—thereby exposing the Muslims’ vulnerabilities to them and preferring to remain with them rather than emigrate and wage jihad—“they are the wrongdoers.” At that time, a person’s faith was not accepted unless he emigrated. This is the meaning of His saying: “They are the wrongdoers.”

“Say, ‘If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your clans, the wealth you have acquired, the trade whose decline you fear, and homes you cherish are more beloved to you than Allah, His Messenger, and striving in His cause, then wait until Allah brings about His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.’ (24) Allah has certainly helped you on many battlefields, and on the day of Hunayn, when your great numbers pleased you, but they availed you nothing. The earth, vast as it is, became constrained for you; then you turned and fled. (25)”

Then He, exalted is He, said: “Say,” O Muhammad, to those who stayed behind from emigration: “If your fathers...” This was because, when the first verse was revealed, those who had embraced Islam but had not emigrated said: “If we emigrate, our wealth will be lost, our trade will vanish, our homes will fall into ruin, and we will sever the ties of kinship.” Thereupon, the following was revealed: “If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, and your clans...” Abu Bakr, transmitting from Asim, recited ashīrātukum (“your clans”) with an alif, in the plural form, while the others recited it without an alif, in the singular form, since the plural of ashīrah is ashā’ir.

“And the wealth you have acquired,” meaning, that you have earned; “and the trade whose decline you fear, and homes you cherish,” that is, homes you find pleasant—namely, palaces and dwellings—“are more beloved to you than Allah, His Messenger, and striving in His cause, then wait”: that is, await “until Allah brings about His command.” Ata said: “His decree.” Mujahid and Muqatil said: “The conquest of Mecca.” This is a threat. “And Allah does not guide”—that is, He does not grant success or direct—“the defiantly disobedient people”: those who depart from obedience.

His saying, exalted is He: “Allah has certainly helped you on many battlefields,” meaning, scenes of battle, “and on the day of Hunayn.” Hunayn is a valley between Mecca and Ta’if. Urwah said: “Near Dhu al-Majaz.”

The account of Hunayn, as related by the transmitters, (1) is that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, conquered Mecca while some days of Ramadan still remained. He then set out for Hunayn to fight Hawazin and Thaqif with twelve thousand men—ten thousand of them were Emigrants