Say to those who remained behind of the bedouins, "You will be called to [face] a people of great military might; you may fight them, or they will submit.1 So if you obey, Allāh will give you a good reward; but if you turn away as you turned away before, He will punish you with a painful punishment."
لِّلۡمُخَلَّفِينَto those who remained behindlil'mukhallafīna
مِنَofmina
ٱلۡأَعۡرَابِthe Bedouinsl-aʿrābi
سَتُدۡعَوۡنَYou will be calledsatud'ʿawna
إِلَىٰtoilā
قَوۡمٍa peopleqawmin
أُوْلِيpossessors of military mightulī
بَأۡسٖpossessors of military mightbasin
شَدِيدٖgreatshadīdin
تُقَٰتِلُونَهُمۡyou will fight themtuqātilūnahum
أَوۡoraw
يُسۡلِمُونَۖthey will submityus'limūna
فَإِنThen iffa-in
تُطِيعُواْyou obeytuṭīʿū
يُؤۡتِكُمُAllah will give youyu'tikumu
ٱللَّهُAllah will give youl-lahu
أَجۡرًاa rewardajran
حَسَنٗاۖgoodḥasanan
وَإِنbut ifwa-in
تَتَوَلَّوۡاْyou turn awaytatawallaw
كَمَاaskamā
تَوَلَّيۡتُمyou turned awaytawallaytum
مِّنbeforemin
قَبۡلُbeforeqablu
يُعَذِّبۡكُمۡHe will punish youyuʿadhib'kum
عَذَابًا(with) a punishmentʿadhāban
أَلِيمٗاpainfulalīman
Tafsir
O Messenger! Say to those bedouins who failed to travel to Makkah with you, testing them: “You will soon be called to fighting against a strong, courageous group of people whom you shall either have to fight in the path of Allah, or they may enter into Islam without a fight. If you obey Allah in Him inviting you to fight them, He will give you a good reward, i.e. Paradise, but if you turn away from His obedience, just like you turned away from travelling with the Messenger to Makkah, He will inflict a painful punishment on you.”