Surah Al-Ahzab 33:18
ﱫ ﱬ ﱭ ﱮ ﱯ ﱰ ﱱ ﱲ ﱳ ﱴ ﱵ ﱶ ﱷ ﱸ ﱹ ﱺ
Already Allah knows the hinderers among you and those [hypocrites] who say to their brothers, "Come to us," and do not go to battle, except for a few,
Tafsir of Al-Ahzab 33:18
Tafsir
Mafatih al-Ghayb
Verse range: 33:18
Al-Ahzab (The Confederates): Verse 18
Translation and Exegesis (Based on Mafatih al-Ghayb):
**(18) Indeed, Allah knows those among you who hinder [others] and those who say to their brothers, "Come to us," and they do not come to the battle except for a little.**
Commentary:
This verse addresses those who discourage the Muslims from fighting and say to them: "Come to us, and do not fight alongside Muhammad (peace be upon him)."
There are two interpretations regarding who these people are:
- The Hypocrites (Munafiqun): They were the ones telling the Ansar (Medinans), "Do not fight; hand Muhammad over to Quraysh."
- The Jews: They were telling the people of Medina, "Come to us and be with us."
The word هَلُمَّ (halum - come) means "come" or "be present." In the Hijazi dialect, it is not pluralized, but in other dialects, it is pluralized as halummū (for men) and halimna (for women).
The subsequent phrase, {وَلَا يَأْتُونَ الْبَأْسَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا} ("and they do not come to the battle except for a little"), supports the first interpretation (that they are the hypocrites). This phrase itself has two possible meanings:
- They do not join the battle: They stay behind and do not go out with you. In this context, the following phrase, {أَشِحَّةً عَلَيْكُمْ} ("stingy toward you"), means they are miserly, refusing to spend anything in the cause of Allah.
- They do not fight alongside you: Even when present, they avoid engaging in combat, making excuses to stay away from fighting when you are present. In this case, {أَشِحَّةً عَلَيْكُمْ} means they are stingy regarding their own selves and bodies (i.e., they guard their lives jealously).
**{أَشِحَّةً عَلَيْكُمْ فَإِذَا جَاءَ الْخَوْفُ رَأَيْتَهُمْ يُقَلِّبُونَ أَعْيُنَهُمْ كَالَّذِي يُغْشَىٰ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ الْخَوْفُ سَلَقُوكُمْ بِأَلْسِنَةٍ حِدَادٍ أَشِحَّةً عَلَى الْخَيْرِ أُولَٰئِكَ لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا فَأَحْبَطَ اللَّهُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرًا}**
**(They are) stingy toward you. And when fear comes, you see them looking at you, their eyes rolling like one overcome by death. But when the fear departs, they attack you with sharp tongues, stingy toward [acquiring] good. Those have not believed, so Allah has nullified their deeds. And that has always been easy for Allah.**
Commentary (Continued):
- {أَشِحَّةً عَلَيْكُمْ}: They are extremely miserly regarding you (their fellow believers), whether concerning spending or risking their lives.
- {فَإِذَا جَاءَ الْخَوْفُ}: When the actual danger of battle approaches.
- {رَأَيْتَهُمْ يُقَلِّبُونَ أَعْيُنَهُمْ كَالَّذِي يُغْشَىٰ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ}: You see their eyes rolling around, like someone about to faint or lose consciousness due to the terror of death. This describes their extreme cowardice and panic.
- {فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ الْخَوْفُ سَلَقُوكُمْ بِأَلْسِنَةٍ حِدَادٍ}: Once the danger passes, they lash out at you with sharp, harsh tongues. They criticize you, perhaps for fighting, or they speak ill of the believers.
- {أَشِحَّةً عَلَى الْخَيْرِ}: They are stingy regarding al-Khayr (goodness/booty/benefit). This confirms their deep avarice; they hoard wealth and avoid any situation that might involve loss or expenditure, yet they are quick to criticize others.
- {أُولَٰئِكَ لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا}: These individuals have not truly believed. Their outward claims are false.
- {فَأَحْبَطَ اللَّهُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ}: Consequently, Allah has rendered their deeds worthless. Since their actions stem from hypocrisy and cowardice, any seemingly good deeds they performed are nullified.
- {وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرًا}: And that (nullifying the deeds of the hypocrites) is easy for Allah.