“If they are expelled, they will not leave with them; and if they are fought, they will not support them. Even if they were to support them, they would surely turn their backs and flee; then they would receive no help. You, O Muslims, inspire greater fear in their hearts than Allah does. That is because they are a people who do not understand. They will not fight you all together except from fortified towns or from behind walls. Their violence among themselves is fierce. You think they are united, but their hearts are divided. That is because they are a people who do not reason.” (12–14)

“If they are expelled, they will not leave with them; and if they are fought, they will not support them.” And this is exactly what happened: they were expelled from their homes, yet the hypocrites did not leave with them; and they were fought, yet the hypocrites did not support them.

His words: “Even if they were to support them, they would surely turn their backs and flee,” mean: even supposing that such support were to take place. Al-Zajjaj said: “Its meaning is that, if they had set out to aid the Jews, they would have turned their backs in defeat.” “Then they would receive no help,” meaning that Banu al-Nadir would not be granted help once their supporters had fled.

“You, O Muslims, inspire greater fear in their hearts than Allah does”: that is, they fear you more intensely than they fear Allah. “That is because they are a people who do not understand,” namely, the greatness of Allah.

“They will not fight you,” meaning the Jews, “all together except from fortified towns”: they will not come out to fight you openly, but will fight you only while sheltered by towns and walls. This is what is meant by His words, “or from behind walls.” Ibn Kathir and Abu ‘Amr recited it in the singular, “wall,” while the others recited it in the plural, “walls,” with a u-vowel on its first two consonants.

“Their violence among themselves is fierce”: that is, some of them are harsh toward others, and their mutual enmity is severe. It was also said that their violence against one another is fierce behind walls and fortresses; but when they come out to face you, they are the most cowardly of Allah’s creation. “You think they are united, but their hearts are divided”: their hearts are scattered and at variance. Qatadah said: “The desires of the people of falsehood differ, their testimonies differ, and their deeds differ, though they are united in hostility toward the people of truth.” Mujahid said: “It means that the religion of the hypocrites differs from the religion of the Jews.” “That is because they are a people who do not reason.”

“Like those shortly before them: they tasted the evil consequences of their affair, and theirs will be a painful punishment. Like Satan, when he says to man, ‘Disbelieve.’ Then, when he disbelieves, he says, ‘Indeed, I am free of you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds.’” (15–16)

“Like those shortly before them” means: the example of these Jews is like that of those who came before them. “Shortly before them” means the polytheists of Mecca. “They tasted the evil consequences of their affair” means their being killed at Badr, which took place before the campaign against Banu al-Nadir. This was said by Mujahid. Ibn ‘Abbas said: “Like those shortly before them” refers to Banu Qaynuqa. It was also said: the example of Qurayzah was like that of Banu al-Nadir, and two years lay between them. “And theirs will be a painful punishment.”

He then sets forth an example for the hypocrites and the Jews alike regarding their ⦗159/b⦘