saying, “Had we had any say in this matter, we would not have been killed here.” (1) This is the meaning of His saying, “overcoming a group among you,” meaning the believers, “while another group was concerned only for themselves,” meaning the hypocrites.

It was said: Allah intended thereby to distinguish the hypocrites from the believers. Thus, He caused drowsiness to overcome the believers, so that they felt secure, but did not cause it to overcome the hypocrites; hence, they remained in fear, concerned only for themselves—that is, their own selves drove them to anxiety. One says, “a weighty matter,” meaning one that causes concern.

“Thinking wrongly of Allah,” that is, thinking that He would not grant Muhammad victory. It was also said that they thought Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, had been killed. “As in the thoughts of the Age of Ignorance,” meaning like the thinking of the people of the Age of Ignorance and polytheism. “They said, ‘Do we have any say at all in this matter?’” The wording is interrogative, but its meaning is denial. “Any say in this matter,” meaning victory. Say, “Indeed, all matters belong to Allah.” The people of Basra recited it with kulluhu in the nominative, as an independent subject whose predicate is “belongs to Allah,” while the others recited it in the accusative, as a substitute or an adjective.

“They conceal within themselves what they do not reveal to you. They say, ‘Had we had any say in this matter, we would not have been killed here.’” This was because the hypocrites said to one another, “Had we possessed any sense, we would not have gone out (2) with Muhammad to fight the people of Mecca, nor would our leaders have been killed.” It was also said: “Had we been upon the truth, we would not have been killed here.”

Al-Dahhak reported from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him: “Thinking wrongly of Allah, as in the thoughts of the Age of Ignorance” means denying the divine decree. This is expressed in their saying, “Had we had any say in this matter, we would not have been killed here.” “Say, ‘Even if you had been in your homes, those for whom death had been decreed would still have gone forth to their places of death.’” That is, it had been decreed. “Their places of death,” meaning the places where they would fall slain. “And so that Allah might test,” that is, examine, “what is within your breasts and bring out and make manifest what is within your hearts. And Allah is Knowing of what lies within the breasts”—of the good and evil within hearts.

“Indeed, those among you who turned back on the day the two armies met—it was Satan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned. Yet Allah has certainly pardoned them. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Forbearing.” (155)

“Indeed, those among you who turned back,” that is, fled in defeat—“among you,” O company of Muslims—“on the day the two armies met”: the army of the Muslims and the army of the polytheists, on the day of Uhud. Most of the Muslims had fled, and only thirteen men remained with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: six of the Emigrants, namely Abu Bakr, Umar, Ali, Talhah, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with them.

His saying, “It was Satan who caused them to slip,” means that he sought their lapse, just as one says, “I sought to hasten so-and-so,” when one seeks