Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 155

(Ayah 155) ➊ {اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ تَوَلَّوْا … :} That is, the Muslims who withdrew from the battlefield on the day of Uhud, they withdrew due to the slipping caused by Satan, but Satan got the opportunity to make them slip because of some of their past sins. Among those sins, one was that they had opposed the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). It is narrated from the Salaf that doing one good deed grants the ability to do another good deed, and one sin becomes the cause of committing another sin. (Ibn Kathir) The point is that some sincere Muslims who fled that day did not flee because they had turned away from Islam or were hypocrites, but due to the misfortune of the self and the evil of deeds, Satan got the opportunity to mislead them. That is why the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to say in his sermon: [وَ نَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنْ شُرُوْرِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَ مِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا ] "We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds." [ ابن ماجہ، النکاح، باب خطبۃ النکاح : ۱۸۹۲، وصححہ الألبانی ] It is also understood that whether it is the evil of the self or the misfortune of deeds, Satan's misguidance is also included with them.

➋ {وَلَقَدْ عَفَا اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمْ:} Three verses earlier, {”وَ لَقَدْ عَفَا عَنْكُمْ“} was also mentioned, giving them the glad tidings of forgiveness. Now, for further reassurance and comfort, glad tidings are being given again that indeed, surely Allah has forgiven them, that is, those who truly had sincerity in their hearts, Allah has forgiven them due to their repentance and excuse, now there is no sin upon them nor does anyone have the right to reproach them. For further details, see the notes on Al-Imran (152).

155. 1. That is, the slip and shortcoming that occurred from the Muslims in Uhud was due to their previous weaknesses, because of which Satan also succeeded in making them slip. Just as some of the Salaf have said: "The reward of a good deed is that after it, one is granted further ability to do good, and the recompense of an evil deed is that after it, the path to further evil is opened and made easy."

155. 2. After mentioning the slips of the Companions, their consequences, and the wisdoms behind them, Allah Almighty still announces their forgiveness from Himself. From this, firstly, it becomes clear that they are beloved in the sight of Allah, and secondly, it is a warning to the general believers that when Allah Almighty has forgiven His truthful believing servants, then it is not permissible for anyone to make them a target of blame or criticism.

155. Indeed, those of you who turned back on the day the two armies met, it was Satan who caused them to slip because of some of their misdeeds [148]. But Allah has already forgiven them, for Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Forbearing.

[148]
The Companions Who Gathered Around You at Uhud:

That is, the Battle of Uhud which took place between the Muslims and the disbelievers of Makkah. After this defeat, some sincere Muslims also chose the path of fleeing, especially at the time when the rumor of your death spread and the Muslims lost their composure. In this verse, by ﴿بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوْا﴾ is also meant the same mistake of leaving the mountain pass and disobeying the Messenger of Allah that was committed by the Muslims, and this act of fleeing was not due to their own resolve, but rather it was a satanic deception; otherwise, their hearts were firm upon faith. During this time, only thirteen or fourteen Muslims remained with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, among whom were seven Muhajirun and seven Ansar. Among the Muhajirun were Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ, Umar Farooq ؓ, Ali ؓ, Talhah bin Ubaidullah ؓ, Abdur Rahman bin Awf ؓ, Zubair bin Awwam ؓ, and Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas ؓ, and Uthman ؓ was also among those who had chosen the path of fleeing. Thus, the Shia criticize Uthman ؓ for this as well. However, Allah Himself is saying that this fleeing was merely a satanic deception, not due to weakness of faith, and Allah has forgiven the fault of these people.

The Virtue of Sayyiduna Sa'd ؓ and Talhah ؓ:

When you were wounded and the disbelievers surrounded you, during this time two companions, Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas and Talhah bin Ubaidullah ؓ, presented unparalleled examples of self-sacrifice to protect your life. Thus, Ali ؓ says that after Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas, I have not seen anyone else for whom the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sacrificed himself or his parents. On the day of the Battle of Uhud, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would say to Sa'd ؓ, "Shoot arrows, may my parents be sacrificed for you."
[بخاری، کتاب الجہاد باب المجن ومن یتترس بترس صاحبہ]
Talhah ؓ stood in front of you. He was also an expert archer. Whoever passed by, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would say, "Hand your arrows over to Talhah ؓ." Then a time came when Talhah ؓ had nothing left to block the arrows of the disbelievers, so he put forward his own arm and bore all the arrows on it. When one arm became paralyzed, he put forward the other. Thus, Qais bin Abi Hazim says that I saw the hand of Talhah ؓ with which he protected the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; it had become completely paralyzed.
[بخاری، کتاب المناقب، باب ذکر طلحة بن عبید اللہ]