go to them to protect the women and children.’”

Allah Most High says:

“Though they were not exposed,”

for Allah protects them.

“They only wished to flee.”

Their aim was to flee from jihad, using their families as a pretext. The same happened to many people during this campaign. They began fleeing from the frontier to strongholds and fortresses, and to distant places such as Egypt. They would say: “Our only aim is to protect our families, and we cannot send them away with anyone else.” They were lying about this. They could have placed them in the citadel of Damascus if the enemy approached, as the Muslims did in the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. They could also have sent them away and remained to wage jihad. What, then, of those who fled after sending their families away?

Allah Most High says:

“Had their city been entered from all sides, and they had then been asked to abandon their faith, they would have done so, hesitating only briefly.”

He thus states that if Medina had been invaded from its outskirts and they had then been asked to yield to temptation—meaning being led away from religion through disbelief or hypocrisy—they would have yielded and embraced it without hesitation. Such is the condition of some people: if this hypocritical, criminal enemy invaded their land and then asked them to join him in departing from the law of Islam—which is a tremendous trial—they would join him in doing so. Indeed, last year some people helped them through various forms of wrongdoing in religious and worldly affairs, ranging from neglecting obligations to committing forbidden acts, whether concerning the rights of Allah or the rights of His servants, such as abandoning prayer and drinking