Tafsir of Al Imran 3:155

"Indeed, those who turned their backs," meaning turned away from the polytheists at the battle of Uhud—O you Muslims—or those who fled from among you to Medina, "on the day the two hosts met," namely the host of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the host of Abu Sufyan.

"It was only Satan who caused them to slip," meaning he sought their stumbling and invited them to it, "because of what they had earned," meaning their sins. This implies that the reason those who turned away did so was that they had obeyed Satan and committed sins; consequently, they were denied support and the strengthening of their hearts until they retreated. According to this interpretation, the "slipping" is not the turning away itself, but rather the sins that led to it.

It is also permitted that the slipping into which Satan caused them to fall and invited them is the act of turning away itself. In that case, "some of what they earned" refers either to previous sins—the sense of causality being that one sin drags another along, just as obedience drags along more obedience—or it refers to accepting the defeat that Satan made appealing to them, which is narrated from al-Hasan. Or, it refers to the violation of the Prophet's command (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to hold their position, which dragged them into defeat. Or, it refers to previous sins, not by way of one dragging another, but because of an aversion to Jihad due to those sins. Al-Zajjaj said: Satan reminded them of their past sins, and because of these, they loathed meeting Allah, so they delayed Jihad and turned away until they could rectify their affairs and perform Jihad in a state pleasing to Him.

The construction of the sentence in both views is a matter of verifying the report, like the poet’s saying: "Indeed, she who struck a tent, migrating to the Kufa of the soldiers, her love has been vanished by a ghoul." It is not a matter of the attribute being the cause for the report, like the saying of the Almighty: "Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds will have the Gardens of Pleasure," because the phrase "because of some of what they earned" rejects such a structure and instead affirms the verification.

It is also a matter of repetition for the sake of linkage, like the saying: "Yellow, sadness does not descend upon its courtyard; if a stone touches it, it is touched by joy." This is because "it was only Satan who caused them to slip" is the predicate of "Indeed," while Inna (Indeed) is added for emphasis and because of the length of the discourse, and ma (in innama) prevents it from performing its grammatical function. The original construction is: "Indeed, those who turned away from you on the day the two hosts met only turned away because Satan caused them to slip due to some of what they earned." It is like saying: "Indeed, the one who honored you only honored you because you are worthy of it."

Mentioning "some" is to indicate that within their earnings, there was that which was obedience, which does not necessitate a slipping, or that this punishment is not for all that they earned, for the totality would necessitate more than this, but the Almighty favored them by pardoning many: "And if Allah were to impose blame on the people for what they have earned, He would not leave upon the earth any creature."

"But Allah has already pardoned them." The Almighty repeated the mention of pardon to emphasize the hope of the sinners in it, to prevent them from despair, and to improve their expectations in the most perfect way. It is sometimes said that this is an establishment of a new fact, not an emphasis, thus mentioning "Indeed, Allah is Forgiving," regarding sins, both minor and major, "Forbearing," not hastening the punishment of the sinner. This clause came as a justification for the pardon of those who turned away, and they were the majority of the people. Abu al-Qasim al-Balkhi mentioned that on the day of Uhud, only thirteen people remained with the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): five from the Emigrants—Abu Bakr, Ali, Talhah, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas—and the rest from the Helpers (may Allah be pleased with them all). Among the famous ones who fled were Uthman, Rafi' ibn al-Mu'alla, Kharijah ibn Zayd, Abu Hudhayfah ibn 'Utbah, al-Walid ibn 'Uqbah, and Sa'd and 'Uqbah, the two sons of Uthman from the Helpers of the tribe of Banu Zurayq.

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that the verse was revealed concerning the first three, and others say otherwise. No report has been found explicitly mentioning more than these. Perhaps the restriction to them is because they were excessive in their flight and did not return to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) until a long time had passed; some did not return until after three days, and it is alleged that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "You have indeed gone off with a great error." As for the rest of the fugitives, they gathered on that day on the mountain, and Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was of this group, as in the report of Ibn Jarir, contrary to the Shia. Even assuming that is conceded, there is no blaming after Allah has pardoned them all, and we do not claim infallibility for the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), nor do we stipulate it for the Caliphate.