lied about him.” Then he raised his hands to heaven and said: “O Allah, send down to Your Prophet confirmation of whichever of us is truthful.” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and the believers said: “Amen.” Before the two had parted, Gabriel, peace be upon him, came down with this verse, up to the words: “But if they repent, it will be better for them.” Then Julas stood and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I hear that Allah (1) has offered me repentance. Amir ibn Qays spoke the truth in what he said: I did say it. I seek Allah’s forgiveness and repent to Him.” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, accepted this from him, and his repentance was sound.

Allah, exalted is He, says: “They certainly uttered the word of disbelief and disbelieved after having embraced Islam”—that is, they openly displayed disbelief after having professed faith and Islam. It was also said that this refers to reviling the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. It was further said that the word of disbelief was the statement of Julas: “If Muhammad is truthful, then we are worse than donkeys.” And it was said that the word of disbelief was their statement: “If we return to Medina, the mightier will surely drive out the more humble from it” (al-Munafiqun—8). This account will come in its proper place in Surah al-Munafiqun (2).

“And they intended what they could not attain.” Mujahid said: The hypocrites intended to kill the Muslim who had heard them say, “We are surely worse than donkeys,” so that he would not disclose it.

It was also said that they were twelve hypocrites who lay in wait at the mountain pass on the road to Tabuk, intending to assassinate the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Gabriel, peace be upon him, came and commanded him to send someone to strike the faces of their mounts, so he sent Hudhayfah for this purpose.

Al-Suddi said: They said, “When we arrive in Medina, we will place a crown upon the head of Abdullah ibn Ubayy,” but they were unable to do so.

“They resented nothing”—that is, they disliked and found fault with nothing—“except that Allah and His Messenger enriched them from His bounty.” This was because the freedman of Julas was killed, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered that his blood-money be twelve thousand dirhams, by which he became wealthy. Al-Kalbi said: Before the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came to them, they lived in hardship and poverty; but when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came to them, they became wealthy through the spoils of war.

“But if they repent” from their hypocrisy and disbelief, “it will be better for them. But if they turn away”—that is, turn away from faith—“Allah will punish them with a painful punishment in this world,” through disgrace, “and in the Hereafter,” that is, through the Fire. “And they will have neither protector nor helper on earth.”

“Among them are those who made a covenant with Allah: ‘If He gives us of His bounty, we will surely give in charity and surely be among the righteous.’ (75)”

Allah, exalted is He, says: “Among them are those who made a covenant with Allah: ‘If He gives us of His bounty, we will surely give in charity’”—the verse. Abu Sa'id al-Shurayhi informed us; Abu Ishaq al-Tha'labi narrated to us; Abu Abdullah ibn Hamid al-Isfahani informed us; Ahmad ibn