Tafsir of Al-Anfal 8:20

{ولا تولوا عنه} It is read with the omission of one of the two ta’s and its assimilation (idgham). The pronoun in {عنه} (from him) refers to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), because the meaning is: "Obey the Messenger of Allah," similar to the verse: “Allah and His Messenger are more worthy that they should please Him” (9:62). Furthermore, obedience to the Messenger and obedience to Allah are one and the same: “Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah” (4:80). Thus, the pronoun returning to one of them is as if it returns to both, just as you would say: "Kindness and benevolence do not benefit such-and-such a person."

It is also permissible that it refers to the command of obedience—meaning: Do not turn away from this command and its implementation while you hear it. Or: Do not turn away from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and do not oppose him.

{وأنتم تسمعون} Meaning: While you believe, for you are believers, not like the deaf, deniers among the disbelievers.

{ولا تكونوا كالذين قالوا سمعنا} Meaning: They claimed to hear.

{وهم لا يسمعون} Because they are not believers, it is as if they are not hearing at all. The meaning is: You believe in the Quran and the Prophethood; therefore, if you turn away from obeying the Messenger in certain matters—such as the distribution of spoils or otherwise—your belief would be as if it were no belief, and your hearing would resemble the hearing of those who do not believe.

{إن شر الدواب} Meaning: The worst of those who crawl upon the face of the earth. The worst of the beasts are those who are deaf to the truth and do not comprehend it. He categorized them as a species of beast, then declared them the worst of them.

{ولو علم الله فيهم خيرا} In these deaf and dumb ones. {لأسمعهم} Meaning: If He knew there was any benefit in them from His grace, He would have granted them the grace to hear with the hearing of those who believe.

{ولو أسمعهم لتولوا} Meaning: Even if He had shown them grace, that grace would not have benefited them; therefore, He withheld His grace from them. Or: Even if He had shown them grace and they had believed, they would have later apostatized, denied, and failed to remain steadfast.

It is said: They are the Banu ‘Abd al-Dar ibn Qusayy. Only two of them accepted Islam: Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr and Suwayd ibn Harmala. They used to say: "We are deaf, dumb, and blind to what Muhammad has brought; we neither hear it nor respond to it." They were all killed at Uhud, and they were the standard-bearers. According to Ibn Jurayj, they are the hypocrites. According to al-Hasan, they are the People of the Scripture.

{يأيها الذين ءامنوا استجيبوا لله وللرسول إذا دعاكم لما يحييكم واعلموا أن الله يحول بين المرء وقلبه وأنه إليه تحشرون}