"And they say, 'Obedience'"—meaning by this, the hypocrites; they say that to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Muhammad said: "Obedience" is in the nominative case, meaning: our command is obedience. "Then when they leave your presence," meaning they go out, "a faction of them plans by night"—Qatadah said: meaning a faction of them alters—"other than what you say. And Allah records what they plan by night," meaning: what they alter.
Muhammad said: It is said the meaning is: they spoke and determined by night other than [what they brought to you] by day. The Arabs use the term "to plan by night" (bayyata) for everything that is contemplated or discussed by night. From this is the saying of the poet:
They came to me, but I was not pleased with what they planned by night, And they had come to me for a reprehensible matter.
﴿وَيَقُولُونَ طَاعَة﴾ يَعْنِي بِهِ: الْمُنَافِقين؛ يَقُولُونَ ذَلِكَ لرَسُول الله عليه السلام.
قَالَ مُحَمَّد: وَارْتَفَعت ﴿طَاعَة﴾ بِمَعْنى: أمرنَا طَاعَة. ﴿فَإِذَا بَرَزُوا﴾ خَرجُوا ﴿مِنْ عِنْدِكَ بَيَّتَ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُم﴾ قَالَ قَتَادَة: يَعْنِي غيرت طَائِفَة مِنْهُمْ ﴿غَيْرَ الَّذِي تَقُولُ وَاللَّهُ يكْتب مَا يبيتُونَ﴾ أَي: يغيرون
قَالَ مُحَمَّد: قِيلَ: الْمَعْنى: قَالُوا وقدروا لَيْلًا غير [مَا أتوك] نَهَارا، وَالْعرب تَقُولُ لكل مَا فُكِّر فِيهِ، أَو خِيضَ بلَيْل: قد بَيت، وَمن هَذَا قَول الشَّاعِر:
(أَتَوْنِي فَلم أَرض مَا بيتوا … وَكَانُوا أَتَوْنِي لأمر نكر)
