Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And a group of them seeks permission from the Prophet, saying, ‘Our houses are exposed, and they are not exposed. They only want to flee.’”

Then Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said, based on this command and the fact that they have no standing: These are lesser than the first group, because the first group were called to flee without seeking permission. They said, “O Abd al-Wahhab, ” But as for these, they seek permission from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). However, their seeking permission from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is not like the seeking permission of the believers who were with him in a collective matter; they did not leave until they sought his permission. But they seek permission through deception and camouflage. For this reason, He says: meaning, from among the hypocrites, to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to return. They say: meaning, they seek permission. Because the form *istaf'ala* often means seeking something. From this is *istaghfara*, seeking forgiveness, and *ista'taba*, seeking reproof and admonition. And regarding His saying: the clause is either a *hal* (circumstantial phrase) from meaning, in the state of them saying, or it is an *atf bayan* (explanatory apposition) or a *badal* (substitute) for His saying: Both have a valid perspective. As for our saying it is a *hal*, it is because the indefinite noun here is described, and when an indefinite noun is described, it becomes specific, so it is permissible for a *hal* to occur from it. Is this not so, O Haidar? And as for our saying it is a *badal* or *atf bayan*, it is according to the saying of Ibn Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): “O you who memorize the *Alfiyyah*, what did he say?”
“And a verb is substituted for a verb, like one who comes to us seeking our help, encompassing”
Allah compensates for the effort; this is the result. So, two perspectives are permissible for it: that it is a *badal* for His saying: , and that it is an *atf bayan* like the *badal*, and that it is a *hal* from the subject of . He said, “Not fortified, feared for.” They say to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as the justification for seeking permission: and we fear for it from the enemy. Here, *'awrah* means not fortified, because a fortress protects it and covers it, just as a garment covers a man’s *'awrah*. So this is the meaning of their saying it is *'awrah*, meaning exposed, such that we cannot be safe from an enemy attack on it. And in a reading, it is *ghayr sabi'iyyah* with a kasrah on the waw, meaning defective. Allah the Exalted said, refuting their claims: The here, one should pause at His saying: because if you connect it, it would imply that His saying: is from the saying of the hypocrites, which would result in contradiction and corruption of the meaning. So you pause at then you resume the reading and say: