سُوْرَةُ الْاَحْزَابِ
Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 13
وَإِذْ قَالَت طَّآئِفَةٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَـٰٓأَهْلَ يَثْرِبَ لَا مُقَامَ لَكُمْ فَٱرْجِعُوا۟ ۚ وَيَسْتَـْٔذِنُ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمُ ٱلنَّبِىَّ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَةٌ وَمَا هِىَ بِعَوْرَةٍ ۖ إِن يُرِيدُونَ إِلَّا فِرَارًا ﴿13﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And when a party of them said: "O people of Yathrib (Al-Madinah)! There is no stand (possible) for you (against the enemy attack!) Therefore go back!" And a band of them ask for permission of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying: "Truly, our homes lie open (to the enemy)." And they lay not open. They but wished to flee.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذْ
wa-idh
And when
قَالَت
qālat
said
طَّآئِفَةٌۭ
ṭāifatun
a party
مِّنْهُمْ
min'hum
of them
يَـٰٓأَهْلَ
yāahla
O People
يَثْرِبَ
yathriba
(of) Yathrib
لَا
lā
No
مُقَامَ
muqāma
stand
لَكُمْ
lakum
for you
فَٱرْجِعُوا۟ ۚ
fa-ir'jiʿū
so return
وَيَسْتَـْٔذِنُ
wayastadhinu
And asked permission
فَرِيقٌۭ
farīqun
a group
مِّنْهُمُ
min'humu
of them
ٱلنَّبِىَّ
l-nabiya
(from) the Prophet
يَقُولُونَ
yaqūlūna
saying
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
بُيُوتَنَا
buyūtanā
our houses
عَوْرَةٌۭ
ʿawratun
(are) exposed
وَمَا
wamā
and not
هِىَ
hiya
they
بِعَوْرَةٍ ۖ
biʿawratin
(were) exposed
إِن
in
Not
يُرِيدُونَ
yurīdūna
they wished
إِلَّا
illā
but
فِرَارًۭا
firāran
to flee
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
13. And when a group of them said, “O people of Yathrib [16]! There is no place for you here, so return [17].” And a group of them sought permission from the Prophet to leave, saying, “Our homes are exposed,” while they were not exposed; they only wished to flee [18].
[16] This was the first name of Madinah. When you ﷺ arrived in Madinah, it became famous as Madinat-un-Nabi ﷺ. After that, it became well-known and renowned throughout the world by the name "Al-Madinah."
[17] There are two meanings to this. One is that, seeing this distressing situation, the hypocrites began inviting their companions to leave the battlefield and return to their homes. The second meaning could be that their invitation was to leave Islam and return to their former religion. They claimed that your safety and well-being lies in abandoning Islam and joining the confederates.
[18]
The Hypocrites’ Excuse of Protecting Their Homes:
Most of the hypocrites were thinking of various excuses to avoid participating in the battle. The common excuse was that their homes were exposed to the enemy, so they should be allowed to return to protect them. And he ﷺ, due to your gentle nature, used to grant permission to such people. Or perhaps he considered it better that such people, if they remained in the Muslim army, would only cause discord. Here, the only intention is to clarify that their excuse was nothing but a false pretense, because the Muslims would make full arrangements for the protection of Madinah and their homes before heading to the battlefield.
[16] This was the first name of Madinah. When you ﷺ arrived in Madinah, it became famous as Madinat-un-Nabi ﷺ. After that, it became well-known and renowned throughout the world by the name "Al-Madinah."
[17] There are two meanings to this. One is that, seeing this distressing situation, the hypocrites began inviting their companions to leave the battlefield and return to their homes. The second meaning could be that their invitation was to leave Islam and return to their former religion. They claimed that your safety and well-being lies in abandoning Islam and joining the confederates.
[18]
The Hypocrites’ Excuse of Protecting Their Homes:
Most of the hypocrites were thinking of various excuses to avoid participating in the battle. The common excuse was that their homes were exposed to the enemy, so they should be allowed to return to protect them. And he ﷺ, due to your gentle nature, used to grant permission to such people. Or perhaps he considered it better that such people, if they remained in the Muslim army, would only cause discord. Here, the only intention is to clarify that their excuse was nothing but a false pretense, because the Muslims would make full arrangements for the protection of Madinah and their homes before heading to the battlefield.
