Transliteration:( Wa laqad sadaqakumul laahu wa'dahooo iz tahussoo nahum bi iznihee hattaaa izaa fashiltum wa tanaaza'tum fil amri wa 'asaitum mim ba'di maaa araakum maa tuhibboon; minkum mai yureedud dunyaa wa minkum mai yureedul Aakhirah; summa sarafakum 'anhum liyabtaliyakum wa laqad 'afaa 'ankum; wallaahu zoo fadlin 'alal mu'mineen )
“And indeed, Allah fulfilled His promise to you [325] when you were slaying them by His command, until when you lost courage and disputed over the command [326] and disobeyed after He showed you that which you loved [327]. Among you are those who desire the world [328], and among you are those who desire the Hereafter. Then He turned you away from them to test you, and indeed He forgave you [329], and Allah is the possessor of bounty over the believers.”
i.e. The promise that Allah Almighty made of victory. He had said: "You are the very same who shall overcome if you have faith" (Surah Aal-e-Imran, 3:139). He had also said: "If there will be twenty of you patient, they will overcome two hundred” (Surah Al-Anfal, 8:65). That promise was fulfilled in the Battle of Uhud when you were made to overpower the disbelievers. Then you left the Uhud Pass in your desire to gain the booty, seeing which the enemy returned and attacked—this changed victory into defeat. This defeat is due to your own error, not the breaking of Allah Almighty's promise.
Weakness means you became drawn towards the spoils of war, and the desire for wealth is indeed a cause of showing weakness. While quarrel refers to disobeying the order of your leader Hazrat Abdullah bin Jabeer (on whom be peace), who had instructed not to desert the Pass of Uhud. Yet, you did not obey him and left your position to grab the war booty, although it is incumbent upon you to obey your leader.
This refers to the enemy taking to their heels, and your overpowering them, because the disbelievers in the Battle of Uhud had initially fled from the battlefield. Only after seeing the Pass unprotected, did the enemy attack from behind—which changed the entire picture of the war.
Those who left their position in pursuit of the war booty were the seekers of worldly possessions—like the Companions of Hazrat Abdullah ibn Jabeer (on whom be peace) who were posted to guard the Pass of Uhud. Those who remained firmly at their post with their leader Ibn Jabeer and were martyred, were the seekers of the Hereafter.
It is important to know that, here, the word ‘world’ does not denote the world in opposition to Religion, as this is contemptible. Rather, if booty is sought unlawfully, it becomes world-seeking; if it is sought lawfully, it is a religious act and part of military procedure.
"He forgave you" tells us that those believers who fled from the battlefield of Uhud have been forgiven. Thus, if anyone describes this incident with the intention of degrading them, he is bereft of Faith. Likewise, Hazrat Adam (on whom be peace) eating of the wheat, too, is forgiven by Allah Almighty. If anyone tries to reproach him, such a person is a disbeliever.
In fact, any fault of those whose forgiveness is declared by Allah is far better than our own obedience, as we are not sure of its acceptance.
The tafsir of Surah Imran verse 152 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Imran ayat 149 which provides the complete commentary from verse 149 through 153.
(3:152) Allah surely fulfilled His promise (of succour) when you were slaying them by His leave until the moment when you flagged and quarrelled among yourselves about the matter, and acted against the order of (the Prophet). Soon He showed you what you had intensely desired – for some among you sought this world and some of you sought the Next. Thereupon, in order to put you to a test He turned you away from your foes. Still He pardoned you after that[109] for Allah is Bounteous to those who believe.
109. The failure of the Muslims was of such a serious nature that had God not pardoned them they might have been obliterated there and then. It was out of God’s grace, support and patronage that after the Muslims had been overpowered by the enemy the latter were seized with perplexity and confusion, and withdrew.
[148]- i.e., the spoils of war.
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