—in their case; the point is not that they lagged behind the expedition itself. Rather, the Messenger ﷺ deferred judgment concerning them until the ruling of Allah Most High regarding them became clear.
His words, “until, when the earth—vast as it is—became straitened for them” describe how the earth, despite all its breadth, felt narrow. The term raḥb means spaciousness; yet even with all that spaciousness, the earth closed in on them. Kaʿb ibn Mālik said, “The earth grew so unfamiliar to me that I said, ‘I no longer know whether I am in Madinah or somewhere else,’” so intense was the constriction that beset them—may Allah be pleased with them.
“And their own souls became straitened for them”: a person’s very self felt pressed so hard that it could scarcely endure being apart from the Prophet ﷺ, yet they remained patient—may Allah be pleased with them—until Allah granted them relief.
“And they were certain that there is no refuge from Allah except with Him” (Repentance 9:118). Here zann (thought) means yaqīn (certainty); they knew with full conviction that none could benefit them, that there is no shelter from Allah except with Allah, for everything is in His hand, exalted is He.
“Then He turned toward them in mercy so that they might repent; indeed, Allah is the Ever-Relenting, the Merciful” (Repentance 9:118). He accepted them so they could attain the ranks of repentance that only those whom Allah favors reach—only His beloved ones. As Allah says: “Indeed, Allah loves those who turn back constantly and He loves those who purify themselves” (The Cow 2:222).
As for the hypocrites who advanced excuses to the Messenger ﷺ, for whom he sought forgiveness and whose inner realities he consigned to Allah, the Almighty revealed about them the severest censure ever directed at anyone: “They will swear to you by Allah, when you return to them, so that you may turn away from them.” Therefore, do not concern yourselves with them. “So turn away from them; they are filth.” We seek Allah’s protection—filth indeed! Wine is filth; the defilement that exits a person’s backside is filth; donkey dung is filth—and they are of the same sort. “Their abode is Hell, a recompense for what they used to earn” (Repentance 9:95).