“And He also turned in mercy to the three who were left behind, until, when the earth—vast as it was—closed in upon them, and their own selves closed in upon them, and they became certain that there was no refuge from Allah except in Him, He then turned in mercy to them so that they might repent. Indeed, Allah alone is the Accepter of Repentance, the Most Merciful.”
Likewise, Allah did indeed turn in mercy “to the three who were left behind” and did not set out with the Muslims in that campaign. They were Ka'b ibn Mālik and his two companions. Their story is famous and well known in the Sahīh and Sunan collections.
“Until, when” they became deeply grieved, “the earth—vast as it was—closed in upon them”; that is, despite all its breadth and expanse. “And their own selves closed in upon them,” although their own selves were dearer to them than anything else. Thus both the vast open world and that which they loved—something from which one does not ordinarily feel any constriction—closed in upon them. This could only result from an acutely distressing matter whose severity and hardship had reached an inexpressible degree. That was because they placed the pleasure of Allah and His Messenger above everything else.
“And they became certain that there was no refuge from Allah except in Him.” That is, they knew with certainty from their circumstances that no one delivers from hardships and no one may be sought as a refuge except Allah alone, without partner. Their attachment to created beings was severed, and they attached themselves to Allah, their Lord, fleeing from Him to Him. They remained in this distress for about fifty nights.
“He then turned in mercy to them”; that is, He opened the way for their repentance and enabled them to undertake it, “so that they might repent”—that is, so that repentance would proceed from them, whereupon Allah would accept their repentance. “Indeed, Allah alone is the Accepter of Repentance”; that is, He repeatedly turns to His servants in mercy, pardoning and forgiving lapses and disobedience. “The Most Merciful”: He is characterized by immense mercy, which never ceases to descend upon His servants at every time and in every moment, bringing all that sets right their religious and worldly affairs.
These verses demonstrate that Allah’s turning in mercy to a servant is the noblest goal and loftiest end. Allah made it the ultimate end attained by His chosen servants and conferred it upon them as a favor when they performed the deeds He loves and is pleased with.
They also demonstrate Allah’s kindness toward them and His keeping them firm in their faith amid hardships and distressing calamities.
They also show that worship which is arduous for the soul possesses a virtue and distinction that other worship does not: the greater the hardship, the greater the reward.
They also show that Allah’s turning in mercy to His servant corresponds to the servant’s remorse and profound regret. Whoever is indifferent to sin and feels no distress when committing it has a flawed repentance, even if he claims that it has been accepted.
They also show that a sign of approaching good and the removal of hardship is that the heart becomes wholly attached to Allah Most High and severs its attachment to created beings.
Another manifestation of Allah’s kindness toward the three was that He described them with a designation that brought them no shame, saying, “were left behind.” This indicates that the believers ⦗355⦘ left them behind [or that they were set apart from those whose excuses had already been decisively accepted or rejected] (1), and that their staying behind was not due to any desire to avoid good. He therefore did not say, “they stayed behind.”
Another lesson is that Allah Most High blessed them with truthfulness. He therefore commanded others to follow their example, saying: