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Muhammad 20

Ayah 20 of 38 · Medinan

وَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَوۡلَا نُزِّلَتۡ سُورَةٞۖ فَإِذَآ أُنزِلَتۡ سُورَةٞ مُّحۡكَمَةٞ وَذُكِرَ فِيهَا ٱلۡقِتَالُ رَأَيۡتَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٞ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيۡكَ نَظَرَ ٱلۡمَغۡشِيِّ عَلَيۡهِ مِنَ ٱلۡمَوۡتِۖ فَأَوۡلَىٰ لَهُمۡ ٢٠

Those who believe say, "Why has a sūrah1 not been sent down?" But when a precise sūrah is revealed and battle is mentioned therein, you see those in whose hearts is disease [i.e., hypocrisy] looking at you with a look of one overcome by death. And more appropriate for them2 [would have been]

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

1 i.e., one in which permission is given the believers to fight their enemies.

2 The words "awlā lahum" can also be interpreted as "woe to them!" In that case, the following verse would begin, "[Better for them would have been] obedience and good words."

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. وَيَقُولُAnd saywayaqūlu
  2. ٱلَّذِينَthose whoalladhīna
  3. ءَامَنُواْbelieveāmanū
  4. لَوۡلَاWhy notlawlā
  5. نُزِّلَتۡhas been revealednuzzilat
  6. سُورَةٞۖa Surahsūratun
  7. فَإِذَآBut whenfa-idhā
  8. أُنزِلَتۡis revealedunzilat
  9. سُورَةٞa Surahsūratun
  10. مُّحۡكَمَةٞprecisemuḥ'kamatun
  11. وَذُكِرَand is mentionedwadhukira
  12. فِيهَاin itfīhā
  13. ٱلۡقِتَالُthe fightingl-qitālu
  14. رَأَيۡتَyou seera-ayta
  15. ٱلَّذِينَthose whoalladhīna
  16. فِيinfī
  17. قُلُوبِهِمtheir heartsqulūbihim
  18. مَّرَضٞ(is) a diseasemaraḍun
  19. يَنظُرُونَlookingyanẓurūna
  20. إِلَيۡكَat you ilayka
  21. نَظَرَa looknaẓara
  22. ٱلۡمَغۡشِيِّ(of) one faintingl-maghshiyi
  23. عَلَيۡهِ(of) one faintingʿalayhi
  24. مِنَfrommina
  25. ٱلۡمَوۡتِۖthe deathl-mawti
  26. فَأَوۡلَىٰBut more appropriatefa-awlā
  27. لَهُمۡfor themlahum

Tafsir

Those who have faith in Allah say, longing for Allah to reveal to His Messenger a sūrah containing the instruction for fighting: ‘Why does not Allah reveal a sūrah in which fighting is mentioned.’ When Allah reveals a decisive unabrogated sūrah containing the mention of fighting, you, O Messenger, will see those hypocrites in whose hearts there is doubt looking at you like one who is unconscious on account of extreme fear and terror. So woe to them for withdrawing from fighting and being afraid of it.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran