Ayah

Word by Word
أَلَمۡ
Did not
تَرَ
you see
إِلَى
[towards]
ٱلۡمَلَإِ
the chiefs
مِنۢ
of
بَنِيٓ
(the) Children
إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ
(of) Israel
مِنۢ
from
بَعۡدِ
after
مُوسَىٰٓ
Musa
إِذۡ
when
قَالُواْ
they said
لِنَبِيّٖ
to a Prophet
لَّهُمُ
of theirs
ٱبۡعَثۡ
Appoint
لَنَا
for us
مَلِكٗا
a king
نُّقَٰتِلۡ
we may fight
فِي
in
سَبِيلِ
(the) way
ٱللَّهِۖ
(of) Allah
قَالَ
He said
هَلۡ
Would
عَسَيۡتُمۡ
you perhaps
إِن
if
كُتِبَ
prescribed
عَلَيۡكُمُ
upon you
ٱلۡقِتَالُ
[the] fighting
أَلَّا
that not
تُقَٰتِلُواْۖ
you fight
قَالُواْ
They said
وَمَا
And what
لَنَآ
for us
أَلَّا
that not
نُقَٰتِلَ
we fight
فِي
in
سَبِيلِ
(the) way
ٱللَّهِ
(of) Allah
وَقَدۡ
while surely
أُخۡرِجۡنَا
we have been driven out
مِن
from
دِيَٰرِنَا
our homes
وَأَبۡنَآئِنَاۖ
and our children
فَلَمَّا
Yet, when
كُتِبَ
was prescribed
عَلَيۡهِمُ
upon them
ٱلۡقِتَالُ
the fighting
تَوَلَّوۡاْ
they turned away
إِلَّا
except
قَلِيلٗا
a few
مِّنۡهُمۡۚ
among them
وَٱللَّهُ
And Allah
عَلِيمُۢ
(is) All-Knowing
بِٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
of the wrongdoers
أَلَمۡ
Did not
تَرَ
you see
إِلَى
[towards]
ٱلۡمَلَإِ
the chiefs
مِنۢ
of
بَنِيٓ
(the) Children
إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ
(of) Israel
مِنۢ
from
بَعۡدِ
after
مُوسَىٰٓ
Musa
إِذۡ
when
قَالُواْ
they said
لِنَبِيّٖ
to a Prophet
لَّهُمُ
of theirs
ٱبۡعَثۡ
Appoint
لَنَا
for us
مَلِكٗا
a king
نُّقَٰتِلۡ
we may fight
فِي
in
سَبِيلِ
(the) way
ٱللَّهِۖ
(of) Allah
قَالَ
He said
هَلۡ
Would
عَسَيۡتُمۡ
you perhaps
إِن
if
كُتِبَ
prescribed
عَلَيۡكُمُ
upon you
ٱلۡقِتَالُ
[the] fighting
أَلَّا
that not
تُقَٰتِلُواْۖ
you fight
قَالُواْ
They said
وَمَا
And what
لَنَآ
for us
أَلَّا
that not
نُقَٰتِلَ
we fight
فِي
in
سَبِيلِ
(the) way
ٱللَّهِ
(of) Allah
وَقَدۡ
while surely
أُخۡرِجۡنَا
we have been driven out
مِن
from
دِيَٰرِنَا
our homes
وَأَبۡنَآئِنَاۖ
and our children
فَلَمَّا
Yet, when
كُتِبَ
was prescribed
عَلَيۡهِمُ
upon them
ٱلۡقِتَالُ
the fighting
تَوَلَّوۡاْ
they turned away
إِلَّا
except
قَلِيلٗا
a few
مِّنۡهُمۡۚ
among them
وَٱللَّهُ
And Allah
عَلِيمُۢ
(is) All-Knowing
بِٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
of the wrongdoers

Translation

Hast thou not Turned thy vision to the Chiefs of the Children of Israel after (the time of) Moses? they said to a prophet (That was) among them: "Appoint for us a king, that we May fight in the cause of Allah." He said: "Is it not possible, if ye were commanded to fight, that that ye will not fight?" They said: "How could we refuse to fight in the cause of Allah, seeing that we were turned out of our homes and our families?" but when they were commanded to fight, they turned back, except a small band among them. But Allah Has full knowledge of those who do wrong.

Tafsir

Have you not seen, the story and the tale of, the council, an assembly, of the Israelites, after, the death of, Moses, when they said to a prophet of theirs, namely, Samuel, 'Send, establish, for us a king, to unite us and to whom we can refer [matters], and we will fight, with him, in God's way'. He, the prophet, said, to them: 'Might it be that ('asaytum, or 'aseetum) if fighting is prescribed for you, you will not fight? (allaa tuqaatiloo is the predicate of 'asaa, 'might it be'; the interrogative is intended to confirm the expectation that follows [sc. that they will not fight]). They said, 'Why should we not fight in God's way, when we have been expelled from our habitations and our children?', as a result of these latter being taken captive or killed, that which they suffered at the hands of Goliath and his men. The meaning is, 'There is nothing to stop us fighting, provided the requirement [we demanded] is forthcoming'. God, exalted be He, says, Yet when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned their backs, from fighting in cowardice, except a few of them, the ones that crossed the river with Saul (Taaloot), as will be mentioned; and God has knowledge of the evildoers, and will requite them accordingly. The prophet then asked his Lord to send forth a king, and God responded by sending forth Saul.

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