Surah Al Ahzab Tafseer

وَإِذْ قَالَت طَّايِفَةٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَا أَهْلَ يَثْرِبَ

And when a party of them said:"O people of Yathrib..."

meaning Al-Madinah, as it was reported in the Sahih:

أُرِيتُ فِي الْمَنَامِ دَارَ هِجْرَتِكُمْ أَرْضٌ بَيْنَ حَرَّتَيْنِ فَذَهَبَ وَهَلِي أَنَّهَا هَجَرُ فَإِذَا هِيَ يَثْرِب

I was shown in a dream the place to which you will migrate, a land between two lava fields. At first I thought it was Hajar, but it turned out to be Yathrib.

According to another narration:

الْمَدِينَة

(Al-Madinah).

It was said that the origin of its name Yathrib was that a man settled there from (the people of) Al-Amaliq whose name was Yathrib bin Ubayd bin Mahlayil bin `Aws bin Amlaq bin Lawudh bin Iram bin Sam bin Nuh.

This was the view of As-Suhayli.

He said:

"And it was narrated from some of them that he said, `It is given eleven names in the Tawrah:Al-Madinah, Tabah, Tayyibah, Al-Miskinah, Al-Jabirah, Al-Muhibbah, Al-Mahbubah, Al-Qasimah, Al-Majburah, Al-`Adhra' and Al-Marhumah."'

لَاا مُقَامَ لَكُمْ

There is no position for you.

means, `here, with the Prophet , you cannot stand guard,'

فَارْجِعُوا

Therefore go back,

means, `to your houses and dwellings'.

وَيَسْتَأْذِنُ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمُ النَّبِيَّ

And a band of them ask for permission of the Prophet,

Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him said,

"These were Banu Harithah, who said, `We fear for our homes, that they may be robbed."'

This was also stated by others.

Ibn Ishaq mentioned that the one who said this was `Aws bin Qayzi.

يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَةٌ

saying:"Truly, our homes lie open."

They were using as an excuse to go back to their houses the claim that they were lying open and had nothing to protect them from the enemy, so they were afraid for their homes. But Allah said:

وَمَا هِيَ بِعَوْرَةٍ

And they lay not open.

meaning, it is not as they claim.

إِن يُرِيدُونَ إِلاَّ فِرَارًا

They but wished to flee.

means, they wanted to run away from the battlefield