Allah the Exalted says, “Yet it is no awrah,” for Allah Himself safeguards it, and He says, “They sought only to flee.” Their intention was nothing but to run away from the struggle, while using their families as a pretext.

• Exactly the same has happened to many people in the present campaign: they have been escaping from the frontier to citadels and fortresses, even to distant places such as Egypt, claiming, “Our only aim is to protect the children, and we cannot send them with anyone else.” They are lying. They could have placed their families in the fortress of Damascus had the enemy drawn near, just as the Muslims did in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. They could have sent their dependents away and remained to fight. What, then, of someone who fled even after sending off his family? (1)

Allah Most High also says, “If the city were entered upon them from every side and they were then asked to fall into fitnah, they would certainly have yielded to it, and would not have hesitated except a little” (al-Aḥzāb 33:14).

He has thus informed us that if the city were breached from its flanks and its people were then summoned to fitnah—that is, to abandon the religion through disbelief or (2) hypocrisy—they would hand themselves over to it without the slightest delay.

• This is (3) the very state of some people: were this criminal, hypocritical enemy to break in upon them and then demand their approval of his departure from the law of Islam—and that is a tremendous trial—they would side with him, just as certain individuals assisted them (4) last year.