“Obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute, lest you lose courage and your strength depart. Be patient; surely Allah is with the patient. * Do not be like those who left their homes in boastful arrogance and to be seen by people, barring others from the way of Allah. Allah encompasses all that they do. * And when Satan made their deeds seem fair to them and said, ‘No one among mankind can defeat you today, and I am your protector.’ But when the two forces came within sight of each other, he turned on his heels and said, ‘I have nothing to do with you. I see what you do not see. I fear Allah, and Allah is severe in punishment.’ * And when the hypocrites and those with sickness in their hearts said, ‘These people have been deluded by their religion.’ But whoever puts his trust in Allah—surely Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.”
“Obey Allah and His Messenger” by carrying out what they have commanded and proceeding accordingly in every circumstance.
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“And do not dispute”—with the kind of dispute that causes hearts to become scattered and divided—“lest you lose courage,” meaning that you become cowardly, “and your strength depart,” meaning that your resolve dissolves, your power becomes dispersed, and the victory promised to you for obeying Allah and His Messenger is withdrawn.
“Be patient”—hold yourselves steadfast in obedience to Allah. “Surely Allah is with the patient” through His aid, victory, and support. Humble yourselves before your Lord and submit to Him.
“Do not be like those who left their homes in boastful arrogance and to be seen by people, barring others from the way of Allah.” This was the purpose for which they set out and what brought them forth from their homes: they sought wickedness and arrogant exultation upon the earth, and wanted people to see them so that they could boast before them.
Their overriding objective was to bar from the way of Allah anyone who wished to follow it. “Allah encompasses all that they do.” For this reason, He has informed you of their aims and warned you against resembling them, for He will punish them most severely for it.
Your intention in setting forth should therefore be to seek the countenance of Allah Most High, exalt Allah’s religion, bar the paths that lead to Allah’s wrath and punishment, and draw people toward Allah’s straight path, which leads to the Gardens of Bliss.
“And when Satan made their deeds seem fair to them”: he made them appear good in their hearts and deceived them. “No one among mankind can defeat you today,” for your numbers, equipment, and readiness are such that Muhammad and those with him cannot withstand you.
“And I am your protector” against anyone whose treachery you fear. Iblīs had appeared before Quraysh in the form of Surāqah ibn Mālik ibn Ju‘shum al-Mudlijī. Quraysh feared the Banū Mudlij because of an enmity that existed between them.
Satan therefore told them, “I am your protector.” Their hearts were reassured, and they advanced with firm resolve, confident of their power.
“But when the two forces came within sight of each other”—the Muslims and the disbelievers—and Satan saw Gabriel marshalling the angels into battle ranks, he became intensely afraid and “turned on his heels,” meaning that he fled. He said to those whom he had deceived and beguiled, “I have nothing to do with you. I see what you do not see”; that is, I see the angels, whom no one has the power to fight.
“I fear Allah”; that is, I fear that He will swiftly punish me in this world. “And Allah is severe in punishment.”
It is also possible that Satan tempted them and whispered into their breasts that no one among mankind could defeat them that day and that he was their protector. Once he had led them into their predicament, he withdrew from them and disowned them, as Allah Most High says:
“Like Satan, when he says to man, ‘Disbelieve.’ Then, when he disbelieves, he says, ‘I have nothing to do with you. I fear Allah, Lord of all worlds.’ The end of them both will be that they abide forever in the Fire. That is the recompense of the wrongdoers.”
“And when the hypocrites and those with sickness in their hearts”—meaning doubt and misgiving, namely those weak in faith—spoke of the believers when, despite their small numbers, they boldly advanced to fight the far more numerous polytheists.
“These people have been deluded by their religion”; that is, the religion they follow has led them into perils that they have neither the power nor the ability to face. They said this out of contempt for them and disdain for their minds. Yet by Allah, it was they themselves who were most deficient in intellect and weakest in judgment.
Faith impels its possessor to venture into formidable undertakings that even mighty armies would not dare attempt. The believer who puts his trust in Allah knows that no one possesses any power, strength, or ability except through Allah Most High; that if all creation gathered together to benefit someone by even an atom’s weight, they could not benefit him; and that if they all gathered together to harm him, they could not harm him except by something Allah had decreed against him. He also knows that he is upon the truth and that Allah Most High is Wise and Merciful in everything He decrees and ordains. He therefore pays no heed to how strong or numerous the force he advances against may be. He remains confident in his Lord and tranquil at heart, neither alarmed nor cowardly. Hence He said, “Whoever puts his trust in Allah—surely Allah is Almighty”: no force can prevail over His might; “All-Wise” in all that He decrees and brings to pass.