سَيَقُولُ ٱلْمُخَلَّفُونَ إِذَا ٱنطَلَقْتُمْ إِلَىٰ مَغَانِمَ لِتَأْخُذُوهَا ذَرُونَا نَتَّبِعْكُمْ ۖ يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُبَدِّلُوا۟ كَلَـٰمَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ قُل لَّن تَتَّبِعُونَا كَذَٰلِكُمْ قَالَ ٱللَّهُ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ فَسَيَقُولُونَ بَلْ تَحْسُدُونَنَا ۚ بَلْ كَانُوا۟ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا 15
Translations
Those who remained behind will say when you set out toward the war booty to take it, "Let us follow you." They wish to change the words of Allāh. Say, "Never will you follow us. Thus did Allāh say before." So they will say, "Rather, you envy us." But [in fact] they were not understanding except a little.
Transliteration
Sayaqolu al-mukhallafun idha intalaqtum ila maghanim litakhdhooha dharuna nattabi'ukum. Yuridun an yubaddilu kalama Allah. Qul lan tattabi'una kadalikum qala Allah min qabl. Fasayaqulun bal tahsudunna. Bal kanu la yafqahun illa qalila.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the hypocrites (munafiqun) who failed to participate in the expedition to Hudaybiyyah but sought to join when they heard about anticipated spoils of war. Allah exposed their insincerity and their desire to alter His divine decree—which had excluded them from this particular mission. The verse emphasizes that their exclusion was by divine command, not by human choice, and their subsequent accusations of envy reveal their limited understanding of divine wisdom.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the context of Surah Al-Fath, which celebrates the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (6 AH). Some believers were prevented from joining the expedition due to various circumstances, and hypocrites attempted to join after the fact when spoils seemed imminent, revealing their true motivations centered on material gain rather than sincere devotion to Allah's cause.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (Book of Expeditions): Narrations about the Hudaybiyyah expedition detail how certain groups were excluded and how hypocrites behaved. Sahih Muslim contains hadith about the characteristics of hypocrites in surahs of this period, noting their concern with worldly gains over spiritual commitment.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that sincere devotion to Islam requires consistent commitment in all circumstances, not merely when worldly benefits appear; and that when believers are excluded from certain paths or blessings, it reflects divine wisdom rather than human prejudice, a lesson applicable to modern disappointments and perceived unfairness.