Al-Ahzab · Madani · ayah 19 of 73

Al-Ahzab 33:19

أَشِحَّةً عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ ٱلْخَوْفُ رَأَيْتَهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ تَدُورُ أَعْيُنُهُمْ كَٱلَّذِى يُغْشَىٰ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۖ فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ ٱلْخَوْفُ سَلَقُوكُم بِأَلْسِنَةٍ حِدَادٍ أَشِحَّةً عَلَى ٱلْخَيْرِ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا۟ فَأَحْبَطَ ٱللَّهُ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ يَسِيرًا

“Indisposed[1190] toward you. And when fear comes, you see them looking at you, their eyes revolving like one being overcome by death. But when fear departs, they lash you with sharp tongues, indisposed toward [any] good. Those have not believed, so Allāh has rendered their deeds worthless, and ever is that, for Allāh, easy.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Fear makes them cling and stare, safety makes them scald with their tongues, and through both weathers they withhold every good.

A reflection

The loudest claim, and the lightest weight

Two classical commentators reconstruct what the hypocrites said once the danger had passed. We fought alongside you. It was because of us that you won. Because of us you beat your enemy. Now give us the larger share. Before the battle, one adds, they would have been content just to come home alive.

That is the voice of an ego that needs credit. It cannot bear to be left out of the story of a victory, even a victory it ran from.

The ayah answers in two short sentences. Allah has made their deeds come to nothing. And that is easy for Allah.

One classical commentator asks the obvious question. Everything is easy for Allah, so why say it here? His answer: because their deeds deserved this outcome completely. Everything pointed towards it, and nothing pulled the other way. Another commentator adds that He does not mind it, and fears no objection to it.

There is something deeply humbling in that word yasīr, easy. The hypocrites worked hard on their reputation. They argued loudly at the division of the spoils. They built a story in which they were heroes. And all of it was set aside without effort, the way you brush dust from a sleeve.

Picture a man at a wedding who spends the whole evening telling guests he introduced the couple. In fact, he once sat near them at a dinner. He repeats the story so often that he half believes it. Nobody contradicts him. But the bride's grandmother, who arranged the whole thing quietly over two years, says nothing at all. She has no need to.

The claim was loud. The weight was nothing.

Does Allah need to say this, as if to put rivals in their place? No. He is free of need. He says it for our sake, because the need to be credited is one of the most tiring things a human being carries. The ayah offers release. Your deeds are weighed by the One who cannot be impressed by noise. So you can stop shouting.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.