His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "And it was not for the believers to go forth all together. So if only a group from every division of them would go forth to gain understanding in religion and to warn their people when they return to them, perhaps they might be cautious." "O you who have believed, fight those adjacent to you of the disbelievers, and let them find in you harshness. And know that Allah is with the righteous."

A group said: The reason for this verse is that the believers who were in the desert, residing and sent to teach the law, when they heard the saying of Allah, exalted and glorified is He: "It is not for the people of the city and those around them from the Bedouins" [At-Tawbah: 120], they were concerned about that. So they went to the city to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, fearing that they would be sinful for neglecting the expedition. This verse was revealed regarding their going forth.

And a group said: When the verses were revealed about those who stayed behind, the hypocrites said: The people of the desert have perished. So this verse was revealed to establish an excuse for the people of the desert.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "It is not for the people of the city and those around them" [At-Tawbah: 120] is general in wording, and what is meant by it in meaning is the majority and most. This verse comes clarifying that, with consistent wording and connected meaning from His saying, blessed and exalted is He: "It is not for the people of the city" [At-Tawbah: 120] to His saying, exalted is He: "perhaps they might be cautious." He clarified at the end of the verse the generality that is in its beginning, as it is exposed to be interpreted that no one should stay behind. And gaining understanding is from those who go forth, and warning is from them as well, and the pronoun in "when they return to them" is also referring to them.

And a group said: This verse is not about fighting, but the reason for it is that tribes from the Arabs, when the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, called upon Mudar with years of drought, they were afflicted by famine and hardship. So they went to the city for the sake of sustenance, and they nearly corrupted it. Most of them did not have sound faith, but hunger had compelled them. So the verse was revealed regarding that, and He said: And it was not of the description of faith for them to go forth like this going forth, meaning: These are not the believers. Ibn Abbas said, in essence: This verse is specific to the missions and expeditions, and the previous verse is established in ruling with the departure of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, in the expedition. And this is established in ruling with his staying behind, meaning: It is necessary that if someone stays behind, the people should not all go forth so that he remains alone. Rather, a group should go forth and a group should remain to gain understanding in religion, and they warn the ones who went forth when the ones who went forth return to them.

And a group said: This verse abrogates all that has been mentioned regarding the obligation of all to go forth and fight, and the pronoun in His saying: "to gain understanding" also refers back - according to this interpretation - to the group that stayed behind with the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. This is the first saying in our arrangement, referring back to the group that went forth, and likewise, its return is arranged with some of the sayings to this, and with some of them to this.

The majority holds that understanding is only through observing the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and being with him. A group said: It seems that understanding in warfare is similar to what they see of Allah's support for His religion and the manifestation of a small number of believers over a large number of disbelievers. Their knowledge of this is the correctness of the religion of Islam and its status with Allah, glorified and exalted is He. Al-Tabari preferred and strengthened this view, and the other opinion is also strong. The pronoun in His saying, glorified and exalted is He: (to warn) refers back to the scholars according to the disagreement, and the warning is general for disbelief and sins, and caution from them likewise.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "O you who have believed, fight those adjacent to you of the disbelievers" - it is said: This verse was revealed before the command to fight all disbelievers, so it is part of the gradual approach that was in the early days of Islam.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This statement is weakened by this verse from the last of what was revealed. A group said: The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, would sometimes bypass a group of disbelievers while he was on a campaign against another group further away from them. So Allah, glorified and exalted is He, commanded to fight the nearest to Medina. Another group said: The verse clarifies the nature of fighting in general, and it is connected with the command to fight all disbelievers. Its meaning is that Allah, glorified and exalted is He, commanded the believers to fight every group of disbelievers that they encounter. This is the fighting for the word of Allah and bringing people back to Islam. As for when the enemy turns towards a region of the Muslims, it is obligatory for those connected to it from the Muslims to suffice against that enemy, even if the distance is far and the lands are remote. And those who hold this view said: The verse was revealed referring to the fighting of the Romans in the Levant because they were at that time the enemy that was near and close, as Islam had spread among the Arabs and Iraq was distant. Then, when the scope of Islam expanded, the obligation turned towards fighting the Persians, the Daylam, and others from the nations. Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was asked by a man about fighting the Daylam, and he said: Focus on the Romans. Al-Hasan said: They are the Romans and the Daylam.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: He means in his time. Ali ibn Al-Husayn said, and Ibn Zayd said: The intended meaning of this verse at the time of its revelation was the Arabs. When he was done with them, it was revealed concerning the Romans and others: "Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day" [At-Tawbah: 29] until His saying: "until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled" [At-Tawbah: 29].

And the majority of the people read: "ghilthatan" with a kasra on the ghain. Al-Mufaddal read from Asim, and Al-A'mash read: "ghalthatan" with a fathah on it. Abu Abdur-Rahman Al-Sulami, Aban ibn Thaalabah, and Ibn Abi Ablah read: "ghulthatan" with a dammah on it. This is the reading of Abu Haywah, and Al-Mufaddal narrated it from Asim as well. Abu Hatim said: The three readings were narrated from Abu Amr. In these two readings, there is an oddity, and they are dialects. The meaning of the words is: And let them find in you harshness and strength, and that is intended for fighting. From it: "the severe punishment" and "hard-hearted" [Al-Imran: 159], and "harsh and severe" [At-Tahrim: 6] in the description of the guardians, and "it became hard upon us a task" in digging the trench, among other things.

Then Allah, the Exalted, promised at the end of the verse, and urged towards piety, which is the foundation of religion and the world, and by which the enemy is faced. Some of the Companions said: "You only fight people by your deeds." Its people are those who strive in the paths of truth. So Allah, the Exalted, promised that He is with the people of piety, and whoever Allah is with will not be defeated.