Tafsir of Al Imran 3:153-154

"When you were climbing [the mountain] and did not..."

"And Allah had certainly fulfilled His promise to you" Allah promised them victory on the condition of patience and piety, as in His saying: "If you are patient and conscious of Allah and the enemy comes upon you in their immediate rage, your Lord will reinforce you..." (Al-Imran: 125). It is also possible that the promise refers to His saying: "We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved." When they failed and disputed, He did not cast terror into them. It is said that when they returned to Medina, some believers asked: "How did this happen to us when Allah promised us victory?" Thus, this verse was revealed.

The context is that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) placed Mount Uhud behind his back, faced Medina, stationed the archers at the mountain, and ordered them to hold their position and not leave, whether the victory was for the Muslims or against them. When the polytheists approached, the archers pelted their horses, and the rest struck them with swords until they were defeated, with the Muslims pursuing them, "harassing them"—meaning killing them in a severe slaughter.

"Until when you failed"—Fashal is cowardice and weakness of judgment—"and disputed"—some said, "The polytheists are defeated, so why are we standing here?" Others said, "We will not disobey the command of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)." Among those who held their ground was Abdullah bin Jubayr, the commander of the archers, with fewer than ten men; these are the ones meant by: "And among you are those who want the Hereafter." Others left their posts to plunder; these are the ones who wanted the world. The polytheists turned back on the archers, killed Abdullah bin Jubayr (may Allah be pleased with him), and advanced on the Muslims. The wind turned against them (from the west, whereas it had been from the east), and they defeated them and killed whom they killed. This is the meaning of: "Then He diverted you from them to test you."

"And He has already forgiven you"—because He knew of your remorse for disobeying the command of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). "And Allah is the possessor of bounty for the believers"—He bestows favor upon them through forgiveness, or He is bountiful to them in all circumstances, whether victory is given to them or against them, for the trial is a mercy just as victory is a mercy.

If you ask: What is the object of "Until when"? I say: It is omitted. The estimation is: "Until when you failed, He withheld His victory from you." It is also possible the meaning is: "Allah fulfilled His promise to you until the time of your failure."

"When you were climbing"—This is in the accusative case due to "He diverted you," or "to test you," or by implying "Remember." Is'ad is traveling in the land and moving away. It is said, "He climbed the mountain" and "He traveled in the land."

"And the Messenger was calling you from behind you"—He was saying, "Come to me, O servants of Allah! I am the Messenger of Allah; whoever turns back [to fight] shall have Paradise."

"So He repaid you with distress upon distress"—When He diverted you from them and tested you, He repaid you with distress because you caused the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) distress by disobeying him, or it was a doubled distress—distress after distress—connected to the panic caused by the rumors of the Messenger’s death, the injuries, the killing, the polytheists' victory, and the loss of spoils and victory.

"So that you would not grieve"—To train you in enduring distress and to accustom you to bearing hardships, so that you do not grieve later over lost benefits or inflicted harms. It is also possible that the pronoun in "He repaid you" refers to the Messenger—meaning He consoled him in his distress. Just as you were distressed by what happened to him (the breaking of his tooth, the wound, etc.), he was distressed by what happened to you. So He repaid you with distress—distress he felt for your sake—because of the distress you felt for his sake, and he did not blame you for your disobedience. He did this to comfort you and relieve you so that you would not grieve over the lost victory or the enemy's triumph.

"Then Allah sent down upon you security"—He removed the fear that was upon them until they became drowsy and sleep overcame them. Abu Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Drowsiness overcame us while we were in our ranks; the sword would fall from one of our hands, he would pick it up, then it would fall again, and he would pick it up."

"A faction of you"—These are the people of truth and certainty. "And another faction"—These are the hypocrites. "Whose own selves worried them"—They had no concern except for themselves; they were not concerned with the religion, the Messenger (ﷺ), or the Muslims.

"Thinking about Allah other than the truth—the thought of ignorance"—They think of Allah in a way that is not the true, required thought. "The thought of ignorance" is a substitution for "other than the truth." It means they think the thoughts specific to the Age of Ignorance.

"They say, 'Is there anything for us in this matter?'"—They ask the Messenger (ﷺ): "Do we, the Muslims, have any share in Allah's affair?" meaning victory and dominance over the enemy. "Say, 'Indeed, the matter belongs entirely to Allah'"—and to His believing allies, which is victory and dominance.

"They conceal within themselves what they do not reveal to you"—They say to you, in what they show, "Is there anything for us in this matter?" like believers seeking guidance, while in their hearts they are hypocrites. They say to themselves or to each other, denying your statement that the matter belongs to Allah: "If we had anything in this matter, we would not have been killed right here."

"Say, 'Even if you had been inside your houses...'"—Meaning, whoever Allah knew would be killed and fall in these places of death, and it was written in the Preserved Tablet, there was no escaping it. Even if you had stayed in your houses, those whom Allah knew would be killed would have gone out to their deathbeds. The meaning is that Allah wrote in the Tablet the killing of those who were to be killed, and He also wrote that they are the victors, for He knew the final outcome would be theirs and that Islam would prevail over all religions. What they suffer at times is a purification for them and an incentive for martyrdom, and their eagerness for martyrdom incites them to Jihad, thus victory is achieved.