - Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, saying: Ibn Jurayj said: ʿIkrima said: "They said: if we knew that there would be fighting, we would follow you" — he said: this was revealed concerning ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl. Ibn Jurayj said: and ʿAbd Allāh ibn Kathīr informed me, on the authority of Mujāhid: "if we knew [of] a battle" — he said: if we knew that we would encounter a battle together with you, if we knew the place of a battle, we would follow you.
* * *
And they differed concerning the explanation of His statement "or repel."
Some said: its meaning is: or increase [your numbers], for when you are numerous, you repel the enemy.
* Mention of those who said this:
8197 - Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "or repel," he says: or increase [your numbers].
8198 - Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj: "or repel," he said: [repel] the enemy by your numerousness, even if there is no battle.
* * *
And others said: its meaning is: or stand guard at the frontier (rābiṭū) if you do not fight.
* Mention of those who said this:
8198m - Ismāʿīl ibn Ḥafṣ al-Aylī and ʿAlī ibn Sahl al-Ramlī related to us, saying: al-Walīd ibn Muslim related to us, saying: ʿUtba ibn Ḍamra related to us, saying: I heard Abū ʿAwn al-Anṣārī [speak] concerning His statement "fight in the way of Allah or repel," he said: stand guard at the frontier.
* * *
As for His statement "and Allah knows best what they conceal," by it He means: and Allah knows of these hypocrites who say to the believers "if we knew [of] a battle we would follow you," [He knows] best what they harbor within themselves against the believers and conceal and hide of enmity and hatred, and that they, if they knew [of] a battle, would neither follow them nor defend them. And He, exalted is His mention, encompasses everything that they conceal of that, is aware of it, and reckons it against them, until He tears open their veils in this perishable world and disgraces them thereby, and causes them thereby to burn in the lowest depth of the Fire (al-nār) in the Hereafter.
