Tafsir of Al-Anfal 8:49

(When the hypocrites say...) [8:49] is an adverbial modifier for "beautified," "turned back," or "severe in punishment." Abu al-Baqa also permitted the estimation of "[Remember] when..."

(And those in whose hearts is a disease) means those whose hearts have not yet found tranquility in faith and in which a doubt remains. It is said: They were youths from Quraysh who had embraced Islam in Mecca, but their fathers restrained them until they went out with them to Badr; among them were Qays ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, al-'As ibn Munabbih ibn al-Hajjaj, al-Harith ibn Zam'ah, and Abu Qays ibn al-Fakah. On this view, "disease" is a metaphor for doubt.

It is also said: The intent is the hypocrites themselves, whether the conjunction is taken as an explanation (tafsir) or the "disease of the hearts" is interpreted as rancor, enmity, and doubt—things distinct from hypocrisy. The meaning would then be: "When those who combine hypocrisy with the disease of the heart say..."

Some say: It is permissible for the relative pronoun (those) to be an adjective for the "hypocrites," and the "wa" (and) is placed in between to emphasize the close attachment of the attribute to the described, as this is a trait of the hypocrites that never leaves them. Or, the "wa" may be an insertion between the explainer and the explained, such as in the phrase: "Zayd and his generosity amazed me." Some have claimed this is an error, but that is a highly biased position, as there is no hindrance to this either morphologically or semantically. The argument that the error lies in the fact that "hypocrites" applies to an implied noun (i.e., "the hypocritical people") and thus cannot be described is not sound. For one may say: "Hypocrites" here is treated as a substantive noun, and even if it were an adjective, there is no prohibition against an adjective being described. To assert the impossibility of a quality inhering in another quality is an extremely difficult task.

Whoever interpreted "those in whose hearts is a disease" as the group who embraced Islam in Mecca says: When they saw the small number of Muslims, they said, "Their religion has deluded these [meaning the believers who were with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him], causing them to confront those whom they have no power against." They went out [to battle]—three hundred and some odd men—against approximately a thousand.

On the probability that it is an adjective for the hypocrites, the words of some suggest that this statement was not made during the encounter. It has been narrated from al-Hasan that these hypocrites did not witness the fighting on the day of Badr. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them—that he said: "They were among the Muslims that day." There is some hesitation regarding this, as the reports confirm that the people of Badr were the purest of the believers.

(And whoever relies upon Allah) is an answer and refutation to their statement. For indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might—the Overpowering who does not humiliate those who rely upon Him, nor does He forsake those who seek His protection, however few they may be—and Wise, performing with His ultimate wisdom that which minds find unlikely and which the intellects of the masters of knowledge are confounded in understanding. The response to the conditional clause is omitted because what has been mentioned serves as an indication of it, or it stands in its place.