Tafsir of Muhammad 47:21

(Obedience and honorable speech): This is an independent statement with one of its two parts omitted. It is either a predicate, and its estimation is "better for them" or "more appropriate," which is the view of Mujahid and the school of Sibawayh and al-Khalil; or it is a subject, and its estimation is "the matter [we adhere to] is obedience" or "our affair is obedience," meaning the matter acceptable to Allah Almighty is obedience.

It is also said: Its meaning is "their affair is obedience," and "honorable speech" means speech whose state is known to be a deception. Another view is that it is a report of what they said before the command for Jihad—that is, they said, "Our affair is obedience." The reading of Ubayy supports this: "They say: Obedience and honorable speech."

Some have held that (Awla - most appropriate) is a superlative noun acting as the subject, and (lahum - for them) is its connected element, with the lam functioning in the sense of ba’ (i.e., bihim), and (ta’ah - obedience) is the predicate. It is as if it were said: "More appropriate for them than looking at you with the look of one fainting from death is obedience and honorable speech." In this case, it is not an independent statement, and one should not pause at (lahum).

Among the interpretations that should not be given attention is the claim that (ta’ah) is an adjective for "a Surah" in His saying (Exalted is He): "But when a definitive Surah is revealed," implying "a Surah of obedience" or "a Surah to be obeyed." Abu Hayyan refuted this, stating it is nothing, due to the excessive separation between the adjective and the noun it modifies.

"When the matter is determined": That is, when it becomes serious—and "seriousness" is diligence in the affairs of the command—except that it is attributed to it metaphorically, as in the saying of Allah (Exalted is He): "That is of the [matters of] determination." From this is the poet's saying: "War has become serious for you, so be diligent."

The apparent meaning is that the answer to "when" (idha) is His saying (Exalted is He): "And if they had been true to Allah," which is the factor governing it. It does not hinder the fact that it is coupled with fa, nor does it prevent what follows from governing what precedes it in such a construction, as the grammarians have clearly stated. This is similar to: "When winter comes, if you had come to me, I would have clothed you." It is also said: The answer is omitted, its estimation being "when the matter is determined, they detest [it]," or something similar, as stated by Qatada.

In Al-Bahr, whoever interpreted "obedience and honorable speech" as them saying that out of deception, estimated the response as: "When the matter is determined, they contradict and disobey." Perhaps whoever attributes the aforementioned speech to the believers in outward appearance—while they are the hypocrites—also permits this estimation. Some estimated the response as "then they would have been truthful," which is as you see.

In any case, the intent is: "And if they had been true to Allah" regarding what they claimed of eagerness for Jihad—perhaps they showed eagerness for it just as the truthful believers did—or it is said: in their saying "obedience and honorable speech," or it is said: in their faith, "(then) [i.e., this truthfulness] would have been better for them than what they have committed." This is based upon what is in their claim, namely that there is good in it; otherwise, in the reality of the matter, there is no good in it.