His saying, exalted and glorified is He:

"O you who have believed, if you obey those who disbelieve, they will turn you back on your heels, and you will become losers." "But Allah is your protector, and He is the best of helpers." "We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they associated with Allah that for which He had not sent down any authority. Their refuge will be the Fire, and wretched is the residence of the wrongdoers."

The reference in His saying: (those who disbelieve) is to the hypocrites who frightened the Muslims and said regarding the matter of Uhud: If Muhammad were a prophet, he would not have been defeated. And those who said: Muhammad has been killed, so let us return to our original religion, to such sayings as these. Then the wording implies every disbeliever who was at that time and will be until the Day of Resurrection. Allah prohibited the believers from obeying them. And "But" is a departure from the first statement and an entry into another.

The majority of the people read "But Allah is your protector" as a beginning and a news, and this is a confirmation. Al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan read "But Allah" in the accusative, meaning: But obey Allah.

And His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "We will cast" is a metaphor, as the reality of casting is only in bodies. This is similar to His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "And those who accuse chaste women" [An-Nur: 4]. And similar is the saying of Al-Farazdaq:

They both breathed into my mouth from their mouths upon the barking, howling one, the most severe of reins.

The majority of the people read "We will cast" with the pronoun of greatness, and Ayyub Al-Sakhtiyani read "He will cast" with the pronoun "he". Ibn Amer and Al-Kisai read "terror" with a dammah on the 'ain where it occurred, while the others read "terror" with a sukoon on the 'ain. This is like their saying: a neck and a neck, both are good and eloquent.

The reason for this verse is that when Abu Sufyan departed with the disbelievers, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, sent Ali ibn Abi Talib and said: 'Look at the people. If they have set aside the horses and mounted the camels, then they are preparing to go to Mecca. If they are on the horses, then they are heading to Medina.' So Ali went and saw that they had set aside the horses, and he informed the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, who was pleased, and the Muslims were pleased. Then the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, returned to Medina, prepared, and followed the polytheists to show them his determination. He reached Hamra al-Asad. Abu Sufyan said to the disbelievers of Quraysh: 'Should we turn back from them after we have killed them and defeated them, and there remains only the remnants and the fleeing? Let us return to them until we eradicate them.' They resolved on that. And Ma'bad ibn Abi Ma'bad al-Khuza'i had come to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, while he was still in his disbelief, but all of Khuza'a inclined towards the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him. He said to him: 'By Allah, O Muhammad, we are saddened by what has befallen you; we wish that you had not suffered loss among your companions.' When the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and the people heard what Quraysh had resolved upon regarding turning back, it intensified their distress. So Allah caused that man, Ma'bad ibn Abi Ma'bad, to instill fear in the hearts of the disbelievers. This is because when he heard the news, he rode until he caught up with Abu Sufyan at al-Rawha. Quraysh had agreed to return to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and his companions. When Abu Sufyan saw Ma'bad, he said: 'What is behind you, O Ma'bad?' He said: 'Muhammad has come out with his companions seeking you in a gathering such as I have never seen before; they are burning with desire for you. Those who had lagged behind have gathered to him, and they regret what they have done.' He said: 'Woe to you, what are you saying?' He said: 'By Allah, I do not see that you should depart until you see the heads of the horses.' He said: 'By Allah, we have resolved to attack them to eradicate the rest of them.' He said: 'Then I advise you against that. By Allah, what I have seen has compelled me to say poetry about it.' He said: 'What did you say?' He said: 'I said:

My mount nearly collapses from the sounds, When the earth flowed with the fierce ones.

It brings down noble lions, not cowards, At the encounter, nor any retreating.

So I remained running, thinking the earth was sloping, When they rose with a leader not forsaken.'

To the end of the poetry, and fear fell into the hearts of the disbelievers. And Safwan ibn Umayyah said: 'Do not return, for I see that there will be a battle for the people unlike the one that was.' This verse was revealed regarding this incident, and it encompasses every disbeliever. And it aligns with the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: 'I have been aided with fear for a month's journey.' It appears that this virtue was made known to him, peace be upon him, after all these conditions when the shadow of Islam extended. Some of the people of knowledge said: 'When Allah commanded the believers to be patient and promised them victory, and informed them that fear was cast into the hearts of the disbelievers, fear diminished from every disbeliever while the courage of the believer increased, as he had been promised victory. Therefore, the believer was tasked with standing against the disbelievers.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "By what they associated" is a preposition of cause. The meaning is that the one who associates partners with Allah, his soul is divided in this world. He has no trust in Allah, glorified and exalted is He, so he hates death and feels terror from it. And the sultan is the proof and the evidence. Then He informed, glorified and exalted is He, of the consequence of the disbelievers in the Hereafter. And the ma'wa is a place where one enters and resides in it. And the mathwa is a place of dwelling. The estimation is: and how evil is the dwelling of the wrongdoers.