عَفَا ٱللَّهُ عَنكَ لِمَ أَذِنتَ لَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكَ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟ وَتَعْلَمَ ٱلْكَـٰذِبِينَ 43
Translations
Allāh has pardoned you, [O Muḥammad, but] why did you give them permission [to remain behind]? [You should not have] until it was evident to you who were truthful and you knew [who were] the liars.
Transliteration
Afa Allahu anka lima adhinta lahum hatta yatabayyana laka alladhina sadaqu wa taʿlama al-kadhihin
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah conveys Allah's pardon of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for granting permission to hypocrites to remain behind during the Tabuk expedition without waiting to distinguish between those truthful in their excuses and those lying. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the verse rebukes the Prophet's leniency while acknowledging divine forgiveness, establishing that future decisions regarding such matters should involve greater discernment and verification of claims.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the context of the Tabuk expedition (9 AH), when some hypocrites requested permission to stay behind from the military campaign. The Prophet granted permission to some without sufficiently verifying the truthfulness of their excuses. This ayah addresses that specific incident and establishes guidance for distinguishing genuine hardship from hypocrisy.
Related Hadiths
The context of Tabuk is detailed in Sahih Bukhari (Book of Military Expeditions) where it narrates the various excuses presented by those who stayed behind. Additionally, Surah At-Tawbah ayahs 45-46 provide hadith-supported context about those who sought exemption with false pretexts.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that while even the Prophet received divine pardon for human judgment errors, leaders bear responsibility to verify claims carefully and distinguish sincerity from deception; for believers, it emphasizes that accountability includes being truthful in our dealings and that Allah rewards those whose intentions and actions align with truth.