The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 256
CH. 4 AN-NISA' PT. 5 حِذْرَهُمْ وَأَسْلِحَتَهُمْ ۚ وَالَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا with thee; and let them take لَوْ تَغْفُلُوْنَ عَنْ أَسْلِحَتِكُمْ وَاَمْتِعَتِكُمْ arms. The disbelievers wish that فَيَمِيلُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ مَّيْلَةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنْ كَانَ بِكُمْ أَذًى مِنْ their means of defence and their you be neglectful of your arms and your baggage that they may fall upon you at once. And it shall be no sin on you, if you مَّطَرٍ أَوْ كُنتُم مَّرْضَى أَنْ تَضَعُوا are in trouble on account of rain or if you are sick, that you lay أَسْلِحَتَكُمْ ۚ وَخُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ aside your arms. But you should أعَدَّ لِلْكُفِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا always take your means of defence. Surely, Allah has prepared an humiliating punishment for the disbelievers. 571 571. Commentary: Whereas the preceding verse spoke of the Prayer in time of fear in the case of individuals, the present one gives the details of the manner of its performance when the Faithful are in the form of a company or group and the Prayer is to be performed in congregation. Apparently the Holy Prophet alone seems to have been addressed here, but really the verse possesses general application. When a Muslim army is about to say their Prayer in congregation, half of them should say the Prayer with the Imam, carrying their arms, and the other half should stand facing the enemy, to fight him or repulse his attack, as the case may be. When the first half have finished one Rak'at, they should retire to take the place of those who are facing the enemy. The latter should then come forward and say 696 one Rak'at with the Imām. As many as eleven different ways in which these Prayers were said on different occasions are described in the Ḥadīth (for details see Al-Baḥrul- Muḥīt). In some cases, each of the two parties said only one Rak'at of Prayer, while the Imām said two. In other cases, each of the parties said two Rak'at, one Rak'at with the Imām and the other alone, thus all saying two Rak'at. On yet other occasions each of the two parties said two rak'at of Prayer with the Imām, the Imām himself having said four Rak'at-two Rak'at with each party. These different methods were observed in different circumstances. If the danger was great, each of the parties said only one Rak'at of Prayer with the Imām while the Imām himself said two; but if the danger was not so great, each party said two