﴿ فَرِحَ ٱلْمُخَلَّفُونَ بِمَقْعَدِهِمْ خِلَٰفَ رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ وَكَرِهُوٓا۟ أَن يُجَٰهِدُوا۟ بِأَمْوَٰلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَقَالُوا۟ لَا تَنفِرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْحَرِّ ۗ قُلْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ أَشَدُّ حَرًّۭا ۚ لَّوْ كَانُوا۟ يَفْقَهُونَ ﴾

“THOSE [hypocrites] who were left behind rejoiced in their staying away [from war] after [the departure of] God's Apostle, for they hated the thought of striving with their possessions and their lives in God's cause; and they had [even] said [to the others], "Do not go forth to war in this heat!" Say: "The fire of hell is hotter by far!" Had they but grasped this truth!”

The battle of Tabuk occurred in an extremely hot season. From Madinah to the Syrian border three hundred miles had to be travelled. The hypocritical Muslims asked others not to undertake such a long journey in such extremely hot weather. In saying this they forgot that, after hearing the call of God, refusal to set out for fear of some danger amounted to putting oneself in greater danger. It was like running away from the sun and taking refuge in the flames of a fire. Those who are fonder of themselves and their wealth than God are very pleased with themselves if, by their attractive devices, they manage to remain ‘Muslims’ and at the same time there is no danger to their lives and property. They consider themselves wise and treat those people as foolish who struggle so hard for the cause of God that they have no time for themselves. But this is absolute nonsense. They may laugh now, but they will end up crying, because in the life to come after death, their ‘cleverness’ is going to prove to be the worst type of foolishness. At that time they will feel extremely sorry that, though they wanted paradise, they refused to part with the very asset which whould have gained them entry into it.