“Say, ‘Who is there that can protect you from Allah if He wills harm for you, or if He wills mercy for you?’ And they will find for themselves no protector or helper besides Allah. Indeed, Allah knows those among you who hold others back, and those who say to their brothers, ‘Come over to us,’ while they come to battle only rarely, begrudging toward you. Then, when fear comes, you see them looking at you, their eyes rolling in their sockets like one overcome by the throes of death. But when fear has passed, they lash you with sharp tongues, greedy for gain. Such people have not believed, so Allah has rendered their deeds worthless; and that is easy for Allah.” (17–19)
“Say, ‘Who is there that can protect you from Allah?’”: that is, who can prevent His punishment from reaching you, “if He wills harm for you”: namely, defeat; “or if He wills mercy for you”: namely, victory. “And they will find for themselves no protector besides Allah”: that is, no close kinsman who can benefit them; “nor a helper”: that is, one who can protect them.
“Indeed, Allah knows those among you who hold others back”: that is, those who discourage people from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him; “and those who say to their brothers, ‘Come over to us’”: that is, “Return to us and leave Muhammad; do not join him in battle, for we fear that you will perish.”
Qatadah said: These were people among the hypocrites who discouraged the Prophet’s supporters, peace and blessings be upon him, saying to their brothers, “Muhammad and his companions are no more than a mouthful; if they were meat, Abu Sufyan and his companions would devour them”—that is, swallow them up. “Leave the man, for he is doomed.” (1)
Muqatil said: This was revealed concerning the hypocrites. The Jews sent word to the hypocrites, saying, “What drives you to have yourselves killed at the hands of Abu Sufyan and those with him? If they overcome you this time, they will not leave a single one of you alive. We are concerned for you; you are our brothers and neighbors, so come over to us.” Then Abd Allah ibn Ubayy and his companions approached the believers, seeking to hold them back and frighten them with Abu Sufyan and those with him. They said, “If they overcome you, they will not leave a single one of you alive. What do you hope for from Muhammad? He has no good to offer; he will only have us killed here. Come with us to our brothers”—meaning the Jews. Yet the words of the hypocrites only increased the believers in faith and in seeking Allah’s reward. (2)
His saying, exalted is He, “and they come to 79/A battle only rarely”: they do so for show and reputation, without seeking Allah’s reward. Had even that little been for Allah’s sake, it would have been much. “Begrudging toward you”: miserly in spending and in giving support in the path of Allah. Qatadah said: They were miserly when it came to the spoils of war. Allah described them as miserly and cowardly, saying: “Then, when fear comes, you see them looking at you, their eyes rolling in their heads” from fear and cowardice, “like one overcome by the throes of death”: that is, like the rolling of the eyes of one overcome by death,