وَعَلَى الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُوا حَتَّى إِذَا ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ وَظَنُّوا أَنْ لَا مَلْجَأَ مِنَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَتُوبُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ ﴿۱۱۸﴾ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ ﴿۱۱۹﴾ مَا كَانَ لِأَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُمْ مِنَ الْأَعْرَابِ أَنْ يَتَخَلَّفُوا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَرْغَبُوا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يُصِيبُهُمْ ظَمَأٌ وَلَا نَصَبٌ وَلَا مَخْمَصَةٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَطَئُونَ مَوْطِئًا يَغِيظُ الْكُفَّارَ وَلَا يَنَالُونَ مِنْ عَدُوٍّ نَيْلًا إِلَّا كُتِبَ لَهُمْ بِهِ عَمَلٌ صَالِحٌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿۱۲۰﴾

﴾118﴿ Wa 'alas salaasatil lazeena khullifoo hattaaa izaa daaqat 'alaihimul ardu bimaa rahubat wa daaqat 'alaihim anfusuhum wa zannnooo al laa malja-a minal laahi illaaa ilaihi summa taaba 'alaihim liyatooboo; innal laaha Huwat Tawwaabur Raheem
﴾119﴿ Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanut taqul laaha wa koonoo ma'as saadiqeen
﴾120﴿ Maa kaana li ahlil Madeenati wa man hawlahum minal A'raabi ai yatakhallafoo 'ar-Rasoolil laahi wa laa yarghaboo bi anfusihim 'an nafsih; zaalika bi annahum laa yuseebuhum zama unw wa laa nasabunw wa laa makhmasatun fee sabeelil laahi wa laa yata'oona mawti'ai yagheezul kuffaara wa laa yanaaloona min 'aduwwin nailan illaa kutiba lahum bihee 'amalun saalih; innal laaha laa yudee'u ajral muhsineen

﴾118﴿ And (he accepted repentance) from the three whose deal was delayed until the earth became narrow for them, despite its vastness And their hearts were filled with anguish for them, and they became certain that there was no refuge from the wrath of Allah, the Exalted, except to Him Then He granted them the opportunity to repent. Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, is the Acceptor of repentance, the Merciful
﴾119﴿ O you who believe, fear Allah Almighty and be with the truthful
﴾120﴿ It is not right for the people of Medina and those around them from the Bedouins to stay behind from the company of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace And they should not prefer their own souls to His. This ruling is because neither thirst nor fatigue nor hunger will befall them in the way of Allah Almighty, and they will not turn to a path that would anger the disbelievers And they do not gain anything from the enemy except that it is written down for them as a good deed. Indeed, Allah Almighty does not waste the reward of the doers of good

[118] This verse brings the glad tidings of accepted repentance for the three individuals previously mentioned in verse 106—namely: Kaʿb ibn Mālik, Hilāl ibn Umayyah, and Murārah ibn Rabīʿ (May Allah be pleased with him).
(خُلِّفُوا) – According to the narration of Kaʿb ibn Mālik (RA), this does not mean they "remained behind from jihad" (as that is the trait of the hypocrites), but rather refers to the fact that their judgment was delayed—they were left waiting without a decision on their repentance.
(ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَرْضُ) – Means the entire earth felt tight and constricted, because the Companions cut off interaction with them. The Prophet (ﷺ) had instructed everyone to stop speaking to them, and they were left completely isolated.
(وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ) – They were overtaken by a deep sense of internal grief, guilt, and emotional distress. Whenever their companions passed them, they spoke to them harshly, Or their own conscience weighed heavily, bringing intense sadness.
A saying from Abū Bakr al-Warrāq: > "The sign of sincere repentance (tawbah nasūḥ) is when a person feels this kind of constriction and deep sorrow over their sin."
(حَتَّى إِذَا) – Marks the culmination of their trial and emotional suffering. The phrase (ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ) is grammatically connected to (إِذَا ضَاقَتْ)—meaning, after all of that hardship, Allah finally accepted their repentance.
[119] This verse is both an encouragement to jihad and a prohibition from remaining behind after the earlier verses mentioned those who stayed back.
It also contains a call to accompany the mujahidīn and the truthful, highlighting the value of being among the sincere and righteous.
There are two commands in this verse:
1. First command: (اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ) – This refers to personal (individual) reform through taqwā, meaning developing God-consciousness and obedience in one’s own soul.
2. Second command: (كُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ) – This refers to social reform, i.e., choosing the companionship of the truthful—those who are sincere in faith, steadfast in jihad, and true in their word and action.
Together, these two principles guide the believer toward both inner righteousness and strong, sincere community ties.
[120] This verse is a strong encouragement toward jihad, delivered in two powerful ways: 1. The first method: Allah reminds the believers that the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace) himself engages in jihad, enduring hardship and striving in the path of Allah. So how can the believers refuse to do the same or excuse themselves from what the Prophet is bearing with patience?
2. The second method: Every difficulty and effort made during jihad is a source of reward. Even the smallest actions in this path are not wasted.
(وَلَا يَطَئُونَ مَوْطِئًا يُغِيظُ الْكُفَّارَ) – Whenever the believing mujahidīn set foot on land and move through territory, and the disbelievers see them and feel anger or fear—that too is written as a reward.
(وَلَا يَنَالُونَ) – Whether they kill disbelievers, defeat them in battle, or acquire spoils, all of these acts bring reward. No aspect of jihad is ever left unrewarded.
(أَنْ يَتَخَلَّفُوا عَنْهُ) – This implies that staying behind from the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace), or failing to accompany him, especially in jihad, is considered blameworthy and against the command.
(بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ) – Indicates that the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) personally bore immense physical hardship and pain during jihad. The lesson: You are not better than him. So, bear the hardships of jihad like he did and seek reward through sincere struggle.
This verse beautifully shows that every effort, movement, and sacrifice in the path of Allah is valued and rewarded, no matter how small it appears.