And Allāh had certainly fulfilled His promise to you when you were killing them [i.e., the enemy] by His permission until [the time] when you lost courage and fell to disputing about the order [given by the Prophet (ﷺ)] and disobeyed after He had shown you that which you love.1 Among you are some who desire this world, and among you are some who desire the Hereafter. Then He turned you back from them [defeated] that He might test you. And He has already forgiven you, and Allāh is the possessor of bounty for the believers.
وَتَنَٰزَعۡتُمۡand you fell into disputewatanāzaʿtum
فِيconcerningfī
ٱلۡأَمۡرِthe orderl-amri
وَعَصَيۡتُمand you disobeyedwaʿaṣaytum
مِّنۢfrommin
بَعۡدِafterbaʿdi
مَآ[what]mā
أَرَىٰكُمHe (had) shown youarākum
مَّاwhatmā
تُحِبُّونَۚyou lovetuḥibbūna
مِنكُمAmong youminkum
مَّن(are some) whoman
يُرِيدُdesireyurīdu
ٱلدُّنۡيَاthe worldl-dun'yā
وَمِنكُمand among youwaminkum
مَّن(are some) whoman
يُرِيدُdesireyurīdu
ٱلۡأٓخِرَةَۚthe Hereafterl-ākhirata
ثُمَّThenthumma
صَرَفَكُمۡHe diverted youṣarafakum
عَنۡهُمۡfrom themʿanhum
لِيَبۡتَلِيَكُمۡۖso that He may test youliyabtaliyakum
وَلَقَدۡAnd surelywalaqad
عَفَاHe forgaveʿafā
عَنكُمۡۗyouʿankum
وَٱللَّهُAnd Allahwal-lahu
ذُو(is the) Possessordhū
فَضۡلٍ(of) Bountyfaḍlin
عَلَىforʿalā
ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَthe believersl-mu'minīna
Tafsir
Allah kept the promise He gave you of victory over your enemies on the day of Uḥud, when you were engaging them in battle, by Allah’s permission, until you became weaker in your resolve to do as the Messenger had commanded you, and you disagreed about whether to stay at your posts or leave them in order to obtain the gains of war. You disobeyed the Messenger’s command to stay at your positions no matter what may happen. This occurred after Allah showed you the victory over your enemies that you wanted so much. Among you are those who desire the goods of this world, and it was those who left their positions; and among you are those who desire the reward of the Afterlife, and it was those who stayed at their positions, obeying the Messenger’s command. Then Allah turned you away from them and gave them power over you so as to test you, and to make clear who were the believers who were patient with trials and who were those who abandoned their positions and became weak. Allah has indeed forgiven you for what you committed when you went against the Messenger’s command, and Allah’s grace for the believers is great: guiding them to faith, forgiving their disobedience, and rewarding them for the difficulties they go through.