9:47 At-Tawba (The Repentance)

ثم ذكر الحكمة في ذلك فقال ‏{‏لَوْ خَرَجُوا فِيكُمْ مَا زَادُوكُمْ إِلَّا خَبَالًا‏}‏ أي‏:‏ نقصا‏.‏ ‏{‏وَلَأَوْضَعُوا خِلَالَكُمْ‏}‏ أي‏:‏ ولسعوا في الفتنة والشر بينكم، وفرقوا جماعتكم المجتمعين، ‏{‏يَبْغُونَكُمُ الْفِتْنَةَ‏}‏ أي‏:‏ هم حريصون على فتنتكم وإلقاء العداوة بينكم‏.‏ ‏{‏وَفِيكُمْ‏}‏ أناس ضعفاء العقول ‏{‏سَمَّاعُونَ لَهُمْ‏}‏ أي‏:‏ مستجيبون لدعوتهم يغترون بهم، فإذا كانوا هم حريصين على خذلانكم، وإلقاء الشر بينكم، وتثبيطكم عن أعدائكم، وفيكم من يقبل منهم ويستنصحهم‏.‏ فما ظنك بالشر الحاصل من خروجهم مع المؤمنين، والنقص الكثير منهم، فللّه أتم الحكمة حيث ثبطهم ومنعهم من الخروج مع عباده المؤمنين رحمة بهم، ولطفا من أن يداخلهم ما لا ينفعهم، بل يضرهم‏.‏ ‏{‏وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّالِمِينَ‏}‏ فيعلم عباده كيف يحذرونهم، ويبين لهم من المفاسد الناشئة من مخالطتهم‏.‏

فقال " لو خرجوا فيكم ما زادوكم إلا خبالا " أي لأنهم جبناء مخذولون " ولأوضعوا خلالكم يبغونكم الفتنة " أي ولأسرعوا السير والمشي بينكم بالنميمة والبغضاء والفتنة " وفيكم سماعون لهم " أي مطيعون لهم ومستحسنون لحديثهم وكلامهم يستنصحونهم وإن كانوا لا يعلمون حالهم فيؤدي إلى وقوع شر بين المؤمنين وفساد كبير. وقال مجاهد وزيد بن أسلم وابن جرير " وفيكم سماعون. لهم " أي عيون يسمعون لهم الأخبار وينقلونها إليهم. وهذا لا يبقى له اختصاص بخروجهم معهم بل هذا عام في جميع الأحوال والمعنى الأول أظهر في المناسبة بالسياق وإليه ذهب قتادة وغيره من المفسرين. وقال محمد بن إسحاق كان الذين استأذنوا فيما بلغني من ذوي الشرف منهم عبدالله بن أبي بن سلول والجد بن قيس وكانوا أشرافا في قومهم فثبطهم الله لعلمه بهم أن يخرجوا معه فيفسدوا عليه جنده وكان في جند" قوم أهل محبة لهم وطاعة فيما يدعونهم إليه لشرفهم فيهم فقال " وفيكم سماعون لهم " ثم أخبر تعالى عن تمام علمه فقال " والله عليم بالظالمين " فأخبر بأنه يعلم ما كان وما يكون وما لم يكن لو كان كيف كان يكون ولهذا قال تعالى " لو خرجوا فيكم ما زادوكم إلا خبالا " فأخبر عن حالهم كيف يكون لو خرجوا ومع هذا ما خرجوا كما قال تعالى " ولو ردوا لعادوا لما نهوا عنه وإنهم لكاذبون " وقال تعالى " ولو علم الله فيهم خيرا لأسمعهم ولو أسمعهم لتولوا وهم معرضون " وقال تعالى " ولو أنا كتبنا عليهم أن اقتلوا أنفسكم أو اخرجوا من دياركم ما فعلوه إلا قليل منهم ولو أنهم فعلوا ما يوعظون به لكان خيرا لهم وأشد تثبيتا وإذا لآتيناهم من لدنا أجرا عظيما ولهديناهم صراطا مستقيما " والآيات في هذا كثيرة.

Exposing Hypocrites

Allah said,

وَلَوْ أَرَادُواْ الْخُرُوجَ

(And if they had intended to march out,), with you to participate in Jihad

لأَعَدُّواْ لَهُ عُدَّةً

(certainly, they would have made some preparation for it) they would have prepared for such task,

وَلَـكِن كَرِهَ اللَّهُ انبِعَاثَهُمْ

(but Allah was averse to their being sent forth) Allah hated that they should go with you,

فَثَبَّطَهُمْ

(so He made them lag behind, and stay away from Jihad,

وَقِيلَ اقْعُدُواْ مَعَ الْقَـعِدِينَ

(and it was said (to them): "Sit you among those who sit (at home)") as a part of what was decreed for them not that He legislated that they stay behind. Allah then explained why He disliked that they march with the believers, saying,

لَوْ خَرَجُواْ فِيكُم مَّا زَادُوكُمْ إِلاَّ خَبَالاً

(Had they marched out with you, they would have added to you nothing except disorder), because they are cowards and failures,

ولاّوْضَعُواْ خِلَـلَكُمْ يَبْغُونَكُمُ الْفِتْنَةَ

(and they would have hurried about in your midst sowing sedition among you) They would have rushed to spread false stories, hatred and discord among you,

وَفِيكُمْ سَمَّـعُونَ لَهُمْ

(and there are some among you who would have listened to them.) who would have obeyed them, given preference to their speech and words and asked them for advice, unaware of the true reality of these hypocrites. This might have caused corruption and great evil between the believers. Muhammad bin Ishaq said, "Those who sought permission (from the Messenger to lag behind) included some of the chiefs, such as `Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul and Al-Jadd bin Qays, who were masters of their people. Allah also made them lag behind because He knew that if they went along with the Messenger ﷺ they would sow sedition in his army." There were some in the Prophet's army who liked these chiefs and were ready to obey them, because they considered them honorable,

وَفِيكُمْ سَمَّـعُونَ لَهُمْ

(and there are some among you who would have listened to them) 9:47. Allah next reminds of His perfect knowledge, saying,

وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّـلِمينَ

(And Allah is the All-Knower of the wrongdoers.) Allah says that He knows what occurred, what will occur and if anything would have occurred, how it would occur, such as,

لَوْ خَرَجُواْ فِيكُم مَّا زَادُوكُمْ إِلاَّ خَبَالاً

(Had they marched out with you, they would have added to you nothing except disorder,) indicating what they would have done had they marched, even though they did not. Allah said in similar Ayat,

وَلَوْ رُدُّواْ لَعَـدُواْ لِمَا نُهُواْ عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ

(But if they were returned (to the world), they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed they are liars.) 6:28,

وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لأَسْمَعَهُمْ وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ لَتَوَلَّواْ وَّهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ

(Had Allah known of any good in them, He would indeed have made them listen; and even if He had made them listen, they would but have turned away with aversion (to the truth)) 8:23, and,

وَلَوْ أَنَّا كَتَبْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَنِ اقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ أَوِ اخْرُجُواْ مِن دِيَـرِكُمْ مَّا فَعَلُوهُ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ مِّنْهُمْ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ فَعَلُواْ مَا يُوعَظُونَ بِهِ لَكَانَ خَيْراً لَّهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ تَثْبِيتاً - وَإِذاً لاّتَيْنَـهُمْ مِّن لَّدُنَّـآ أَجْراً عَظِيماً - وَلَهَدَيْنَـهُمْ صِرَطاً مُّسْتَقِيماً

(And if We had ordered them (saying), "Kill yourselves (the innocent ones kill the guilty ones) or leave your homes," very few of them would have done it; but if they had done what they were told, it would have been better for them, and would have strengthened their conviction. And indeed We would then have bestowed upon them a great reward from Ourselves. And indeed We would have guided them to the straight way) 4:66-68.

Had they gone forth among you they would only have caused you more trouble more corruption by abandoning the believers and would have hurried to and fro among you that is they would have hastened to spread slander among you seeking desiring to stir up sedition by casting enmity between you; and among you there are some who would listen to them to what they say listening in readiness to accept it; and God knows the evildoers.

In the fifth (47) verse, it was explained that the hypocrites had procured the permission to stay away from Jihad by deceit and now it was better that they just did not participate in it. Had they gone there, they would have done nothing but hatch conspiracies, circulate rumors and spread disorder. The Qur'anic statement: وَفِيكُمْ سَمَّاعُونَ لَهُمْ (And among you there are their listeners) means that, among Muslims, there were some simple people too, people who could be easily taken advantage of and who may have likely been affected by their false rumors.

(Had it been a near adventure and an easy journey they had followed thee�) [9:42-47]. Allah then revealed about those hypocrites who stayed behind and did not take part in the Battle of Tabuk (Had it been a near adventure and an easy journey they had followed thee�). He also revealed (Had they gone forth among you they had added to you naught save trouble�). This is because when the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, set forth, he camped his troops at al-Wada� �s mountain trail while �Abd Allah ibn Ubayy camped his troops at a clear trodden path below the mountain trail of al-Wada�. His troops were no less than the troops which were with the Prophet. When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, marched again, �Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, the hypocrites and the doubters stayed behind. To consol His Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Had they gone forth among you they had added to you naught save trouble�).