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Al-Fath (The Victory)

Verse 16of 29

قُل لِّلْمُخَلَّفِينَ مِنَ ٱلْأَعْرَابِ سَتُدْعَوْنَ إِلَىٰ قَوْمٍ أُو۟لِى بَأْسٍۢ شَدِيدٍۢ تُقَٰتِلُونَهُمْ أَوْ يُسْلِمُونَ ۖ فَإِن تُطِيعُوا۟ يُؤْتِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ أَجْرًا حَسَنًۭا ۖ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْا۟ كَمَا تَوَلَّيْتُم مِّن قَبْلُ يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًۭا﴿١٦

Translation (Sahih International)

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. So if you obey, Allah will give you a good reward; but if you turn away as you turned away before, He will punish you with a painful punishment."

Word-by-word meaning

قُلqulSay
لِّلْمُخَلَّفِينَlil'mukhallafīnato those who remained behind
مِنَminaof
ٱلْأَعْرَابِl-aʿrābithe Bedouins
سَتُدْعَوْنَsatud'ʿawnaYou will be called
إِلَىٰilāto
قَوْمٍqawmina people
أُو۟لِىulīpossessors of military might
بَأْسٍۢbasinpossessors of military might
شَدِيدٍۢshadīdingreat
تُقَـٰتِلُونَهُمْtuqātilūnahumyou will fight them
أَوْawor
يُسْلِمُونَ ۖyus'limūnathey will submit
فَإِنfa-inThen if
تُطِيعُوا۟tuṭīʿūyou obey
يُؤْتِكُمُyu'tikumuAllah will give you
ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah will give you
أَجْرًاajrana reward
حَسَنًۭا ۖḥasanangood
وَإِنwa-inbut if
تَتَوَلَّوْا۟tatawallawyou turn away
كَمَاkamāas
تَوَلَّيْتُمtawallaytumyou turned away
مِّنminbefore
قَبْلُqablubefore
يُعَذِّبْكُمْyuʿadhib'kumHe will punish you
عَذَابًاʿadhāban(with) a punishment
أَلِيمًۭاalīmanpainful

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Allah conveys the News that there will be Many Cases of Jihad, and that Jihad distinguishes the Ranks of the Believers and exposes the HypocriteScholars of Tafsir differ over who the people mentioned here are. They are people experienced at warfare who will be called to fight. There are many opinions, first, they are the tribe of Hawazin, as Shu`bah narrated from Abu Bishr from Sa`id bin Jubayr, or `Ikrimah, or both of them.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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