[Ayah 79] "Have you not seen those to whom it was said: 'Restrain your hands'"—the verse. Al-Kalbi said: They were with the Prophet, peace be upon him, in Makkah before he migrated to Madinah. They were suffering much harm from the polytheists, so they said: 'O Prophet of Allah, will you not permit us to fight (these people), for they have caused us harm?' The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to them: 'Restrain your hands from them, for I have not been commanded to fight them.' When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, migrated and marched toward Badr, they realized it was time for fighting and they disliked it, or some of them did.
(Page 69) Allah says: "But when fighting was prescribed for them, behold, a party of them feared men as they fear Allah or with [even] greater fear. They said, 'Our Lord, why have You prescribed fighting for us? If only'"—meaning, 'why did you not'—"'You had postponed it for us to a near term?'"—meaning, until death.
Allah said to the Prophet: "Say, 'The enjoyment of this world is little'"—meaning: you are going to die in any case, and being killed is better for you.
﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ قِيلَ لَهُم كفوا أَيْدِيكُم﴾ الْآيَة. قَالَ الْكَلْبِيّ: كَانُوا مَعَ النَّبي ﷺ بِمَكَّةَ قبل أَن يُهَاجر إِلَى الْمَدِينَة، وَكَانُوا يلقون من الْمُشْركين أَذَى كثيرا؛ فَقَالُوا: يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ أَلا تَأذن لنا فِي قتال (هَؤُلاءِ الْقَوْم)؛ فَإِنَّهُم قد آونا؟ فَقَالَ لَهُم رَسُول الله ﷺ: ((كُفُّوا أَيْدِيَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ؛ فَإِنِّي لَمْ أُؤْمَرْ بِقِتَالِهِمْ)) فَلَمَّا هَاجر رَسُول الله عليه السلام و [سَار] ِإلى بدر عرفُوا أَنَّهُ الْقِتَال كَرهُوا، أَو بَعضهم.
(ل ٦٩) قَالَ الله: ﴿فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمْ يَخْشَوْنَ النَّاسَ كَخَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ أَوْ أَشَدَّ خَشْيَةً وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا لِمَ كَتَبْتَ علينا الْقِتَال لَوْلَا﴾ هلا ﴿أَخَّرْتَنَا إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ﴾ إِلَى الْمَوْت.
قَالَ الله للنَّبِي: ﴿قل مَتَاع الدُّنْيَا قَلِيل﴾ أَي: إِنَّكُم على كل حَال ميتون، وَالْقَتْل خير لكم.
