Overall meaning : The Almighty says: Remember when the hypocrites who feign faith and conceal unbelief and the like-minded who have doubts in their hearts said, ‘Allah and His Messenger promised us nothing but delusions!’ And remember when some among them said, ‘People of Yathrib, there is no place of safety for you here and you cannot withstand enemy forces, so go back to your homes.’ And yet others sought the Prophet’s permission to return, saying, ‘Our homes are defenceless and vulnerable to enemy attack,’ when in fact they were not defenceless and exposed to the enemy! They only wished to flee and avoid fighting in Allah’s way.
Had the Confederates stormed the city and came upon these hypocrites from all sides and asked them to renounce their faith, they would have surely done so with very little hesitation. Surely before this battle, they pledged to Allah never to turn back and flee, but they went back on their pledge. A pledge made to Allah will have to be answered for.
Say, Muhammad, to those who seek your permission to be excused from fighting in Allah’s way, ‘Whether you flee from natural death or from being killed in battle, fleeing will be of no benefit to you, as it will not increase your lifespan; for you will enjoy this world only for a little while, and then you will be returned to Allah.’
Say to them, ‘Who can protect you from Allah if it is His will to harm you, and who can prevent Him from showing you mercy? These hypocrites will find no guardian besides Allah to look after them, nor anyone to protect them against Allah’s punishment.