وَيَحْلِفُونَ بِٱللَّهِ
إِنَّهُمْ لَمِنكُمْ
وَمَا هُم مِّنكُمْ
وَلَـٰكِنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ يَفْرَقُونَ
لَوْ يَجِدُونَ مَلْجَـًٔا
أَوْ مَغَـٰرَٰتٍ أَوْ
مُدَّخَلًا لَّوَلَّوْا۟ إِلَيْهِ
وَهُمْ يَجْمَحُونَ
They swear by
Allah that they
are truly of you
while they are
not of you, but
they are a people
(hypocrites) who
are afraid (that
you may kill them).
Should they find
a refuge, or caves,
or a place of
concealment, they
would turn
straightway thereto
with a swift rush.
Exposing Hypocrites’ Fright and Fear
Allah describes to His Prophet the fright, fear, anxiety and nervousness of the hypocrites,
يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِإِنَّهُمْ
لَمِنكُمْ
They swear by Allah that they are truly of you
swearing a sure oath,
وَمَا هُم مِّنكُمْ
while they are not of you
in reality,
وَلَـكِنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ يَفْرَقُونَ
but they are a people who are afraid
and this is what made them swear.
لَوْ يَجِدُونَ مَلْجَئاً
Should they find a refuge
such as a fort in which they hide and fortify themselves,
أَوْ مَغَـرَاتٍ
or caves
in some mountains,
أَوْ مُدَّخَلاً
or a place of concealment
a tunnel or a hole in the ground, according to the explanation given by Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Qatadah,
﴿لَّوَلَّوْاْ إِلَيْهِ
وَهُمْ يَجْمَحُونَ
they would turn straightway thereto with a swift rush
away from you because they associate with you unwillingly, not because they are fond of you. They prefer that they do not have to mix with you, but necessity has its rules! It is because of this that they feel grief, sadness and sorrow, seeing Islam and its people enjoying ever more might, triumph and glory. Therefore, whatever pleases Muslims brings them grief, and this is why they prefer to disassociate themselves from the believers. Hence Allah’s statement,
لَوْ يَجِدُونَ مَلْجَئاً
أَوْ مَغَـرَاتٍ أَوْ
مُدَّخَلاً لَّوَلَّوْاْ إِلَيْهِ
وَهُمْ يَجْمَحُونَ
Should they find a refuge, or caves, or a place of concealment, they would turn straightway thereto with a swift rush
وَمِنْهُمْ مَّن يَلْمِزُكَ
فِي الصَّدَقَـتِ فَإِنْ
أُعْطُواْ مِنْهَا رَضُواْ
وَإِن لَّمْ يُعْطَوْاْ
مِنهَا إِذَا هُمْ يَسْخَطُونَ