Ayah
Word by Word
إِلَّا
If not
تَنفِرُواْ
you go forth
يُعَذِّبۡكُمۡ
He will punish you
عَذَابًا
(with) a painful punishment
أَلِيمٗا
(with) a painful punishment
وَيَسۡتَبۡدِلۡ
and will replace you
قَوۡمًا
(with) a people
غَيۡرَكُمۡ
other than you
وَلَا
and not
تَضُرُّوهُ
you can harm Him
شَيۡـٔٗاۗ
(in) anything
وَٱللَّهُ
And Allah
عَلَىٰ
(is) on
كُلِّ
every
شَيۡءٖ
thing
قَدِيرٌ
All-Powerful
إِلَّا
If not
تَنفِرُواْ
you go forth
يُعَذِّبۡكُمۡ
He will punish you
عَذَابًا
(with) a painful punishment
أَلِيمٗا
(with) a painful punishment
وَيَسۡتَبۡدِلۡ
and will replace you
قَوۡمًا
(with) a people
غَيۡرَكُمۡ
other than you
وَلَا
and not
تَضُرُّوهُ
you can harm Him
شَيۡـٔٗاۗ
(in) anything
وَٱللَّهُ
And Allah
عَلَىٰ
(is) on
كُلِّ
every
شَيۡءٖ
thing
قَدِيرٌ
All-Powerful
Translation
Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place; but Him ye would not harm in the least. For Allah hath power over all things.
Tafsir
If (illaa: laa has been assimilated with the noon of the conditional particle in, in both instances [here and in the next verse]) you do not go forth, [if you do not] set out with the Prophet may peace and salutation be upon him for the struggle, He will chastise you with a painful chastisement, and He will substitute [you with] another folk other than you, that is, He will bring them in your place, and you will not hurt Him, that is, God, or ['him' as being] the Prophet may peace and salutation be upon him, at all, should you neglect to help him [to victory], for God [Himself] will indeed bring victory to His religion; for God has power over all things, including bringing victory to His religion and His Prophet.
"Admonishing clinging to Life rather than rushing to perform Jihad
Allah admonishes those who lagged behind the Messenger of Allah in the battle of Tabuk, at a time when fruits were ripe and shades tempting in the intense and terrible heat,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواۡ مَا لَكُمۡ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ انفِرُواۡ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ
O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that when you are asked to march forth in the cause of Allah,
if you are called to perform Jihad in the cause of Allah,
اثَّاقَلۡتُمۡ إِلَى الَارۡضِ
you cling heavily to the earth,
reclining to remain in peace, shade and ripe fruits.
أَرَضِيتُم بِالۡحَيَاةِ الدُّنۡيَا مِنَ الاخِرَةِ
Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter,
why do you do this, is it because you prefer this life instead of the Hereafter Allah.
next diminishes the eagerness for this worldly life and increases it for the Hereafter,
فَمَا مَتَاعُ الۡحَيَاةِ الدُّنۡيَا فِي الاخِرَةِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ
But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world compared to the Hereafter.
Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Mustawrid, a member of Bani Fihr, said that the Messenger of Allah said,
مَا الدُّنۡيَا فِي الاۡاخِرَةِ إِلاَّ كَمَا يَجۡعَلُ أَحَدُكُمۡ إِصۡبَعَهُ هَذِهِ فِي الۡيَمِّ فَلۡيَنۡظُرۡ بِمَ تَرۡجِعُ
The life of this world, compared to the Hereafter, is just like when one of you dips his finger in the sea, let him contemplate how much of it his finger would carry?
The Prophet pointed with his index finger. Muslim collected this Hadith.
Ath-Thawri narrated that Al-A`mash said about the Ayah,
فَمَا مَتَاعُ الۡحَيَاةِ الدُّنۡيَا فِي الاخِرَةِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ
(But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world compared to the Hereafter).
""What compares to the provision a traveler takes.""
Abdul-Aziz bin Abi Hazim narrated that his father said,
""When Abdul-Aziz bin Marwan was dying he said, `Bring the shroud I will be covered with so that I inspect it.'
When it was placed before him, he looked at it and said, `Is this what I will end up with from this life!'
He then turned his back and cried, while saying, `Woe to you, O life! Your abundance is truly little, your little is short lived, we were deceived by you.""'
Allah warns those who do not join Jihad
إِلاَّ تَنفِرُواۡ يُعَذِّبۡكُمۡ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
If you march not forth, He will punish you with a painful torment,
Ibn Abbas said,
""Allah's Messenger called some Arabs to mobilize, but they lagged behind and Allah withheld rain from coming down on them, and this was their torment.""
Allah said,
وَيَسۡتَبۡدِلۡ قَوۡمًا غَيۡرَكُمۡ
and will replace you by another people,
who will give aid to His Prophet and establish his religion. Allah said in another Ayah,
الۡفُقَرَاءُ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوۡاۡ يَسۡتَبۡدِلۡ قَوۡماً غَيۡرَكُمۡ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُواۡ
And if you turn away (from the obedience to Allah), He will exchange you for some other people and they will not be your likes. (47:38)
وَلَا تَضُرُّوهُ شَيۡيًا
and you cannot harm Him at all,
you can never harm Allah when you lag behind and stay away from joining Jihad,
وَاللّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيۡءٍ قَدِيرٌ
and Allah is able to do all things.
He is able to destroy the enemies without your help."
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