Transliteration:( Wa liya'lamal lazeena naafaqoo; wa qeela lahum ta'aalaw qaatiloo fee sabeelil laahi awid fa'oo qaaloo law na'lamu qitaalallat taba'naakum; hum lilkufri yawma'izin aqrabu minhum lil eemaan; yaqooloona bi afwaahihim maa laisa fee quloobihim; wallaahu a'lamu bimaa yaktumoon )
“And that He might make one to distinguish the hypocrites [378] who were told: ‘Come and fight in the way of Allah or (at least) drive out the enemy’ [379]. They said, ‘Had we known how to fight, we would have sided (with) you.’ They were nearer to disbelief that day than expressed [380] faith, saying with mouths what was not in their hearts [381]. And Allah knows what they concealed.”
The defeat at Uhud served as a divine test to separate the sincere believers from the hypocrites. Those who remained firm on the battlefield proved their faith, while those who made insulting remarks or deserted were exposed as hypocrites.
Praise be to Allah! Even the apparent error of the Companions became a means of distinguishing true believers from hypocrites. Anyone who disrespects the Noble Companions is a hypocrite, while those who honor them are true believers. This battle will remain a criterion until the Day of Judgement for identifying faith and hypocrisy.
From this we learn that:
Fighting on the battlefield is an act of worship.
Even standing firm to defend against an enemy attack is a virtuous deed.
Avoiding battle without valid excuse, especially when urgently needed, is a sign of hypocrisy.
Making false excuses like "we are not trained in military matters" is also a mark of hypocrites.
Muslims should avoid such cowardly behavior and excuses.
These hypocrites professed faith outwardly, but in truth, they were closer to disbelief. Their hearts were detached, though their words pretended loyalty.
This shows that internal faith is stronger and more decisive than outward claims. Hypocrites may seem superficially close to the Muslims, but inwardly align with the disbelievers. There is no contradiction in the verse—spiritual nearness outweighs physical closeness.
Example: Abu Jahl, though physically near to the Prophet ﷺ, was far from him spiritually due to disbelief. In contrast, Hazrat Uwais Qarni (may Allah be pleased with him), though physically distant, was spiritually close due to his strong faith.
Outwardly, the hypocrites claimed ignorance of military tactics, but their true reason for avoiding battle was to avoid confrontation with the disbelievers and let them overpower the Muslims.
Such hypocrites have always existed within the Muslim community and will continue to exist. Their mouths speak one thing, but their hearts conceal betrayal. Allah is fully aware of their intentions and will hold them accountable.
The tafsir of Surah Imran verse 167 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Imran ayat 165 which provides the complete commentary from verse 165 through 168.
(3:167) and those who are hypocrites. And when these hypocrites were asked: Come and fight in the wayof Allah’, or (at least) ‘defend yourselves’, they answered: ‘If we but knew that there would be fighting, we would certainly have followed.[119] They were nearer then to infidelity than to faith. They utter from their mouths what is not in their hearts. Allah knows well what they conceal.
119. When ‘Abd Allah b. Ubayy decided to withdraw from the battlefield with his men several Muslims attempted to persuade him not to do so. Ibn Ubayy replied that he was sure that there would be no fighting that day, and he assured them that had he expected fighting to take place, he would have gone along with them.
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