Surah Ahzab ayat 14 Tafsir Quran 33:14

﴿وَلَوْ دُخِلَتْ عَلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَقْطَارِهَا ثُمَّ سُئِلُوا الْفِتْنَةَ لَآتَوْهَا وَمَا تَلَبَّثُوا بِهَا إِلَّا يَسِيرًا﴾
[ الأحزاب: 14]

33:14 And if they had been entered upon from all its [surrounding] regions and fitnah had been demanded of them, they would have done it and not hesitated over it except briefly.

And had they been invaded in it namely Medina from all sides and had they been exhorted in other words had the invaders exhorted them to treachery a return to idolatrous ways they would have committed it read la-ātawhā or la-atawhā meaning ‘they would have offered it’ or ‘they would have committed it’ respectively and would have hesitated thereupon but a little.

And had the situation been reversed and the forces laid siege on the city and moved into it upon possession and they -the hypocrites- were incited to turn renegades and fight to their -the enemys side- against the Muslims they would have done it before long. (these were the men* who were forgiven and had promised never to behave this way again)

يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَةٌ وَمَا هِىَ بِعَوْرَةٍ إِن يُرِيدُونَ إِلاَّ فِرَاراً ( "Truly, our homes lie open." And they lay not open.
They but wished to flee. ) If the enemy had entered upon them from every side of Al-Madinah and from every direction, then demanded that they become disbelievers, they would have promptly done so.
They would not have adhered to their faith or remained steadfast in it if they were faced with the slightest fear.
This is how it was interpreted by Qatadah, `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd and Ibn Jarir.
This is a condemnation of them in the clearest terms.
Then Allah reminds them of the promise they had made to Him before this fear struck them, that they would not turn their backs or flee from the battlefield. وَكَانَ عَهْدُ اللَّهِ مَسْئُولاً ( and a covenant with Allah must be answered for. ) means, Allah will inevitably ask them about that covenant.
Then Allah tells them that fleeing from battle will not delay their appointed demise or make their lives any longer; on the contrary, it may be the cause of their being taken sooner, and in a sudden manner.
Allah says: وَإِذاً لاَّ تُمَتَّعُونَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً ( and then you will enjoy no more than a little while! ) meaning, `after you run away and flee from battle.' قُلْ مَتَـعُ الدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٌ وَالاٌّخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّمَنِ اتَّقَى ( Say: "Short is the enjoyment of this world.
The Hereafter is better for him who have Taqwa" ) ( 4:77 ).
Then Allah says: قُلْ مَن ذَا الَّذِى يَعْصِمُكُمْ مِّنَ اللَّهِ إِنْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ سُوءاً أَوْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ رَحْمَةً وَلاَ يَجِدُونَ لَهُمْ مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلِيّاً وَلاَ نَصِيراً ( Say: "Who is he who can protect you from Allah if He intends to harm you, or intends mercy on you" And they will not find, besides Allah, for themselves any protector or any helper. ) meaning, they have no one else except Allah to respond to their cries.

(33:14) If the enemy were to enter the town from various directions, and they were summoned to act treacherously, *26 they would have succumbed to it and would have shown little reluctance in doing so.

And if they had been entered upon meaning

*26) " Urged to treachery ": Urged by the disbelievers to join them to vanquish the Muslims after entering the city as conquerors.

 

يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَةٌ وَمَا هِىَ بِعَوْرَةٍ إِن يُرِيدُونَ إِلاَّ فِرَاراً ( "Truly, our homes lie open." And they lay not open.
They but wished to flee. ) If the enemy had entered upon them from every side of Al-Madinah and from every direction, then demanded that they become disbelievers, they would have promptly done so.
They would not have adhered to their faith or remained steadfast in it if they were faced with the slightest fear.
This is how it was interpreted by Qatadah, `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd and Ibn Jarir.
This is a condemnation of them in the clearest terms.
Then Allah reminds them of the promise they had made to Him before this fear struck them, that they would not turn their backs or flee from the battlefield. وَكَانَ عَهْدُ اللَّهِ مَسْئُولاً ( and a covenant with Allah must be answered for. ) means, Allah will inevitably ask them about that covenant.
Then Allah tells them that fleeing from battle will not delay their appointed demise or make their lives any longer; on the contrary, it may be the cause of their being taken sooner, and in a sudden manner.
Allah says: وَإِذاً لاَّ تُمَتَّعُونَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً ( and then you will enjoy no more than a little while! ) meaning, `after you run away and flee from battle.' قُلْ مَتَـعُ الدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٌ وَالاٌّخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّمَنِ اتَّقَى ( Say: "Short is the enjoyment of this world.
The Hereafter is better for him who have Taqwa" ) ( 4:77 ).
Then Allah says: قُلْ مَن ذَا الَّذِى يَعْصِمُكُمْ مِّنَ اللَّهِ إِنْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ سُوءاً أَوْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ رَحْمَةً وَلاَ يَجِدُونَ لَهُمْ مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلِيّاً وَلاَ نَصِيراً ( Say: "Who is he who can protect you from Allah if He intends to harm you, or intends mercy on you" And they will not find, besides Allah, for themselves any protector or any helper. ) meaning, they have no one else except Allah to respond to their cries.

( If the enemy had entered ) in on the hypocrites in Medina ( from all sides and they had been exhorted to treachery ) to idolatry, ( they would have committed it ) they would have swiftly committed it, ( and would have hesitated thereupon but little ) they would not have hesitated to respond; it is also said that this means: they would have remained in Medina but a little while.

And if the enemy had entered from all sides (of the city), and they had been exhorted to AlFitnah (i.e. to renegade from Islam to polytheism) they would surely have committed it and would have hesitated thereupon but little.

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