Indeed, those who seek your permission are the hypocrites. There were thirty-nine men who were wavering, which is a sign of confusion, for wavering is the habit of the confused, just as steadfastness and stability are the habits of the clear-sighted. It was read as 'عدّه', meaning 'his number', an action concerning the number as done with the count by one who said: 'And they deceived you regarding the number of the affair which they promised.' [Refer to the explanation of this evidence in the first part, page 323, if you wish, the corrector said.] This is from the omission of the feminine 'taa', and compensating the addition with it. It was read as 'عدّة', with a kasra on the 'ayn without addition, and 'عدّه' with addition. If you say: What is the position of the word of exception? I say: Since his saying 'And if they had intended to go out' conveys the meaning of negating their going out and their readiness for battle, it was said: 'But Allah disliked their rising.' It is as if it was said: They did not go out, but they were deterred from going out due to Allah's dislike of their rising, just as you say: 'Zaid was good to me, but he was bad to me.' So He deterred them, and they became lazy and weakened their desire to rise. And it was said: 'Sit down.' Allah's placing dislike of going out in their hearts was a command to sit down. It was said: It is the saying of the devil through whispering. It was said: It is their own saying to themselves. It was said: It is the permission of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, for them to sit down. If you say: How could Allah, the Exalted, instill in their souls a dislike for going out to battle, which is a bad thing? Allah is exalted above inspiring what is bad. [Mahamud said: 'If you say how could Allah instill in their souls a dislike for going out to battle... etc.' Ahmad said: And this section of his speech is based on two corrupt principles: the obligation of considering the interests of Allah, the Exalted, and the good and bad. The invalidity of this has been repeated, so beware of it. And know that the belief of the people of the Sunnah is that Allah, the Exalted, instilled a dislike for going out in their hearts because He wanted their misery, and added to that the desire for the comfort of the sincere from their companionship, for the command is not a condition for the implementation of the will, and Allah is the guide.]? I say: Their going out would have been a corruption, due to His saying: 'If they had gone out among you, they would have only increased you in confusion.' So instilling a dislike for that going out in their souls was good and beneficial. If you say: Why was the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, mistaken in permitting them in what is beneficial? I say: Because the permission of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, for them was not for the consideration of this benefit nor did he know it except after returning with Allah's informing. But because they sought his permission in that and excused themselves to him, he was obliged to investigate the essence of their excuses and not to be lenient in accepting them, hence he received admonition. And it may be that in the Messenger of Allah's, blessings and peace be upon him, withholding permission from them while Allah was deterring them was another benefit. For by his permitting them, that benefit was lost, which is that if Allah deterred them and they did not rise, and their sitting was without the permission of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, the proof would be established against them and they would have no excuse left.

And indeed, Allah addressed that when He exposed their veils and revealed their secrets, and bore witness against them of hypocrisy, and that they do not believe in Allah and the Last Day. If you say: What is the meaning of His saying 'with those who sit'? [[He returned to his words. He said: 'If you say, what is the meaning of His saying with those who sit... etc.' Ahmad said: 'And this is one of his good indications, and we will elaborate further by saying: If it were said, 'Sit down,' it would only convey the command to sit. Similarly, 'Be with those who sit,' and this benefit cannot be achieved by associating them with these categories described by people as being left behind and inactive, who are marked by this characteristic, except by the wording of the verse. And may Allah curse Pharaoh: he greatly threatened Moses, blessings and peace be upon him, by saying: 'I will make you one of the imprisoned,' and he did not say: 'I will make you imprisoned,' for such a nuance of emphasis.]] I say: It is a reproach to them and a means of incapacitation, associating them with women, children, and the disabled, whose state is to sit and crouch in homes. They are the sitters, the laggards, and the left behind. This is clarified by His saying: 'They were pleased to be with the left behind.' Except for 'khabal' is not an exception that is disconnected in any way as they say, because the disconnected exception is that the exception is from a different kind than that from which it is excluded, like saying: 'They did not increase you in anything except khabal,' and the excluded in this speech is not mentioned. If it is not mentioned, the exception falls from the most general of the general, which is the thing, so it was a connected exception, because khabal is part of the most general. It is as if it were said: 'They did not increase you in anything except khabal.' And khabal means corruption and evil. 'And they would have hastened among you with slander' [[The saying 'with slander' means by incitement. (A)]] and gossip and corrupting relations between you. It is said: 'The camel hastened if it quickened, and I hastened it.' The meaning is: 'And they would have hastened their mounts among you,' and the intent is the quickening of gossip, because the rider is faster than the walker. Ibn al-Zubair, may Allah be pleased with him, read: 'And they would have danced,' from 'the she-camel danced if it quickened, and I made it dance.' He said: 'And the dancers to Mina, the ghabbab.' And it was read: 'And they would have overwhelmed.' If you say: How is it written in the mushaf: 'And they would not have been placed,' with an added alif? I say: The fatha was written as an alif before Arabic script, and Arabic script was invented close to the revelation of the Qur'an, and a trace of that alif remained in the typesetting, so they wrote the form of the hamzah as an alif, and its fatha as another alif, and similar to: 'Or I will surely slaughter him.' 'They seek to cause you fitnah' means they attempt to tempt you. By causing discord among you and corrupting your intentions in your campaign. 'And among you are those who listen to them' means they are gossipers who hear your words and convey them to them. Or among you are people who listen to the hypocrites and obey them. 'Indeed, they sought fitnah' means hardship and plotting of evils and striving to scatter your unity and separate your companions from you, as Abdullah ibn Ubayy did on the day of Uhud when he turned back with those with him. And from Ibn Jurayj, may Allah be pleased with him: They stood for the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, at the pass on the night of Al-Aqabah, and they were twelve men to ambush him before the Battle of Tabuk. 'And they turned matters against you' and devised tricks and schemes for you, and they circulated opinions to nullify your command. It was read: 'And they turned' with a lightening of the letters. 'Until the truth came,' which is your support and victory, 'and the command of Allah appeared,' and His religion prevailed and His law was exalted.