Those who remained1 behind will say when you set out toward the war booty to take it, "Let us follow you." They wish to change the words of Allāh. Say, "Never will you follow us. Thus did Allāh say before." So they will say, "Rather, you envy us." But [in fact] they were not understanding except a little.2
Translation: Saheeh International (English)
1 See footnote to 9:81.
2 i.e., they only understood the material aspects of life.
ٱلۡمُخَلَّفُونَthose who remained behindl-mukhalafūna
إِذَاwhenidhā
ٱنطَلَقۡتُمۡyou set forthinṭalaqtum
إِلَىٰtowardsilā
مَغَانِمَ(the) spoils of warmaghānima
لِتَأۡخُذُوهَاto take itlitakhudhūhā
ذَرُونَاAllow usdharūnā
نَتَّبِعۡكُمۡۖ(to) follow younattabiʿ'kum
يُرِيدُونَThey wishyurīdūna
أَنtoan
يُبَدِّلُواْchangeyubaddilū
كَلَٰمَ(the) Wordskalāma
ٱللَّهِۚ(of) Allahl-lahi
قُلSayqul
لَّنNeverlan
تَتَّبِعُونَاwill you follow ustattabiʿūnā
كَذَٰلِكُمۡThuskadhālikum
قَالَAllah saidqāla
ٱللَّهُAllah saidl-lahu
مِنbeforemin
قَبۡلُۖbeforeqablu
فَسَيَقُولُونَThen they will sayfasayaqūlūna
بَلۡNaybal
تَحۡسُدُونَنَاۚyou envy ustaḥsudūnanā
بَلۡNaybal
كَانُواْthey werekānū
لَاnotlā
يَفۡقَهُونَunderstandingyafqahūna
إِلَّاexceptillā
قَلِيلٗاa littleqalīlan
Tafsir
Those whom Allah had kept behind - when you, O believers, set off to take the spoils of Khaybar which Allah had promised you after the Treaty of Hudaibiyya, will say: ‘Let us go out with you to get some of it.’ These people who were left behind want to change, by this request of theirs, Allah’s promise that He made to the believers after the Treaty of Hudaibiyya to give them alone the spoils of Khaybar. Say to them, O Messenger: You will never follow us to those spoils, because Allah has promised us that the spoils of Khaybar are only for those who were present at Hudaibiyya. They will say: Your preventing us from following you to Khaybar is not an instruction from Allah, but because you are jealous of us. The matter is not as these people who were left behind claim. Rather, they do not understand Allah’s instructions and prohibitions except a little, and therefore they have fallen into going against Him.