Laantum ashaddu rahbatan fee sudoorihim mina Allahi thalika bi-annahum qawmun la yafqahoon (surah Al Hashr: 13)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(59:13) Surely they have greater dread for you in their hearts than for Allah. *23 That is because they are a people who are devoid of understanding. *24

La antum ashaddu rahbatan fee sudoorihim minal laah; zaalika bi annahum qawmul laa yafqahoon

*23) That is, "The reason why they dare not face you openly in the field is not that they are Muslim: and have fear of God in their hearts and are afraid that despite their claim to the Faith when they come out to help the disbelievers as against the believers, they will be held accountable before God. But what actually restrains them froth facing you is that when they see your profound love and spirit of self-sacrifice and devotion for Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) and the great unity and concord in your rattles, they become dispirited. They a now full well that although you are few in number the spirit of martyrdom which has turned each single individual among you into a gallant warrior and the organization which has moulded you into a solid body, will crush them also along with the Jews when they c]ash with you in the battlefield. Here one should bear in mind the fact that if a person harbours the fear of another than God in his heart, it is in fact a negation of the fear of God. Obviously. the person who considers one of the dangers as lesser and the other greater, pays no heed to the first but dces whatever b e can to safeguard himself against the greater danger."
*24) A great truth has been expressed in this brief sentence. A person who has sense knows that the real power to be feared is the power of Allah and not the power of men. Therefore, he will avoid every such thing as may call for the punishment of AIIah, whether there is any human power to call him to account for it or not, and he will come out to accomplish any duty which AIIah has enjoined on him, whether he is opposed and hindered by all the powers of the world. But a man, who has no sense, determines his attitude and conduct in view of the human powers, instead of Allah's power, in alI matters of lift, because Allah's power for him is imperceptible and human powers arc perceptible. If he avoids something. he will avoid it, not because of the fear of Allah's punishment for it, but because of a human power, which may be there to take him to task. And if he does sothing he will do is not because AIIah has enjoined it, but because some haman power has ordered or approved of it, and will reward hi for it. This very distinction between intelligence and folly, in fact, distinguishes the character and conduct of a believer from that of an unbeliever.