They used to claim eagerness for jihad and wished for it with their tongues, saying, 'If only a surah were revealed regarding jihad.' So when a surah was revealed and they were commanded in it with what they wished for and were eager about, they recoiled. [The saying 'they recoiled' in the dictionaries: the dog recoils, meaning: it walked on its knuckles in the sand from the intensity of the heat.] It became difficult for them, and they fell into their own hands, as Allah, the Exalted, said: 'So when fighting was prescribed for them, a group of them feared the people.' It is a decisive verse, clear and not ambiguous, which only allows for the obligation of fighting. According to Qatadah, every surah that mentions fighting is decisive, and it is the most severe of the Qur'an against the hypocrites. It is said to be 'decisive' because abrogation does not apply to it, since fighting has abrogated what was previously permissible regarding forgiveness and truce, and it is not abrogated until the Day of Resurrection. It is also said to be 'newly revealed' because when its revelation occurs, it is not subject to abrogation, then it may be abrogated later or remain un-abrogated.

In the reading of Abdullah: a newly revealed surah. And it was read: 'So when a surah is revealed and fighting is mentioned in it.' In the active form and the word 'fighting' is in the accusative. 'Those in whose hearts is a disease' refers to those who were on unstable footing. They looked like someone who is fainting from death, meaning their eyes were fixed in fear and panic, just as one looks when he is struck by a fainting spell at the time of death. 'So woe to them' is a warning meaning: 'So woe to them,' which is a comparative form: from 'woe' which means closeness. Its meaning is a supplication against them that misfortune may befall them. 'Obedience and a good word' is a statement that is independent, meaning: obedience and a good word is better for them. It is said: it is a narration of their saying, meaning they said: 'Obedience and a good word,' meaning: we were commanded obedience and a good word. This is supported by the reading of Ubayy: they say: 'Obedience and a good word.' 'So when the matter is determined' means: when it becomes serious. Determination and seriousness are for the people of the matter. And it is only metaphorically attributed to the matter. From it is His saying, the Exalted: 'Indeed, that is from the determination of matters.' 'If only they had been truthful to Allah in what they claimed of eagerness for jihad.' Or: 'If only they had been truthful in their faith and their hearts had aligned with their tongues in it.'