Commentary
And when He, glorified and exalted is He, informed them of what He knew of their secrets, and commanded him ﷺ to advise them, He warned them of His continuous knowledge of whoever among them betrays. He said, confirming and drawing closer to the past and announcing the continuity of this description of Him: ﴿Indeed, He knows﴾. And perhaps He expressed it with "Indeed" which might imply in this phrase a diminishment, indicating that it is enough for anyone with the slightest intellect to fear the might of the one threatened by the possibility of His knowledge. He expressed it with the greatest name, saying: ﴿Allah﴾, indicating the encompassing majesty and beauty. ﴿The hinderers﴾, meaning those who deter, deterring with a deterring of aversion and disobedience, they hasten in it as the occurrence happens without their choice. ﴿Among you﴾, meaning, O those who acknowledged faith for all people, from coming to the presence of the Messenger ﷺ. ﴿And those who say to their brothers, 'Come'﴾, meaning, 'Come to us', implying that their side is where fighting is established, and they persist in righteous deeds. ﴿And they do not﴾, meaning, while they do not ﴿come to the battle﴾, meaning the war or its place, ﴿except for a little﴾, for showing off and seeking reputation, to the extent that the sincere see them. So when they engaged in the battle, each of them was sufficient for what he was involved in, they slipped away from them stealthily, and sought refuge with those among the creation who would not benefit them.
Explore Other Scholars on This Verse
Compare different scholarly perspectives on Surah Al-Ahzab verse 18