Surah 33 Al-Ahzaab — Ayah 20
يَحْسَبُونَ ٱلْأَحْزَابَ لَمْ يَذْهَبُوا۟ ۖ وَإِن يَأْتِ ٱلْأَحْزَابُ يَوَدُّوا۟ لَوْ أَنَّهُم بَادُونَ فِى ٱلْأَعْرَابِ يَسْـَٔلُونَ عَنْ أَنۢبَآئِكُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ كَانُوا۟ فِيكُم مَّا قَٰتَلُوٓا۟ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا
De tror att de sammansvurna i själva verket inte har dragit sig tillbaka; och om de återkommer skulle dessa [hycklare] helst vilja vara bland nomaderna i öknen och [där på betryggande avstånd] höra sig för [hur det till sist går för] er. Och om de då skulle befinna sig tillsammans med er, skulle de försöka hålla sig undan från striderna.
yaḥsabūna l-aḥzāba lam yadhhabū wa-in yati l-aḥzābu yawaddū law annahum bādūna fī l-aʿrābi yasalūna ʿan anbāikum walaw kānū fīkum mā qātalū illā qalīlan
Word by word
- يَحْسَبُونَ yaḥsabūna They think
- ٱلْأَحْزَابَ l-aḥzāba the confederates
- لَمْ lam (have) not
- يَذْهَبُوا۟ ۖ yadhhabū withdrawn
- وَإِن wa-in And if
- يَأْتِ yati (should) come
- ٱلْأَحْزَابُ l-aḥzābu the confederates
- يَوَدُّوا۟ yawaddū they would wish
- لَوْ law if
- أَنَّهُم annahum that they (were)
- بَادُونَ bādūna living in (the) desert
- فِى fī among
- ٱلْأَعْرَابِ l-aʿrābi the Bedouins
- يَسْـَٔلُونَ yasalūna asking
- عَنْ ʿan about
- أَنۢبَآئِكُمْ ۖ anbāikum your news
- وَلَوْ walaw And if
- كَانُوا۟ kānū they were
- فِيكُم fīkum among you
- مَّا mā not
- قَـٰتَلُوٓا۟ qātalū they would fight
- إِلَّا illā except
- قَلِيلًۭا qalīlan a little
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
(They think that the Confederates have not yet withdrawn;) and that they are still close by and will return.
(and if the Confederates should come, they would wish they were in the deserts among the bedouins, seeking news about you;) means, `if the Confederates should come back, they hope that they will not be present with you in Al-Madinah, but that they will be in the desert, asking about news of you and what happened to you with your enemy.'
(and if they were to be among you, they would not fight but little.) means, `if they are among you, they will not fight alongside you very much,' because they are so cowardly and weak, and have so little faith, but Allah knows best about them.