(50–51) “If something good befalls you, it grieves them; but if a calamity befalls you, they say, ‘We took our precautions beforehand,’ and turn away rejoicing. Say, ‘Nothing will ever befall us except what Allah has decreed for us. He is our Protector. In Allah, then, let the believers place their trust.’”

Allah Most High explains that the hypocrites are the true enemies and that they utterly hate the religion: “If something good befalls you,” such as victory and gaining the upper hand over the enemy, “it grieves them”—that is, it saddens and distresses them.

“But if a calamity befalls you,” such as the enemy gaining the upper hand over you, “they say,” boasting that they were spared by not accompanying you:

“We took our precautions beforehand”—that is, we exercised caution and took the measures that would save us from suffering such a calamity.

“And they turn away rejoicing.” Thus, they rejoice at your misfortune and at not having shared it with you. In response, Allah Most High says: “Say, ‘Nothing will ever befall us except what Allah has decreed for us’”—that is, what He has determined and inscribed upon the Preserved Tablet.

“He is our Protector”—that is, the One who oversees all our religious and worldly affairs. We must therefore be content with His decrees, for nothing whatsoever is in our hands.