God was kind to the Prophet, the emigrants, and the helpers of the faithful who followed him in the hour of distress. When a section of them were about to lose courage He turned to them in His mercy, for He is compassionate and kind.
Indeed Allah’s mercy inclined towards the Herald of the Hidden, and the Muhajirs and the Ansar who stood by him in the time of hardship, after it was likely that the hearts of a group among them would turn away – He then inclined towards them with mercy; indeed He is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful upon them.
God has turned towards the Prophet and the Emigrants and the Helpers who followed him in the hour of difficulty, after the hearts of a part of them well-nigh swerved aside; then He turned towards them; surely He is Gentle to them, and All-compassionate.
INDEED, God has turned in His mercy unto the Prophet, as well as unto those who have forsaken the domain of evil and those who have sheltered and succoured the Faiths - [all] those who followed him in the hour of distress, when the hearts of some of the other believers had well-nigh swerved from faith. And once again: He has turned unto them in His mercy - for, behold, He is compassionate towards them, a dispenser of grace.
Assuredly Allah hath relented toward the Prophet and the Muhajirs and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of distress after the hearts of a part of them had well-nigh swerved aside when He relented toward them. Verily He is unto them Tender, Merciful.
Allah has forgiven the Prophet (SAW), the Muhajirun (Muslim emigrants who left their homes and came to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (Muslims of Al-Madinah) who followed him (Muhammad SAW) in the time of distress (Tabuk expedition, etc.), after the hearts of a party of them had nearly deviated (from the Right Path), but He accepted their repentance. Certainly, He is unto them full of Kindness, Most Merciful.
God has redeemed the Prophet, and the Emigrants, and the Supporters—those who followed him in the hour of difficulty—after the hearts of some of them almost swerved. Then He pardoned them. He is Kind towards them, Compassionate.
Surely Allah has relented towards the Prophet, and towards the Muhajirun (Emigrants) and the Ansar (Helpers) who stood by him in the hour of hardship, although the hearts of a party of them had well-nigh swerved. (But when they gave up swerving from the Right Course and followed the Prophet), Allah relented towards them. Surely to them He is the Most Tender, the Most Merciful.
Allah has forgiven the Prophet, the Muhajirin and the Ansar who followed him in the time of distress (Tabuk expedition), after the hearts of a party of them had nearly deviated (from the right path), but He accepted their repentance. Certainly, He is unto them full of kindness, Most Merciful.
Allah hath turned in mercy to the Prophet, and to the Muhajirin and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of hardship. After the hearts of a party of them had almost swerved aside, then turned He unto them in mercy. Lo! He is Full of Pity, Merciful for them.
Certainly Allah turned clemently to the Prophet and the Emigrants and the Helpers, who followed him in the hour of difficulty, after the hearts of a part of them were about to swerve. Then He turned clemently to them—indeed, He is most kind and merciful to them
In the hour of adversity, Allah turned (in mercy) to the Prophet, the Emigrants (of Mecca) and the Supporters (of Madinah) who followed him when some of their hearts were about to swerve away. He turned to them, indeed, He is Gentle, the Most Merciful.
Allah has already forgiven the Prophet and the Muhajireen and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of difficulty after the hearts of a party of them had almost inclined [to doubt], and then He forgave them. Indeed, He was to them Kind and Merciful.
God pardoned the Prophet, the Emigrants, the Helpers, and those who followed them, when the hearts of some of them almost deviated (from the truth) in their hour of difficulty. God forgave them because of His Compassion and Mercy.
Certainly Allah has turned (mercifully) to the Prophet and those who fled (their homes) and the helpers who followed him in the hour of straitness after the hearts of a part of them were about to deviate, then He turned to them (mercifully); surely to them He is Compassionate, Merciful.
Laqad t<u>a</u>ba All<u>a</u>hu AAal<u>a</u> a<b>l</b>nnabiyyi wa<b>a</b>lmuh<u>a</u>jireena wa<b>a</b>lan<u>sa</u>ri alla<u>th</u>eena ittabaAAoohu fee s<u>a</u>AAati alAAusrati min baAAdi m<u>a</u> k<u>a</u>da yazeeghu quloobu fareeqin minhum thumma t<u>a</u>ba AAalayhim innahu bihim raoofun ra<u>h</u>eem<b>un</b>
God turned in mercy to the Prophet, and the emigrants and the helpers who followed him in the hour of hardship. After the hearts of a group of them had almost faltered, He turned towards them, for He was compassionate and merciful towards them.
Allah turned with favour to the Prophet, the Muhajirs, and the Ansar,- who followed him in a time of distress, after that the hearts of a part of them had nearly swerved (from duty); but He turned to them (also): for He is unto them Most Kind, Most Merciful.
لَّقَد تَّابَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ وَٱلْمُهَٰجِرِينَ وَٱلْأَنصَارِ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُ فِى سَاعَةِ ٱلْعُسْرَةِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيقٍ مِّنْهُمْ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّهُۥ بِهِمْ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Allah has forgiven the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) since he gave permission to the hypocrites to stay behind from the battle of Tabūk. He has also forgiven the Emigrants and the Helpers who did not stay behind, but followed him in the battle of Tabūk despite the intense heat, the lack of means and the powerful strength of the enemy. This was after a group of them who intended to abandon the expedition, almost deviated from the truth and the path of correct guidance, because of the great difficulty they faced. Then Allah enabled them to be patient and to go out for that battle. He forgave them, for He, may He be glorified, is Kind and Merciful towards them. It was because of His mercy that He enabled them to repent to Him and that He accepted their repentance.
Allah has forgiven the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) since he gave permission to the hypocrites to stay behind from the battle of Tabūk. He has also forgiven the Emigrants and the Helpers who did not stay behind, but followed him in the battle of Tabūk despite the intense heat, the lack of means and the powerful strength of the enemy. This was after a group of them who intended to abandon the expedition, almost deviated from the truth and the path of correct guidance, because of the great difficulty they faced. Then Allah enabled them to be patient and to go out for that battle. He forgave them, for He, may He be glorified, is Kind and Merciful towards them. It was because of His mercy that He enabled them to repent to Him and that He accepted their repentance.
<p>Commentary</p><p>In the comments on verse 102: وَآخَرُ‌ونَ اعْتَرَ‌فُوا (And there are those who admitted...), it was said that following the general call of Jihad at Tabuk which required all Muslims to join in, the people of Madinah had split into five groups. Two of them were of those who elected to stay behind without any valid excuse, a detailed description of which has appeared in previous verses. Here, in the present verses, three kinds of sincere believers have been mentioned. First were those who responded to the call of Jihad instantly. They have been identified in the initial sentence:	اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَ‌ةِ (who followed him in the hour of hardship) of verse 117. The second group was of those who hesitated during the early stage but recovered soon and got ready for Jihad with other participants. They have been described in the sentence: كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِ‌يقٍ مِّنْهُمْ (after the hearts of a group of them were about to turn crooked) of the same verse (117).</p><p>The third group was that of the believers who did not, though, participate in the Jihad because of their laziness at that time, yet, later on, they regretted and sought forgiveness - and ultimately, the Taubah made by them was accepted. However, their group was further divided in two types. Originally, they were ten in number. Seven out of these men demonstrated their genuine remorse and repentance instantly soon after the return of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . The manner in which they did so was unusual. They tied themselves up with the pillars of the Prophet's Mosque with the resolve that they would stay tied as long as their Taubah was not accepted. The verse known as the 'Ayah of Taubah granting forgiveness for them was revealed immediately then. Details can be seen under comments on verse 102. The remaining three out of the ten were those who did not act in that manner. The Holy Prophet ﷺ asked his Companions to boycott them whereby no one was to greet or talk to them. This thing was terrible. It really disturbed them. They have been mentioned in the second verse (118) through the words: وَعَلَى الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا	(And towards the three whose matter was deferred) where comes the acceptance of their Taubah soon after which the order to boycott them was withdrawn.</p><p>Before we move on to explain the first verse (117): لَّقَد تَّابَ اللَّـهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُهَاجِرِ‌ينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ‌ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَ‌ةِ (Surely, Allah has relented towards the Prophet and the Emigrants and the Supporters who followed him in the hour of hardship) in some details, let us answer a question first.</p><p>Is it not that Taubah is done because of having committed an act of sin and disobedience? The Holy Prophet ؓ is protected from that (ma` sum). What, then, would be the sense of accepting his Taubah ('relenting towards the Prophet' )? In addition to that, there were the Sahabah from among the Muhajirin and Ansar who had opted for Jihad since the very beginning. They too had not done anything wrong. For what crime had they made their Taubah that was accepted?</p><p>The answer is that Allah Ta` a1a made all of them safe from sin. This was expressed as Taubah, or that Allah Ta` ala made all of them tawwab, those who turn to Allah. This indicates that no one is free from the need to make Taubah, not even the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his closest Companions ؓ - as it appears in another verse: وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا (and turn towards Allah in repentance, all of you - 24:31). The reason is that the degrees and ranks of nearness to Allah are endless. Whoever has reached a certain station should realize that there is a higher station ahead and, as compared to that high station, the present one is a shortcoming. The quest must go on. Let one seek forgiveness for any shortcoming he may have at his present station so that he could move on to the next, the higher.</p><p>Coming to words: سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَ‌ةِ (translated as ` the hour of hardship' ) appearing in verse 117, the Holy Qur'an has employed this expression to portray the condition of the Muslims on the occasion of this very Jihad because they were poor and straitened on many counts. Hasan al-Basri (رح) says, ` they had one mount for every ten men. They had to take turns to ride. The wherewithal required for such a trip was very short and ordinary. On the other hand, the heat was intense and scorching. Water in en route was scarce and at distances.</p><p>As for the next sentence: مِن بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِ‌يقٍ مِّنْهُمْ (after the hearts of a group of them were about to turn crooked), the زَیغ (zaigh: crookedness) of the hearts of some people referred to here does not mean some deviation from faith. In fact, it means to lose heart and wish to avoid action in Jihad because of the hardship of hot weather and the dearth of necessary supplies. Hadith narratives prove that. It was in view of these hardships they faced that their repentance was accepted.</p>
CommentaryIn the comments on verse 102: وَآخَرُ‌ونَ اعْتَرَ‌فُوا (And there are those who admitted...), it was said that following the general call of Jihad at Tabuk which required all Muslims to join in, the people of Madinah had split into five groups. Two of them were of those who elected to stay behind without any valid excuse, a detailed description of which has appeared in previous verses. Here, in the present verses, three kinds of sincere believers have been mentioned. First were those who responded to the call of Jihad instantly. They have been identified in the initial sentence:	اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَ‌ةِ (who followed him in the hour of hardship) of verse 117. The second group was of those who hesitated during the early stage but recovered soon and got ready for Jihad with other participants. They have been described in the sentence: كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِ‌يقٍ مِّنْهُمْ (after the hearts of a group of them were about to turn crooked) of the same verse (117).The third group was that of the believers who did not, though, participate in the Jihad because of their laziness at that time, yet, later on, they regretted and sought forgiveness - and ultimately, the Taubah made by them was accepted. However, their group was further divided in two types. Originally, they were ten in number. Seven out of these men demonstrated their genuine remorse and repentance instantly soon after the return of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . The manner in which they did so was unusual. They tied themselves up with the pillars of the Prophet's Mosque with the resolve that they would stay tied as long as their Taubah was not accepted. The verse known as the 'Ayah of Taubah granting forgiveness for them was revealed immediately then. Details can be seen under comments on verse 102. The remaining three out of the ten were those who did not act in that manner. The Holy Prophet ﷺ asked his Companions to boycott them whereby no one was to greet or talk to them. This thing was terrible. It really disturbed them. They have been mentioned in the second verse (118) through the words: وَعَلَى الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا	(And towards the three whose matter was deferred) where comes the acceptance of their Taubah soon after which the order to boycott them was withdrawn.Before we move on to explain the first verse (117): لَّقَد تَّابَ اللَّـهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُهَاجِرِ‌ينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ‌ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَ‌ةِ (Surely, Allah has relented towards the Prophet and the Emigrants and the Supporters who followed him in the hour of hardship) in some details, let us answer a question first.Is it not that Taubah is done because of having committed an act of sin and disobedience? The Holy Prophet ؓ is protected from that (ma` sum). What, then, would be the sense of accepting his Taubah ('relenting towards the Prophet' )? In addition to that, there were the Sahabah from among the Muhajirin and Ansar who had opted for Jihad since the very beginning. They too had not done anything wrong. For what crime had they made their Taubah that was accepted?The answer is that Allah Ta` a1a made all of them safe from sin. This was expressed as Taubah, or that Allah Ta` ala made all of them tawwab, those who turn to Allah. This indicates that no one is free from the need to make Taubah, not even the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his closest Companions ؓ - as it appears in another verse: وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا (and turn towards Allah in repentance, all of you - 24:31). The reason is that the degrees and ranks of nearness to Allah are endless. Whoever has reached a certain station should realize that there is a higher station ahead and, as compared to that high station, the present one is a shortcoming. The quest must go on. Let one seek forgiveness for any shortcoming he may have at his present station so that he could move on to the next, the higher.Coming to words: سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَ‌ةِ (translated as ` the hour of hardship' ) appearing in verse 117, the Holy Qur'an has employed this expression to portray the condition of the Muslims on the occasion of this very Jihad because they were poor and straitened on many counts. Hasan al-Basri (رح) says, ` they had one mount for every ten men. They had to take turns to ride. The wherewithal required for such a trip was very short and ordinary. On the other hand, the heat was intense and scorching. Water in en route was scarce and at distances.As for the next sentence: مِن بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِ‌يقٍ مِّنْهُمْ (after the hearts of a group of them were about to turn crooked), the زَیغ (zaigh: crookedness) of the hearts of some people referred to here does not mean some deviation from faith. In fact, it means to lose heart and wish to avoid action in Jihad because of the hardship of hot weather and the dearth of necessary supplies. Hadith narratives prove that. It was in view of these hardships they faced that their repentance was accepted.
<h2 class="title">Battle of Tabuk</h2><p>Mujahid and several others said, "This Ayah was revealed concerning the battle of Tabuk. They left for that battle during a period of distress. It was a year with little rain, intense heat and scarcity of supplies and water." Qatadah said, "They went to Ash-Sham during the year of the battle of Tabuk at a time when the heat was intense. Allah knew how hard things were, and they suffered great hardship. We were told that two men used to divide a date between themselves. Some of them would take turns in sucking on a date and drinking water, then give it to another man to suck on. Allah forgave them and allowed them to come back from that battle." Ibn Jarir reported that `Abdullah bin `Abbas said that `Umar bin Al-Khattab was reminded of the battle of distress (Tabuk) and `Umar said, "We went with the Messenger of Allah in the intense heat for Tabuk. We camped at a place in which we were stricken so hard by thirst that we thought that our necks would be severed. One of us used to go out in search of water and did not return until he feared that his neck would be severed. One would slaughter his camel, squeeze its intestines and drink its content, placing whatever was left on his kidney. Abu Bakr As-Siddiq said, `O Allah's Messenger! Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored, has always accepted your invocation, so invoke Allah for us.' The Prophet said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«تُحِبُّ ذَلِكَ؟»</div><p>(Would you like me to do that) Abu Bakr said, `Yes.' The Prophet raised his hands and did not put them down until rain fell from the sky in abundance. It rained and then stopped raining for a while, then rained again, so they filled their containers. We went out to see where the rain reached and found that it did not rain beyond our camp."' Ibn Jarir said about Allah's statement, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">لَقَدْ تَابَ الله عَلَى النَّبِىِّ وَالْمُهَـجِرِينَ وَالاٌّنصَـرِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِى سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ</div><p>(Allah has forgiven the Prophet, the Muhajirin and the Ansar who followed him in the time of distress,) meaning "With regards to expenditures, transportation, supplies and water, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">مِن بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيقٍ مِّنْهُمْ</div><p>(after the hearts of a party of them had nearly deviated,) away from the truth, thus falling prey to doubting the Messenger's religion because of the distress and hardships they suffered during their travel and battle, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ</div><p>(but He accepted their repentance.) He directed them to repent to their Lord and renew their firmness on His religion, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِنَّهُ بِهِمْ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ</div><p>(Certainly, He is unto them full of kindness, Most Merciful.)" </p>
Battle of TabukMujahid and several others said, "This Ayah was revealed concerning the battle of Tabuk. They left for that battle during a period of distress. It was a year with little rain, intense heat and scarcity of supplies and water." Qatadah said, "They went to Ash-Sham during the year of the battle of Tabuk at a time when the heat was intense. Allah knew how hard things were, and they suffered great hardship. We were told that two men used to divide a date between themselves. Some of them would take turns in sucking on a date and drinking water, then give it to another man to suck on. Allah forgave them and allowed them to come back from that battle." Ibn Jarir reported that `Abdullah bin `Abbas said that `Umar bin Al-Khattab was reminded of the battle of distress (Tabuk) and `Umar said, "We went with the Messenger of Allah in the intense heat for Tabuk. We camped at a place in which we were stricken so hard by thirst that we thought that our necks would be severed. One of us used to go out in search of water and did not return until he feared that his neck would be severed. One would slaughter his camel, squeeze its intestines and drink its content, placing whatever was left on his kidney. Abu Bakr As-Siddiq said, `O Allah's Messenger! Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored, has always accepted your invocation, so invoke Allah for us.' The Prophet said, «تُحِبُّ ذَلِكَ؟»(Would you like me to do that) Abu Bakr said, `Yes.' The Prophet raised his hands and did not put them down until rain fell from the sky in abundance. It rained and then stopped raining for a while, then rained again, so they filled their containers. We went out to see where the rain reached and found that it did not rain beyond our camp."' Ibn Jarir said about Allah's statement, لَقَدْ تَابَ الله عَلَى النَّبِىِّ وَالْمُهَـجِرِينَ وَالاٌّنصَـرِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِى سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ(Allah has forgiven the Prophet, the Muhajirin and the Ansar who followed him in the time of distress,) meaning "With regards to expenditures, transportation, supplies and water, مِن بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيقٍ مِّنْهُمْ(after the hearts of a party of them had nearly deviated,) away from the truth, thus falling prey to doubting the Messenger's religion because of the distress and hardships they suffered during their travel and battle, ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ(but He accepted their repentance.) He directed them to repent to their Lord and renew their firmness on His religion, إِنَّهُ بِهِمْ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ(Certainly, He is unto them full of kindness, Most Merciful.)" 