Then He informed them—to console and encourage them—saying: "Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be within towers of lofty construction." Qatadah said: This means in fortified palaces.
Al-Hasan said: Then He specifically mentioned the hypocrites, saying: "But if good comes to them"—meaning victory and spoils of war—"they say, 'This is from Allah'; but if evil befalls them"—meaning a calamity from the enemy—"they say, 'This is from you'"—meaning, 'we were only afflicted by this as a punishment since you came among us'; they treat him as an omen of bad luck. "Say, 'All [things] are from Allah'"—both victory over the enemies and the calamity. "So what is [the matter] with those people that they can hardly understand any statement?"
ثُمَّ أخْبرهُم - ليعزيهم ويصبرهم - فَقَالَ: ﴿أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا يُدْرِكْكُمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنْتُم فِي بروج مشيدة﴾ قَالَ قَتَادَة: يَعْنِي: فِي قُصُور مُحصنَة.
قَالَ الحَسَن: ثُمَّ ذكر الْمُنَافِقين خَاصَّة فَقَالَ: ﴿وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ حَسَنَة﴾ النَّصْر وَالْغنيمَة ﴿يَقُولُوا هَذِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ﴾ نكبة من الْعَدو ﴿يَقُولُوا هَذِهِ من عنْدك﴾ أَي: إنَّمَا أَصَابَنَا هَذَا عُقُوبَة مذ خرجت فِينَا؛ يتشاءمون بِهِ. ﴿قُلْ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ﴾ النَّصْر على الْأَعْدَاء والنكبة. ﴿فَمَا لهَؤُلَاء الْقَوْمِ لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ حَدِيثًا﴾
