Al-Ahzab: (18) "Allah already knows..."

"Allah already knows the hinderers among you" (meaning those who discourage others from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace), "and those who say to their brothers, 'Come to us'" (meaning 'approach us' or 'draw yourselves near to us').

Ibn al-Sa'ib said: The verse concerns ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy, Mu’attib ibn Qushayr, and those who returned from the Trench to Medina among the hypocrites. Whenever a hypocrite would come to them, they would say to him: "Woe to you, stay and do not go out," and they would write to their brothers in the camp: "Come to us, for we are awaiting you."

Qatadah said: It concerns the hypocrites who used to say to their brothers among the residents of Medina who were Ansar of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: "Muhammad and his companions are nothing but a morsel for a head; if they were meat, Abu Sufyan and his companions would have devoured them. So leave them."

Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Ibn Zayd who said: A man turned back from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on the day of the Confederates (al-Ahzab) to his brother. He found him with roasted meat and wine, so he said to him: "Are you here while the Messenger of Allah is between spears and swords?" He replied: "Come to me, for you and your companion have been surrounded. By the One by whom he swears, Muhammad will never survive this." The man said: "You lie! By the One by whom he swears, I shall inform him of your affair." He went to inform the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and found that Gabriel, peace be upon him, had already descended with this verse.

It has also been said: These were the Jews who used to say to the people of Medina, "Come to us and be with us." It is as if the intent by "the people of Medina" were the hypocrites among them, whose hypocrisy was known to the Jews.

"Already" (qad) indicates verification or minimization, depending on the context. "Among you" (minkum) is an explication of the "hinderers," not a restrictive clause (silah), as has been indicated. The intent behind "brothers" is sharing in a characteristic: hypocrisy, according to the first opinion; disbelief in the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, according to the final opinion; or companionship, neighborhood, and residence in Medina according to the second opinion. This is likewise the case for the third opinion, as these are compatible with brotherhood in lineage. The apparent form of the plural indicates that the verse was not revealed solely concerning those two brothers; perhaps it was revealed concerning them, the hypocrites who said that, and the sincere Ansar to whom it was said. The possibility that it was revealed concerning a group of brothers in lineage is merely a conjecture, and even if it had some traditional basis, brotherhood should then be interpreted as brotherhood in lineage, and there is no harm in that. However, to accept all four mentioned opinions and interpret brotherhood as brotherhood in religion, companionship, neighborhood, and lineage is a matter whose status is clear [i.e., it is problematic].

"Come to us" (halumma) among the people of Hijaz is used equally for one and for a group. As for the Tamim tribe, they say: "Halumma, O man" (ya rajul) and "Halummu, O men" (ya rijal). According to some imams, it is a sound (sawt) used to name an action. It is well-known that it can be transitive, such as "Bring (halumma) your witnesses," meaning 'produce' or 'draw near,' and intransitive, such as "Come to us" (halumma ilayna), based on interpreting it as 'approach us.' As for interpreting it as 'draw yourselves near to us,' it is apparently transitive with its object omitted, though it is permissible for it to be intransitive; this is an interpretation of the essence of the meaning. In al-Bahr, it is stated that the view of the grammarians is that halumma is not merely a sound, but rather a compound word. There is disagreement regarding its original composition: some say it is composed of ha (for attention) and lumm (meaning 'approach'); this is the position of the Basrans. Others say it is from hal and umm. The discussion on the preferred view among these is detailed in its proper place.

"And they do not come to the battle" (meaning war and fighting; the root meaning refers to intensity) "except for a little" (meaning an approach or a duration that is little). They would not come to the camp unless they found no way to avoid it. They would come so that people would see their faces, and when they were neglected, they would return to their homes. It is also permissible for it to be an adjective for an implied object, just as it was an adjective for the verbal noun or the time—meaning: they do not come to battle except for a little battle—on the basis that they offer excuses during the major battles and do not go out except for minor ones.

Coming to the battle in these ways is taken at its literal sense. It is also permissible for it to be a metonymy for fighting; the meaning would be: they do not fight except for a little fighting, similar to the Almighty's saying, "And they did not fight except for a little." Its scarcity is either due to the shortness of its duration or the scarcity of its benefit. In any case, the clause is a circumstantial state (hal) from "those who say." It has been said: It is also permissible for it to be an explanatory clause for "Allah knows." This, as you can see, is not strong. It has also been said: It is from what is said (part of the speech), and the plural pronoun refers to the companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—meaning: they say, "The companions of Muhammad will not come to the war of the Confederates and will not resist them except for a little." This view contradicts what is immediately apparent, and it seems this was favored by those who said the verse concerns the Jews.