Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 4 An-Nisa, Ayat 141-141

الَّذِيۡنَ يَتَرَ بَّصُوۡنَ بِكُمۡ​ ۚ فَاِنۡ كَانَ لَـكُمۡ فَتۡحٌ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ قَالُـوۡۤا اَلَمۡ نَـكُنۡ مَّعَكُمۡ ​ ۖ وَاِنۡ كَانَ لِلۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ نَصِيۡبٌۙ قَالُـوۡۤا اَلَمۡ نَسۡتَحۡوِذۡ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَنَمۡنَعۡكُمۡ مِّنَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ​ ؕ فَاللّٰهُ يَحۡكُمُ بَيۡنَكُمۡ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيٰمَةِ ​ؕ وَلَنۡ يَّجۡعَلَ اللّٰهُ لِلۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ عَلَى الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ سَبِيۡلًا‏ ﴿4:141﴾

(4:141) These hypocrites watch you closely: if victory is granted to you by Allah, they will say: 'Were we not with you?' And were the unbelievers to gain the upper hand, they will say: 'Did we not have mastery over you, and yet we protected you from the believers?'171 It is Allah Who will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection, and He will not allow the unbelievers, in any way, to gain advantage over the believers.


Notes

171. This is typical of the hypocrites of every age. Such people try to avail themselves of all the benefits which can accrue from a verbal profession of Islam and identification with the Islamic community. They also try to secure the advantages to be obtained by associating with the unbelievers, by assuring them in every possible way about themselves that they are not 'fanatic Muslims', that their association with the Muslims is only nominal. On the other hand, they never fail to assure the unbelievers that their loyalties and concerns are the same as theirs, that in mental outlook, cultural orientation and taste they are in harmony with them, and that if a decisive conflict between Islam and unbelief were to take place, their weight will certainly be on the side of the latter.