Translation of the meanings Ayah 77 Surah An-Nisā’ - English translation - Jacob - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

Ayah: 77

أَلَمۡ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ قِيلَ لَهُمۡ كُفُّوٓاْ أَيۡدِيَكُمۡ وَأَقِيمُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُواْ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلۡقِتَالُ إِذَا فَرِيقٞ مِّنۡهُمۡ يَخۡشَوۡنَ ٱلنَّاسَ كَخَشۡيَةِ ٱللَّهِ أَوۡ أَشَدَّ خَشۡيَةٗۚ وَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَا لِمَ كَتَبۡتَ عَلَيۡنَا ٱلۡقِتَالَ لَوۡلَآ أَخَّرۡتَنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ قَرِيبٖۗ قُلۡ مَتَٰعُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا قَلِيلٞ وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةُ خَيۡرٞ لِّمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰ وَلَا تُظۡلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا

77. Have you not seen those (Muslims) to whom it was said: Withhold your hands (from fighting)30, keep up the prayer and pay the poor-rate; but when fighting was ordained for them, at once a party of them (whose faith was weak) feared men as their fear of Allah, or (even) with a greater fear, and said: "(O Allah) our Lord, why have You ordained fighting for us? Would that you had granted us respite for a short period?" Say: "The provision of this world is short, and the Hereafter is better for him who guards against evil; and injustice will not be done to you, even (as much as) the thread of a date stone."

30. At the beginning they were asked to refrain from fighting, because they were not ready or in possession of the means to prevail, they were asked instead to first engage in a self disciplinary to prevail over their own weaknesses, by keeping up Prayers and dutifully giving out the prescribed alms.