Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 48

(Ayah48) { لَقَدِ ابْتَغَوُا الْفِتْنَةَ مِنْ قَبْلُ …:} In this verse, their inner malice and further deceptions have been exposed, meaning that plotting and deceiving against you, O Prophet (peace be upon him), has been their old habit. Previously, they kept devising schemes to create discord among the Muslims, but at the Battle of Badr, Allah Almighty granted His religion dominance despite their unwillingness, so they outwardly entered Islam. Yet, they did not refrain from mischief, as Abdullah bin Ubayy the hypocrite did on the day of the Battle of Uhud, when he turned back from the battlefield with his three hundred companions. At every opportunity, their sympathies remained with the Jews; they saved Banu Nadir and several other Jews from being killed, kept inciting Banu Qurayzah, falsely accused Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), built Masjid Dirar as a stronghold against the Muslims, and spread discouragement about going to Tabuk. Upon returning, when the opportunity arose, they did not even hesitate to attack you, O Prophet (peace be upon him), in secret, until, by Allah Almighty’s special help, after the conquest of Makkah and the victory at Tabuk, the entire Arabia entered Islam and they were left wringing their hands in helplessness.

48. 1. Therefore, He has informed you of the past and future matters, and has also told you that these hypocrites who did not go along, it turned out to be good for you; if they had gone, these evils would have arisen because of them.

48. 2. That is, these hypocrites, since the time you came to Madinah, have been actively seeking to create discord against you and to disrupt matters. Even at Badr, Allah granted you victory and dominance, which was very unpleasant for them. Similarly, at the time of the Battle of Uhud, these hypocrites turned back from the way and tried to create difficulties, and after that, at every opportunity, they continued to try to cause disruption. Until Makkah was conquered and most of the Arabs became Muslim, upon which they are wringing their hands in regret and sorrow.

48. These people have already stirred up discord [52] before, and they kept plotting to upset your affairs until the truth of Allah’s promise (the dominance of Islam) came, and Allah’s command prevailed, even though they were averse to it.

[52]
The Fitnah of Abdullah bin Ubayy:

The list of the mischiefs of the hypocrites is very long. In reality, Abdullah bin Ubayy could not tolerate the arrival of the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah. Before the Prophet’s ﷺ arrival, the crown of leadership of both the Aws and Khazraj tribes was about to be placed on Abdullah bin Ubayy’s head. When the Prophet ﷺ arrived, his leadership was put in jeopardy. It was this jealousy and malice that incited him throughout his life to enmity against Islam and the Muslims. Before the Battle of Badr, he maintained correspondence with the Quraysh of Makkah. Then, when the Quraysh of Makkah suffered a crushing defeat at Badr and the Muslims achieved a great victory, he was consumed with rage, but keeping his own interests in view, he outwardly accepted Islam, though enmity towards Islam remained in his heart. In the Battle of Uhud, he betrayed the Muslims and, at a most critical moment, withdrew with his three hundred companions from the army so that the Muslims would be defeated. Throughout his life, his sympathies remained with the Jews. Inciting them and preparing them for war against the Muslims was his favorite occupation. They too, thanks to his “kindness,” continued to be beaten by the Muslims, and at every opportunity, Allah’s support remained with the Muslims. On the return from the expedition of Banu Mustaliq, he slandered Lady Aisha ؓ and kept the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Muslims in mental distress until Allah Almighty revealed the exoneration of Lady Aisha ؓ. In this very expedition, he incited the Ansar to expel this Prophet from Madinah. Then, by constructing Masjid Dhirar, he established a new base for these impure conspiracies and began colluding with the Caesar of Rome. In short, at every opportunity, his utmost effort was that Islam should be subdued and that he should become the supreme chief of Madinah. In the end, he departed from this world with this very longing in his heart.