33:20 Al-Ahzaab (The Clans)

{ يَحْسَبُونَ الْأَحْزَابَ لَمْ يَذْهَبُوا } أي: يظنون أن هؤلاء الأحزاب، الذين تحزبوا على حرب رسول اللّه صلى اللّه عليه وسلم، وأصحابه، لم يذهبوا حتى يستأصلوهم، فخاب ظنهم، وبطل حسبانهم.{ وَإِنْ يَأْتِ الْأَحْزَابُ } مرة أخرى { يَوَدُّوا لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ بَادُونَ فِي الْأَعْرَابِ يَسْأَلُونَ عَنْ أَنْبَائِكُمْ } أي: لو أتى الأحزاب مرة ثانية مثل هذه المرة، ودَّ هؤلاء المنافقون، أنهم ليسوا في المدينة، ولا في القرب منها، وأنهم مع الأعراب في البادية، يستخبرون عن أخباركم، ويسألون عن أنبائكم، ماذا حصل عليكم؟فتبًا لهم، وبعدًا، فليسوا ممن يبالى بحضورهم { وَلَوْ كَانُوا فِيكُمْ مَا قَاتَلُوا إِلَّا قَلِيلًا } فلا تبالوهم، ولا تأسوا عليهم.

وهذا أيضا من صفاتهم القبيحة في الجبن والخور والخوف "يحسبون الأحزاب لم يذهبوا" بل هم قريب منهم وإن لهم عودة إليهم "وإن يأت الأحزاب يودوا لو أنهم بادون في الأعراب يسألون عن أنبائكم" أي ويودون إذا جاءت الأحزاب أنهم لا يكونون حاضرين معكم في المدينة بل في البادية يسألون عن أخباركم وما كان من أمركم مع عدوكم "ولو كانوا فيكم ما قاتلوا إلا قليلا" أي ولو كانوا بين أظهركم لما قاتلوا معكم إلا قليلا لكثرة جبنهم وذلتهم وضعف يقينهم والله سبحانه وتعالى العالم بهم.

يَحْسَبُونَ الاٌّحْزَابَ لَمْ يَذْهَبُواْ

(They think that the Confederates have not yet withdrawn;) and that they are still close by and will return.

وَإِن يَأْتِ الاٌّحْزَابُ يَوَدُّواْ لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ بَادُونَ فِى الاٌّعْرَابِ يَسْأَلُونَ عَنْ أَنبَآئِكُمْ

(and if the Confederates should come, they would wish they were in the deserts among the bedouins, seeking news about you;) means, `if the Confederates should come back, they hope that they will not be present with you in Al-Madinah, but that they will be in the desert, asking about news of you and what happened to you with your enemy.'

وَلَوْ كَانُواْ فِيكُمْ مَّا قَاتَلُواْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً

(and if they were to be among you, they would not fight but little.) means, `if they are among you, they will not fight alongside you very much,' because they are so cowardly and weak, and have so little faith, but Allah knows best about them.

They suppose that the confederates of disbelievers have not yet departed to Mecca because of their fear of them and were the confederates to come a second time they would wish that they were in the desert with the Bedouins asking about your news your encounters with the disbelievers. And if they were among you this second time they would fight but a little for show and for fear of being reviled.

The second state mentioned here is that of the hypocrites for they had started saying that the promises of Allah and His Rasul ﷺ were a web of deception: إِذْ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَ‌ضٌ مَّا وَعَدَنَا اللَّـهُ وَرَ‌سُولُهُ إِلَّا غُرُ‌ورً‌ا (And (remember) when the hypocrites and those having malady in their hearts were saying, "Allah and His messenger did not promise us but deceitfully; -12). This was an externalized demonstration of their inner disbelief. Onward from here, mention has been made of two groups of hypocrites who were practically a part of the Jihad effort along with Muslims, though outwardly only. One of the two groups started running without any permission saying: وَإِذْ قَالَت طَّائِفَةٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَا أَهْلَ يَثْرِ‌بَ لَا مُقَامَ لَكُمْ فَارْ‌جِعُوا (and when a group of them said, "0 people of Yathrib (Madinah), there is no place for you to stay; so go back. - 13" And the other group requested the permission of the Holy Prophet ﷺ to go back on the basis of false excuses. Their conduct has been mentioned as: وَيَسْتَأْذِنُ فَرِ‌يقٌ مِّنْهُمُ النَّبِيَّ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَ‌ةٌ (And a group of them was seeking permission (to leave) from the prophet, saying, "In fact our homes are vulnerable," while they were not vulnerable - 13). Thus, the Qur'an exposed the hollowness of their excuses as a pack of lies. The truth of the matter was no more than that they intended to run from the battlefront:إِن يُرِ‌يدُونَ إِلَّا فِرَ‌ارً‌ا (They wanted nothing but to escape - 13). Taken up in the next several verses is their mischief-making and enmity with Muslims following which their sad end has been pointed out.

After that, the text mentions sincere believers and praises their firmness and fortitude. In the same connection, there comes a strong assertion of the need to obey and follow the Holy Prophet ﷺ almost in the form of a legal rule of conduct: لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَ‌سُولِ اللَّـهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ (There is indeed a good model for you in the Messenger of Allah - 21). From here it stands proved that all sayings and doings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ have to be followed. But, the Shari'ah authorities have explained the rule about the different degrees of following required from a Muslim. The rule is that any act or omission of the Holy Prophet ﷺ proved to have been done as an obligation would have to be obeyed and followed as wajib (obligatory, necessary). And any act or omission on his part that is proved to have been done as a preferable conduct (istihbab) and not as an obligatory one, should be followed by us too as a commendable (mustahab) conduct and not as a necessary obligation This, in other words, means that its contravention will not be declared to be a sin. (For a detailed discussion, see al-Jassas in Ahkam ul-Qur'an)

The last three (25-27) of the cited verses refer to the event relating to Banu Quraizah. In verse 26: وَأَنزَلَ الَّذِينَ ظَاهَرُ‌وهُم مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مِن صَيَاصِيهِمْ it was said that Allah Ta’ ala had, by putting the awe of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his Muslim followers into the hearts of the people of the Book who had helped the Confederate forces, made them come down from their strong fortresses and had thus made Muslims the inheritors of their properties, homes and areas of concentration.

In the last verse (27), good news of future victories has been given. Gone is the time when disbelievers attacked. Now the cycle of Muslim victories will begin and they will come to be on lands their feet have not touched yet. And this prophecy unfolded itself during the tenure of the noble Sahabah and everyone witnessed the spectacle of great empires ruled by Cyrus and Caesar come under them. And Allah does what He wills.