"Wa-idha ra'aw tijaratan aw lahwan infaddu ilayha wa tarakuka qa'ima" (And when they see a transaction or a diversion, they disperse to it and leave you standing). Al-Hasan's interpretation: A caravan used to come to Medina once in a lifetime, and it arrived on a Friday, so the people went out to it, and Allah revealed this verse.

Yahya said: I heard someone say: The 'transaction' (tijarah) refers to the caravan that used to arrive. The 'diversion' (lahw) refers to Dihyah al-Kalbi, who had arrived with a caravan from the Levant. He was a handsome man; Gabriel used to come to the Prophet in his likeness. A caravan arrived, and Dihyah was with them while the Prophet was delivering the Friday sermon. They snuck away to look at the caravan—which was the 'transaction'—and they looked at Dihyah al-Kalbi—who was the 'diversion'. They were diverted by looking at his face and left the Friday prayer.

Qatada said: "The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded them to count themselves, and they were only twelve men."