In Sūrah Barāʾah—which we have already discussed at length in the Tafsīr (1)—Allah commanded the believers to set out under every circumstance. He, Exalted is He, says:

“Go forth, lightly equipped or heavily equipped, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the way of Allah; that is better for you, if only you knew. Had the gain been immediate and the journey easy, they would surely have followed you, but the distance seemed too far for them. Yet they will swear by Allah, ‘Had we been able, we would certainly have gone out with you.’ They destroy themselves, and Allah knows that they are indeed liars.”
(9:41–42) and the verses that follow.

He also says:

“It is not for all the believers to go forth together. From every group among them, let a party go forth to become well-versed in the religion and to warn their people when they return to them, so that they may take heed.”
(9:122)

Some said that this latter verse abrogates the former; others said it does not—and Allah knows best.

Ibn Isḥāq (2) said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ remained in Madinah from Dhū’l-Ḥijjah until Rajab of the ninth year, and then ordered the people to prepare for the campaign against the Byzantines. Al-Zuhrī, Yazīd ibn Rūmān, ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Abī Bakr, ʿĀṣim ibn ʿUmar ibn Qatādah, and others of our scholars—each relating what had reached him about the expedition of Tabūk, some mentioning details that others did not—reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ instructed his Companions to make ready for war with the Byzantines at a time of hardship: people were in straitened circumstances, the heat was intense, the land was parched, and the fruits were ripe. The people wished to stay amid their produce and shade and were reluctant to depart in such conditions.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ rarely set out on a campaign without using a cover name, but in the case of Tabūk he stated the objective plainly, because of the long distance, the severity of the season, and the great numbers of the enemy he intended to meet, so that the people could make full preparations. He commanded them to strive in Allah’s cause and informed them that his aim was the Byzantines.

While he was engaged in these preparations one day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to al-Jadd ibn Qays, one of the Banū Salamah:

“O Jadd, would you like this year to meet the Banu al-Asfar in combat?”

He replied, “O Messenger of Allah, grant me leave and do not subject me to temptation. By Allah, my people know that no man is more fascinated by women than I, and I fear that if I see the women of the Banu al-Asfar I will not be able to restrain myself.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ turned away from him and said, “I have granted you leave.”

Concerning al-Jadd, Allah revealed:

“And among them is he who says, ‘Grant me leave and do not expose me to temptation.’ Surely they have already fallen into temptation, and indeed Hell will encompass the disbelievers.”
(9:49)

Some of the hypocrites said to one another, out of aversion to jihad, doubt about the truth, and in order to undermine the Messenger ﷺ, “Do not march out in this heat.” Regarding them Allah, Exalted is He, revealed:

“They said, ‘Do not go forth in the heat.’ Say, ‘The fire of Hell is fiercer in heat, if only they understood.’ So let them laugh a little and weep much as recompense for what they have been earning.”
(9:81–82)

Ibn Hishām (3) said: A trustworthy source told me—from someone who related it to him—from Muḥammad ibn Ṭalḥah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān—from Isḥāq ibn