His saying, exalted and glorified is He:

﴿Did you not see the elite of the Children of Israel after Moses when they said to a prophet of theirs, 'Appoint for us a king, and we will fight in the cause of Allah'? He said, 'Perhaps you will not fight if fighting is prescribed for you.'﴾

This verse is news about a group from the Children of Israel who were afflicted by humiliation and dominance of an enemy. They requested permission for jihad and to be commanded to it. When they were commanded, most of them turned back, while the few remained patient, and Allah granted them victory. In all of this is an example for the believers to beware of the disliked and to follow the good.

And "the elite" in this verse refers to all the people, as the meaning necessitates it. This is the original meaning of the word, and the nobles are called the elite by way of analogy.

And His saying: ﴿after Moses﴾ means: after his death and the end of his term. The interpreters have differed regarding the prophet to whom it was said: "Appoint" - Ibn Ishaq and others, from Wahb ibn Munabbih, said it is Samuel ibn Bani. Al-Suddi said it is Sham'un. Qatadah said it is Yusha' ibn Nun.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is a weak statement, because the duration of David is after the duration of Moses by centuries of people, and Yusha' is the young man of Moses. The Children of Israel used to dominate those who fought them. It has been narrated that they would place the Ark, which contains the tranquility and the remnants, in the predicament of war, and they would continue to dominate until they disobeyed, and calamities appeared among them. Their kings opposed the prophets and followed their desires. And Allah, the Exalted, had established their affairs by having their prophets guide their kings. When they did what we mentioned, Allah unleashed upon them nations of disbelievers who overcame them, and they lost the Ark in some of the wars, so their affair was humbled. Al-Suddi said: The one who dominated them was Goliath, who is from the giants. When they saw that it was defeat and the loss of the male, some of them were disgusted and they spoke about their affair. Until their elite gathered to say to the prophet of the time: ﴿Appoint for us a king﴾, the verse, and they only requested a king to take charge of the matter of fighting. The kingdom was in a tribe from the tribes of the Children of Israel known as the Children of Judah. The prophet knew by revelation that there was no one in the house of the kingdom who would take charge of the war, and Allah facilitated for that Talut.

And the majority of the people read "we will fight" with the noon and the jasm of the lam as a response to the command. Al-Dahhak and Ibn Abi Abla read "he will fight" with the ya and the raising of the verb, so it is in the position of the description for the king.

And the Prophet mentioned, peace be upon him, wanted to ensure their commitment. So he stood them on the matter of reporting and probed what they had by saying: ﴿Are you perhaps﴾. Nafi' read: "Are you perhaps" with a kasra on the 'ayn in both instances, while the others opened the 's'. Abu Ali said: The majority open the 's', and this is the well-known reading. The reason for the kasra is the saying of the Arabs: it is 'ass' in that, like 'hurr' and 'shajj'. And it has come in the form of fa'ala and fa'ila in the manner of: naqama and naqima. So likewise 'asaytu' and 'asaitu'. If the verb is attributed to a subject, then the analogy of 'asaytum' would be to say: 'asiya Zaydun' like 'radiya'. If it is said - this is the analogy, and if it is not said, it is permissible to take both languages, and one of them can be used in the place of the other as has been done in other instances. The meaning of this statement is: Are you close to turning away and fleeing if fighting is prescribed for you?

His saying, exalted is He:

﴿They said, 'And why should we not fight in the cause of Allah while we have been driven out of our homes and our children?' But when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned away, except for a few of them. And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers.﴾

The meaning is: And what is it that would make us not fight while we have been wronged and driven out of our homes? They said this statement even though the speaker had not left from where he had driven out someone like him, in his ruling. Then Allah, exalted is He, informed about them that when fighting was made obligatory for them and they saw the reality, and their thoughts returned to engaging in war, they turned away, meaning their intentions were disturbed, and their resolve weakened. This is the nature of the indulgent nations inclined to ease; they wish for war at times of pride, but when war approaches, they retreat and yield to their nature.

And regarding this meaning, the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, prohibited by saying: "Do not wish for meeting the enemy, and ask Allah for safety. But when you meet them, stand firm."

Then Allah, exalted is He, informed that a few of them remained steadfast on their initial intention, and their resolve continued for fighting in the cause of Allah. Then He warned the wrongdoers in the wording of the report which is His saying: ﴿And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers.﴾. And Ubayy ibn Ka'b read: "They turned away except that there be a few of them."