"And what struck you on the day the two hosts met"—meaning: the host of the believers and the host of the polytheists on the day of Uhud—"was by the permission of Allah"—meaning: Allah permitted that—"and that He might make known the believers, and that He might make known those who were hypocrites," and this is the knowledge of what actually occurred. "And it was said to them, 'Come, fight in the way of Allah or defend'"—meaning: increase the numbers—"they said, 'If we knew [there would be] fighting, we would have followed you.' They were that day closer to disbelief than to faith." And when Allah says, "closer," al-Hasan said: it is certainty; meaning: they are disbelievers.
Al-Kalbi said: They were three hundred hypocrites; they returned with Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul.
﴿وَمَا أَصَابَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ﴾ يَعْنِي: جمع الْمُؤمنِينَ، وَجمع الْمُشْركين يَوْم أحد ﴿فبإذن الله﴾ أَي: الله أذن فِي ذَلِك ﴿وَلِيَعْلَمَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلِيَعْلَمَ الَّذِينَ نَافَقُوا﴾ وَهَذَا علم الفعال. ﴿وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا قَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَو ادفعوا﴾ أَي: كَثُرُوا السوَاد ﴿قَالُوا لَوْ نَعْلَمُ قِتَالا لاتَّبَعْنَاكُمْ هُمْ لِلْكُفْرِ يَوْمئِذٍ أقرب مِنْهُم للْإيمَان﴾ وَإِذا قَالَ الله: ﴿أقرب﴾ قَالَ الْحسن: فَهُوَ الْيَقِين؛ أَي: إِنَّهُم كافرون.
قَالَ الْكَلْبِيّ: كَانُوا ثَلَاثمِائَة مُنَافِق؛ رجعُوا مَعَ عبد الله بن أبي ابْن سلول؛
