His saying, exalted and majestic is He:

﴿O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh with them. Their abode is Hell, and wretched is the destination.﴾ ﴿They swear by Allah that they did not say [anything], while they certainly said the word of disbelief and disbelieved after their Islam. They intended what they could not attain, and they did not resent except that Allah and His Messenger enriched them from His bounty. So if they repent, it will be better for them; but if they turn away, Allah will punish them with a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. And they will not have upon the earth any protector or helper.﴾

His saying: "strive" is derived from reaching the utmost effort, and it is intended by it the struggle and opposition. It varies according to the one striving. The struggle against the openly disbelieving is with the sword, and the struggle against the hypocrite who conceals himself is with the tongue and showing displeasure on his face, and similar to that.

Do you not see that among the words of the Shari'ah is his ﷺ saying: "And the one who strives is the one who strives against his own self in obedience to Allah"? Thus, the striving against the self is indeed the struggle against it by following the truth and abandoning desires. This is what fits the meaning of this verse. However, we bring the sayings of the interpreters as text to be subjected to examination. Al-Zajjaj said (and he is related to this by the words of Ibn Mas'ud): In this verse, he was commanded to strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites with the sword, and it was permitted for him in it to kill the hypocrites. Ibn Mas'ud said: If he is able, otherwise with the tongue, otherwise with the heart and showing displeasure on the face.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And killing cannot occur except with clear evidence, and whoever has clear evidence is no longer in the rank of hypocrisy. Ibn Abbas said: The meaning is to strive against the hypocrites with the tongue. Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan said: The meaning is to strive against the hypocrites by establishing the legal punishments upon them. He said: And most of the time the legal punishments then would befall the hypocrites.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And the reason for the Prophet ﷺ leaving the hypocrites in Medina is that they were not clearly hypocrites; rather, every one who was suspected would claim Islam when he stood. Thus, in leaving them there was preservation and protection for Islam, and fear that the Arabs would flee if they heard that Muhammad ﷺ was killing those who professed Islam. I have elaborated on this meaning in the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah, and the view of Al-Tabari is that the Prophet ﷺ knew them and concealed them.

As for His saying, exalted and majestic is He: ﴿And be harsh with them﴾, it is a general term that applies to actions, words, and glances. Among it is His saying, exalted and majestic is He: ﴿And if you had been rude in speech and harsh in heart﴾ [Al-Imran: 159], and among it is the saying of the women to Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him: You are more rude and harsh than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The meaning of harshness is the roughness of the side, and it is the opposite of His saying, exalted and majestic is He: ﴿And lower to the believers your wing﴾ [Ash-Shu'ara: 215]. Then the verse informed the believers about them at the conclusion of the matter by informing them that they are in Hell, and the meaning is: they are deserving of all that you have been commanded to do to them. And the abode is where a person takes refuge and settles.

'And His saying, the Most High: "They swear by Allah that they did not say [it]". This verse was revealed concerning al-Julas ibn Suwayd ibn al-Samit. It was as if he was coming from Quba with the son of his wife, 'Umayr ibn Sa'd - as Ibn Ishaq said - and 'Urwah said: his name is Mus'ab. Others said: they were on two donkeys. 'The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, had named a group among those he accused of hypocrisy, and he said: "Indeed, they are impure." Al-Julas said to the one who was walking with him: By Allah, these are not the ones whom Muhammad named except our leaders and chiefs. And if what Muhammad says is true, we are worse than these donkeys of ours.' Then his stepson or the other man said to him: By Allah, it is true, and you are worse than your donkey. Then the man feared that he would be overtaken in his religion, so he left and informed the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, of the story. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, sent after al-Julas and confronted him, and he swore by Allah that he did not say it. Then this verse was revealed.'

'And the reference with the word of disbelief to his saying: "If what Muhammad says is true, then we are worse than the donkeys," is because the denial is in the strength of this statement. Mujahid said: When al-Julas' companion said to him: "I will inform the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, of your words," he intended to kill him but then did not do so out of inability to do that. This is the reference with his saying: "And they intended what they could not attain." Qatadah ibn Dham'ah said: This verse was revealed concerning 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul. This was because 'Sinaan ibn Wabrah al-Ansari and Jahjah al-Ghifari kicked one another's legs during the battle of al-Muraysi'. They stirred up, and Jahjah shouted to the Ansar and Sinaan shouted to the Muhajirin. The people stirred, and the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, calmed them. Then 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul said: I do not see these except that they have conspired against us. Our example and their example is like what the first said: "Feed your dog and it will eat you." And if we return to Medina, the honorable will expel the lowly from it.' This reached the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and he confronted him and he swore that he did not say that. Then the verse was revealed denying him.'

'And the reference with the word of disbelief to his comparison: "Feed your dog and it will eat you." Qatadah said: And the reference with "they intended" to his saying: "If we return to Medina." [Al-Munafiqun: 8]. Al-Hasan said: They are the hypocrites from their manifestation of polytheism and their denial of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, by what they could not attain. And Allah, glorified and exalted is He, said: "After their Islam" and did not say: "After their faith" because that did not go beyond their tongues.'

'And His saying, the Most High: "And they did not resent except that Allah and His Messenger enriched them" means: that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, had sent for 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul a compensation that had been delayed for him. 'Ikrimah mentioned that it was twelve thousand, and it was said: rather it was for al-Julas.'

'Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:'

And this is according to the previous disagreement regarding who the verse was revealed about from its beginning. The disagreement of the reciters regarding "naqamū" in Surah Al-A'raf has been mentioned. Abu Haywah and Ibn Abi Abilah read it with a kasrah on the qaf, and this is a dialect. His saying: "Except that Allah has enriched them" is an exception from the first, as the poet Al-Nabighah said:

"And there is no fault in them except that their swords... have remnants from the clash of the battalions."

So the speech is as if to say: And they did not blame except what is rightfully to be thanked.

Mujahid said regarding His saying: "And they intended what they could not attain": It was revealed about a group from Quraysh who intended to kill the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And this does not match the verse. A group said that Al-Julas was the one who intended to kill the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him. This resembles the verse, except that it is not a strong chain. Al-Zajjaj narrated that twelve of the hypocrites intended to do so, and Allah informed about them. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was mentioned in their enrichment as their wealth increased from the spoils. Thus, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, is a cause in that. On this basis, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said to the Ansar: "You were in need, and Allah has enriched you through me." Then Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, opened for them the door of repentance as a kindness to them and gentleness in His saying: "So if they repent, it will be better for them." It has been narrated that Al-Julas repented from hypocrisy and said: "Indeed, Allah has left for me the door of repentance," and he confessed and was sincere, and his repentance was good. The painful punishment that befalls them in this world is disgrace, fear, and being shunned by the believers.