طَاعَةٞ
وَقَوۡلٞ
مَّعۡرُوفٞۚ
فَإِذَا
عَزَمَ
ٱلۡأَمۡرُ
فَلَوۡ
صَدَقُواْ
ٱللَّهَ
لَكَانَ
خَيۡرٗا
لَّهُمۡ
٢١
to obey and speak rightly. Then when fighting was ordained, it surely would have been better for them if they were true to Allah.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
Obedience and good words. And when the matter [of fighting] was determined, if they had been true to Allāh, it would have been better for them.
— Saheeh International
Read Tafsir
Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
The Situation of the True Believer and the Sick-Hearted when the Command for Jihad was revealed
Allah mentions that the believers were hoping that Jihad would be legislated. But when Allah ordained it, many of the people turned back, as Allah says,
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ قِيلَ لَهُمْ كُفُّواْ أَي
…The Situation of the True Believer and the Sick-Hearted when the Command for Jihad was revealed
Allah mentions that the believers were hoping that Jiha
…