Tafsir of Al-Ahzab 33:13

Al-Suddi said: They are Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul and his companions. Muqatil said: They are the Banu Salama. Aws bin Rumaan said: They are Aws bin Qayzi and his companions from the Banu Haritha. The pronoun "among them" refers to the hypocrites or to all of them collectively.

"O people of Yathrib": This is the name of Medina the Enlightened. Abu Ubaida said it is the name of a specific spot, within the vicinity of which Medina is situated. It is also said that it is the name of its land. Grammatically, it is indeclinable (diptote) due to its being a proper noun and its resemblance to a verb or feminine form. However, it is not appropriate to call the city by this name. Ahmad, Ibn Abi Hatim, and Ibn Mardawayh recorded from Bara’ bin Azib that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Whoever calls Medina 'Yathrib', let him seek forgiveness from Allah the Exalted. It is Taba, it is Taba, it is Taba." Ibn Mardawayh also recorded from Ibn Abbas, from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Do not call it Yathrib, for it is Tayyiba—meaning Medina. And whoever says 'Yathrib', let him seek forgiveness from Allah three times; it is Tayyiba, it is Tayyiba, it is Tayyiba." In the marginal notes of al-Khafaji, it is stated that naming it as such is considered makruh tanzih (disliked but not prohibited). He mentioned that the reason for this is that the name suggests tathrib, which means blame and reproach.

Al-Raghib said: Tathrib is to reproach someone for a sin. Tharb is thin suet/fat, and it is possible that "Yathrib" originates from this root, with the ya being an addition. And it is said: Yathrib is the name of a man from the Amalekites, and the city was named after him; it was also called "Athrib." Al-Tabarsi related from al-Sharif al-Murtada that Medina has many names, including: Yathrib, Tayyiba, Taba, al-Dar (the Home), al-Sakina (the Tranquility), al-Ja’iza (the Rewarded), al-Mahbura (the Adorned), al-Mahabba (the Beloved), al-Mahbuba (the Dear), al-Adhra’ (the Virgin), al-Marhuma (the Merciful), al-Qasima (the Crusher), and Yanid. It appears that those who chose to use "Yathrib" among all these names did so in opposition to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), knowing his dislike for that specific name. Addressing the people of the city with the title "people of Yathrib" serves to prepare them for what follows: the command to return to it.

"There is no place for you to stay": That is, there is no place of residence for you, or "you have no stay," meaning it is neither appropriate nor possible for you to stay here. Abu Ja’far, Shayba, Abu Raja’, al-Hasan, Qatada, al-Nakha’i, Abdullah bin Muslim, Talha, and most of the seven reciters read it as "la maqaman" with a fatha on the mim. This can also refer to a "place" (a place of standing), or it can be a verbal noun (masdar) meaning "there is no standing/staying for you." The meaning remains consistent with what was previously mentioned.

"So return": That is, to your homes in Medina, so that this might be safer for you from being killed, or so that you might have some standing/favor with these confederates. It is said that their intention was to order them to flee—as indicated by what follows—but they expressed it as "returning" to promote their statement and imply that it was not a matter of shameful flight. Others said the meaning is: "You have no standing in the religion of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), so return to the polytheism you were in," or "Return from what you pledged to him, and deliver him to his enemies." Or: "You have no place to stay today in Yathrib or its surroundings due to the victory of the enemies; so return as disbelievers, so that you may be able to stay there because the hostility will have ceased then."

It is also said: It is possible that they feared the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would kill them after his victory, as it had become clear they were hypocrites. Thus they said: "There is no stay for you" in the sense that you have no place with the Prophet, for if he prevails, he will kill you; "so return from what you pledged to him and deliver him to his enemies," or "renounce Islam and join the confederates," or "you have no place to stay in this world at all if you remain as you are, so return from what you pledged to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)..." The first interpretation is more apparent and more appropriate to what follows, while some of these other interpretations are, as is evident, very far-fetched.

"And a party among them were asking the Prophet for permission": This is a conjunction to "said." The use of the present tense is for the purpose of bringing the scene to life. The ones asking for permission, as narrated by Ibn Abbas and Jabir bin Abdullah, were the Banu Haritha bin al-Harith. It is said they sent Aws bin Qayzi, one of their own, to ask for permission. Al-Suddi said: He came along with another man from them called Abu Araba bin Aws. It is said that those asking for permission were the Banu Haritha and the Banu Salama; they asked him (peace and blessings be upon him) for permission to return, following the command of those who said, "O people of Yathrib."

His saying: "Saying" is a substitute for "asking for permission," or a circumstantial clause (hal) for its subject, or it is a new sentence prompted by the question regarding how they asked for permission. "Our houses are exposed": Meaning, they have weak walls and are feared for by thieves, as related from al-Suddi. Al-Raghib said: It means they are breached and accessible to anyone who wants them. Al-Kalbi said: They are devoid of men and defenseless. Qatada said: They are far away and the enemy is feared for them. Its origin, as it is said, is a verbal noun meaning "flaw," and it is used to describe the houses for the sake of hyperbole. It can be an adjective for feminine, masculine, singular, and otherwise, as is the nature of verbal nouns. It is permitted that it is a sifa mushabba (adjective) that is a shortened form of ‘awira (with a kasra under the waw), as Ibn Abbas, Abu Ya’mar, Qatada, Abu Raja’, Abu Haywa, Ibn Abi ‘Abla, Abu Talut, Ibn Miqsam, and Isma’il bin Sulayman (from Ibn Kathir) read it here and subsequently. This is derived from ‘awurat al-dar (the house became flawed). Ibn Jinni said: The correctness of the waw in this case is anomalous; the standard rule is to change it to an alif (‘ara), as one says kabsh saf (a pure-bred ram) and na’ja safa (a pure-bred ewe), or yawm rah and rajul mal, while the origin is sawf, sawfa, rawh, and mawl. This has been countered by the argument that the rule only necessitates the change if the change occurred in the verb; here, the waw in ‘awura remained correct by analogy to the intensified a’war. It is argued that it is preferred to consider it a verbal noun used as an adjective for hyperbole, as it is more appropriate to the context of making excuses, which is clarified by their beginning their statement with a particle of verification (‘inna). However, it should be said regarding His saying: "And they are not exposed," if this term is applied there as it was applied previously, that the intent is hyperbole in negation, similar to what is said regarding His saying: "And your Lord is not ever unjust to His servants." The waw in "wa-hiya" is for the circumstantial state (hal), meaning they say that while the reality is not so. "They only intend": That is, they intend by seeking permission nothing but flight—that is, escaping from fighting and from aiding the believers—this was said by a group. It is also said: Escaping from the religion.