Surah At-Tawbah, Ayah 56
Quran 9:56 · The Repentance · Madani · Para 10 · Page 196
وَیَحْلِفُوْنَ بِاللّٰهِ اِنَّهُمْ لَمِنْكُمْ ؕ وَمَا هُمْ مِّنْكُمْ وَلٰكِنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ یَّفْرَقُوْنَ ۟
Transliteration
Wayahlifoona billahiinnahum laminkum wama hum minkum walakinnahumqawmun yafraqoon
Saheeh International
And they swear by Allāh that they are from among you while they are not from among you; but they are a people who are afraid.
Al-Mukhtasar fi Tafsir
The hypocrites swear to the believers, lying to them, that they are with them, when they are secretly not, although they make it look as if they were. But they are a scared people, cowards in fighting, and fear that what happened to the idolaters who were killed and captured will happen to them, so they pretend to be Muslim.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) on 9:56–9:57
They swear by Allah that they are truly of you while they are not of you, but they are a people (hypocrites) who are afraid (that you may kill them)(56)Should they find a refuge, or caves, or a place of concealment, they would turn straightway thereto with a swift rush (57)
Exposing Hypocrites' Fright and Fear
Allah describes to His Prophet ﷺ the fright, fear, anxiety and nervousness of the hypocrites,
يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُمْ لَمِنكُمْ
(They swear by Allah that they are truly of you), swearing a sure oath,
وَمَا هُم مِّنكُمْ
(while they are not of you), in reality,
وَلَٰكِنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ يَفْرَقُونَ
(but they are a people who are afraid), and this is what made them swear.
لَوْ يَجِدُونَ مَلْجَأً
(Should they find a refuge), such as a fort in which they hide and fortify themselves,
أَوْ مَغَارَاتٍ
(or caves), in some mountains,
أَوْ مُدَّخَلًا
(or a place of concealment), a tunnel or a hole in the ground, according to the explanation given by Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid and Qatadah,
لَّوَلَّوْا إِلَيْهِ وَهُمْ يَجْمَحُونَ
(they would turn straightway thereto with a swift rush) away from you because they associate with you unwillingly, not because they are fond of you. They prefer that they do not have to mix with you, but necessity has its rules! It is because of this that they feel grief, sadness and sorrow, seeing Islam and its people enjoying ever more might, triumph and glory. Therefore, whatever pleases Muslims brings them grief, and this is why they prefer to disassociate themselves from the believers. Hence Allah's statement,
لَوْ يَجِدُونَ مَلْجَأً أَوْ مَغَارَاتٍ أَوْ مُدَّخَلًا لَّوَلَّوْا إِلَيْهِ وَهُمْ يَجْمَحُونَ
(Should they find a refuge, or caves, or a place of concealment, they would turn straightway thereto with a swift rush.)