The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 147
CH. 3 وَلِيَعْلَمَ الَّذِينَ نَافَقُوا وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا might PT. 4 ĀL-E-‘IMRĀN 168. And that He distinguish the hypocrites. And fight in the cause of Allah and قَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَوِ ادْفَعُوا قَالُوْالَو it was said to them, Come ye نَعْلَمُ قِتَالًا لَّا اتَّبَعْنَكُمْ هُمُ لِلْكُفْرِ repel the attack of the enemy;' E يَوْمَئِذٍ أَقْرَبُ مِنْهُمُ لِلْإِيْمَانِ they said, “If we knew how to يَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ مَّا لَيْسَ فِي you. They were, that day قُلُوبِهِمْ وَ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَكْتُمُونَ fight, we would surely follow nearer to disbelief than to belief. "They say with their mouths what is not in their hearts. And Allah knows well what they conceal. 450 a48:12. to the Battle of Uhud which is under were, at heart, enemies of Islam; and review here. as The clause rendered as, that He might distinguish the believers, does not mean, "that He might know the believers", generally translated. According to Quranic idiom, the expression simply means that Allah might mark out, or make known, or distinguish believers from disbelievers. See also note on 3:141. 450. Commentary: a Trials come to bring about distinction between true believers and those weak of faith or insincere. In this way, the sufferings of the Muslims at Uhud proved a blessing in disguise. They served to distinguish the true believers from the hypocrites who had so far remained intermixed with the true believers. While professing to be true Muslims, they 587 their passing for Muslims was injurious to the Muslim community. The believers, taking them for true Muslims, remained unaware of the secret machinations by which they sought to injure the cause of Islam. So it was in the interests of Islam that their hypocrisy became unmasked and the Muslims became on their guard against them. On the other hand, just as the exposure of the hypocrites proved beneficial to the believers, similarly the coming to light of their own sincerity and devotion served a most useful purpose. It served not only to disappoint the enemies of Islam who came to realize that with such devoted followers they could make no headway against Islam, but it also opened their eyes to its truth; for it became clear to them that a religion