(43–45) “May Allah pardon you! Why did you give them permission until those who were truthful became clear to you and you knew the liars? Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day do not ask your permission to strive with their wealth and their lives. And Allah knows the righteous. Only those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day ask your permission; their hearts are filled with doubt, so they waver in their doubt.”

Allah Most High says to His Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “May Allah pardon you!” That is, may He excuse you and forgive what you allowed to occur.

“Why did you give them permission” to remain behind “until those who were truthful became clear to you and you knew the liars?” This would have been done by putting them to the test, so that the truthful could be distinguished from the liar and you could excuse those who deserved to be excused, unlike those who did not.

He then states that those who believe in Allah and the Last Day do not ask permission to refrain from striving with their wealth and their lives. Their faith and desire for good impel them to strive without anyone needing to urge them to do so, ⦗339⦘ much less would they ask permission to refrain without an excuse.

“And Allah knows the righteous,” and He will reward them for the righteousness they have upheld. One manifestation of His knowledge of the righteous is that He informs us that one of their signs is that they do not ask permission to refrain from striving.

“Only those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day ask your permission; their hearts are filled with doubt.” That is, they possess neither complete faith nor true certainty. Their desire for good is therefore weak, they shrink from fighting, and they need to ask permission to refrain from it. “So they waver in their doubt.” That is, they persist in uncertainty and confusion.