Surah Al-Fath · سُوْرَةُ الْفَتْحِ · Juz 26

Q 48:15

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

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 Allah. Say, "Never will you follow us. Thus did Allah say before." So they will say, "Rather, you envy us." But [in fact] they were not understanding except a little.

Sahih International · EN

Ceux qui restèrent en arrière diront, quand vous vous dirigez vers le butin pour vous en emparer; «Laissez-nous vous suivre». Ils voudraient changer la parole d'Allah. Dis: «Jamais vous ne nous suivrez: ainsi Allah a déjà annoncé». Mais ils diront: «Vous êtes plutôt envieux à notre égard». Mais ils ne comprenaient en réalité que peu.

Muhammad Hamidullah · FR

Tafsir

Those whom Allah had kept behind - when you, O believers, set off to take the spoils of Khaybar which Allah had promised you after the Treaty of Hudaibiyya, will say: ‘Let us go out with you to get some of it.’ These people who were left behind want to change, by this request of theirs, Allah’s promise that He made to the believers after the Treaty of Hudaibiyya to give them alone the spoils of Khaybar. Say to them, O Messenger: You will never follow us to those spoils, because Allah has promised us that the spoils of Khaybar are only for those who were present at Hudaibiyya. They will say: Your preventing us from following you to Khaybar is not an instruction from Allah, but because you are jealous of us. The matter is not as these people who were left behind claim. Rather, they do not understand Allah’s instructions and prohibitions except a little, and therefore they have fallen into going against Him.

Al-Mukhtasar fi Tafsir al-Quran · Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies

Read Ibn Kathir (Ibn Kathir (abridged, English))

Those who lagged behind will say, when you set forth to take the spoils, "Allow us to follow you." They want to change Allah's Words. Say: "You shall not follow us; thus Allah has said beforehand." Then they will say: "Nay, you envy us." Nay, but they understand not except a little (15) Allah characterizes the bedouins who lagged behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ during the 'Umrah of Hudaybiyyah, saying that when the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions later went on to conquer Khaybar, the bedouins asked them to take them along. They were hoping to collect war booty, having been absent when it was time to fight the enemy and enduring with patience therein. Allah the Exalted ordered His Messenger ﷺ to refuse to give them permission to accompany him, being a punishment that is similar to their error. Allah has promised those who were present at Al-Hudaybiyyah to earn Khaybar's war spoils alone, not shared in that with the bedouins who lagged behind. Therefore, the legislation that Allah gave in this regard was joined to the destiny that He decided, occurring just as He decided. Allah's statement, يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُبَدِّلُوا كَلَامَ اللَّهِ (They want to change Allah's Words), which refers to the promise that Allah gave those who were present at Al-Hudaybiyyah, according to the explanation reported from Mujahid, Qatadah, Juwaybir and which Ibn Jarir preferred. Allah said, قُلْ لَنْ تَتَّبِعُونَا كَذَٰلِكُمْ قَالَ اللَّهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۖ (Say: "You shall not follow us; thus Allah has said beforehand.") 'when He promised the participants of Al-Hudaybiyyah before you asked to join them,' فَسَيَقُولُونَ بَلْ تَحْسُدُونَنَا (Then they will say: "Nay, you envy us.") 'you do not want us to share the war spoils with you,' بَلْ كَانُوا لَا يَفْقَهُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا (Nay, but they understand not except a little.) the truth is nothing close to what they claimed, but they understand not.

Arabic text: Tanzil (Uthmani). Translations: Sahih International (en), Muhammad Hamidullah (fr). tanzil.net