الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُواْ لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَاناً وَقَالُواْ حَسْبُنَا اللّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ {173}

173. "Those to whom the people said: 'Verily the men have gathered against you, therefore fear them '. Yet it increased them in faith and they said: 'Allah is sufficient for us and how excellent is such a Protector!' "

Commentary:

The enemy, propagating agents, and some simple-minded and coward people advisingly inspire that the group of enemy is strong and none can combat them, so it is better not to entangle yourselves with fight. The true believers, without any fear and, as they are qualified in the verse, calmly answer them.

"Those to whom the people said: 'Verily the men have gathered against you, therefore fear them '. Yet it increased them in faith and they said: 'Allah is sufficient for us and how excellent is such a Protector! ' "

Explanations:

1. Be not frightened by the hollow propagations of the enemy.

2. In the fighting place and among the strivers, be careful of the penetrating members of the enemy.

3. The strongest barrier against all the threats of the enemy is Faith and trusting in Allah.

"... Allah is sufficient for us and how excellent is such a Protector!'"

4. When a believer happens to be inflicted with disasters, he increases his reliance and his connection with Allah.

"... Yet it increased them in faith ..."

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فَانقَلَبُواْ بِنِعْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَفَضْلٍ لَّمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوءٌ وَاتَّبَعُواْ رِضْوَانَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَظِيمٍ {174}

174. "So they returned (home) with the favour from Allah and (His) grace; no evil touched them and they followed the pleasure of Allah; and Allah is the Lord of Mighty Grace."

Commentary:

The wounded strivers of the Battle of 'Uhud were prepared again to defend Islam by the command of the Messenger of Allah(s). Then, they pursued the enemy as far as the camping-place of Hamra'-ul-Asad. So, the enemies, who were afraid of Muslims' preparation and courage, dispensed with attacking again and returned home. This verse is upon the praise of sincere wounded strivers of the Battle of 'Uhud. 

Explanations:  

1. There were many a man who adventured the danger and returned safely, and there were many coward ones who flew from the danger but finally encountered with misfortune.

"So they returned (home) with the favour from Allah and (His) grace; no evil touched them..."

2. For the godly men, the principal is the pleasure of Allah. Neither martyrdom, nor safety, nor injury, nor welfare is the principal for them.

"... and they followed the pleasure of Allah ..."

3. The great grace of Allah is destined to only the strivers who have participated in the Battle.

"... And Allah is the Lord of Mighty Grace."

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إِنَّمَا ذَلِكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ يُخَوِّفُ أَوْلِيَاءهُ فَلاَ تَخَافُوهُمْ وَخَافُونِ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ {175}

175. "It is only Satan that causes his friends to fear; but do not fear them and fear Me if you are believers."

Commentary:

A real believer does not fear of anyone other than Allah. Thus, Faith is not aloof from bravery. So, strivers ought to be afraid of only Allah and keep on being pious.

To impose horror and threat is the permanent policy of the powers. "It is only Satan that causes his friends to fear; but do not fear them and fear Me if you are believers."

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وَلاَ يَحْزُنكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْكُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لَن يَضُرُّواْ اللّهَ شَيْئاً يُرِيدُ اللّهُ أَلاَّ يَجْعَلَ لَهُمْ حَظًّا فِي الآخِرَةِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ {176}

176. "And-let not those who hasten on to disbelief grieve you. Verily they will never harm Allah at all, Allah intends to assign them no fortune in the Hereafter and they will have a great Torment."

Commentary:

It seemed that the people who were defeated in the Battle of 'Uhud were afraid of each other. They thought what would happen then that they were defeated and the infidels returned to Mecca Victoriously. In answer to them, the verse says that they would not be worried, because it was the respite of Allah in order that they could fill the capacity of their infidelity and that they do not have any merit in the coming world.  

Explanations:

1. Keep your peace and calmness, because the effort of disbelievers is ineffective in obliteration of Islam.

"And let not those who hasten on to disbelief grieve you..."

2. Wishful hastening in the field of infidelity deprives individuals, from having eligibility of repentance and receiving the grace of Allah.  

3. The infidelity of people does no harm to His Pure Essence.

"... Verily they will never harm Allah at all..."

4. To give respite to disbelievers is the way of treatment of Allah, not as a sign of unawareness or incapability unto it.

"….Allah intends to assign them no fortune in the Hereafter..."

5. Both the wrath of Allah and His Grace are great. (In the former couple of verses, the Qur'an gave glad tidings to the grace of Allah for those wounded strivers who got prepared for the second time to go to fight by the command of the Prophet (s). Here, it also refers to the great punishment belonging to the stubborn infidels).

"... and they will have a great torment."

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إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُاْ الْكُفْرَ بِالإِيمَانِ لَن يَضُرُّواْ اللّهَ شَيْئًا وَلهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ {177}

177. "Verily those who have bought infidelity for faith, never shall they harm Allah at all; and they will have a painful torment."

Commentary:

The subjects of buying and selling, and also gaining and losing, have frequently been repeated through different occurrences in the Qur'an. In this process, the Qur'an is considered as a market, where people are the sellers, the beliefs and thoughts are the goods, and sometimes Allah and sometimes other than Allah are the customers. In this market selling is compulsory, but electing the customers is up to the choice of human beings. That is, we cannot leave out what we have, including power, action, and belief, but we can set our belief and action in a path to be gainful or detrimental.

In the Qur'an, those who purchase with Allah and take Heaven and His pleasure in return, are praised, while another group are criticized. This group, for their perversion or for chosing gain, either do not make profit: "Yields them no profit" [56] or face with loss: "Surely man is in loss" [57], "That is a manifest loss." [58] And, in some verses, of the Qur'an like the above verse, those who sell their Faith in return with infidelity are despised, and, on the other side, the believers are consoled that the apostasy of that group has no harm to Allah or to the path of Allah.

"Verily those who have bought infidelity for faith, never shall they harm Allah at all; and they will have a painful torment."

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Notes:

[56] Sura Al-Baqarah, No.2, verse 16

[58] Sura Al-Hajj, No.22, verse 11