﴿ أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ قِيلَ لَهُمْ كُفُّوٓا۟ أَيْدِيَكُمْ وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْقِتَالُ إِذَا فَرِيقٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ يَخْشَوْنَ ٱلنَّاسَ كَخَشْيَةِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْ أَشَدَّ خَشْيَةًۭ ۚ وَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا لِمَ كَتَبْتَ عَلَيْنَا ٱلْقِتَالَ لَوْلَآ أَخَّرْتَنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ قَرِيبٍۢ ۗ قُلْ مَتَٰعُ ٱلدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٌۭ وَٱلْءَاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌۭ لِّمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا ﴾

“ART THOU NOT aware of those who have been told, "Curb your hands, and be constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues"? But as soon as fighting [in God's cause] is ordained for them, lo, some of them stand in awe of men as one should stand in awe of God - or in even greater awe - and say, "O our Sustainer! Why hast Thou ordained fighting for us? If only Thou hadst granted us a delay for a little while!" Say: "Brief is the enjoyment of this world, whereas the life to come is the best for all who are conscious of God - since none of you shall be wronged by as much as a hair's breadth.”

(Hast thou not seen those unto whom it was said: Withhold your hands�) [4:77]. Said al-Kalbi: �This verse was revealed about some Companions of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, among whom were �Abd al-Rahman ibn �Awf, al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad, Qudamah ibn Maz�un and Sa�d ibn Abi Waqqas. These Companions were subjected to a lot of harm from the idolaters. They used to say: �O Messenger of Allah, allow us to fight them�, but his answer was always: �Keep your hands off them, for I have not been commanded to fight them�. When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, migrated to Medina and Allah, exalted is He, commanded them to fight the idolaters, some of them disliked fighting and found it very hard. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. Sa�id ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-�Adl informed us> Abu �Amr Hamdan> al-Hasan ibn Sufyan> Muhammad ibn �Ali> his father> al-Husayn ibn Waqid> �Amr ibn Dinar> �Ikrimah> Ibn �Abbas who related that �Abd al-Rahman ibn �Awf and some of his fellow companions went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, in Mecca and said: �O Prophet of Allah, we were mighty when we were idolaters but now that we are believers we became humiliated�. He said to them: �I am commanded to pardon, do not fight these people�. But when Allah, exalted is He, made him move to Medina, He commanded him to fight, they withheld their hands, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Hast thou not seen those unto whom it was said: Withhold your hands�).