Surat Muhammad Verse No. 20: Reading and listening
Translation of the verse 20 from Surah Muhammad : Number of verses 38 - - page 509 - Part 26.
﴾وَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَوۡلَا نُزِّلَتۡ سُورَةٞۖ فَإِذَآ أُنزِلَتۡ سُورَةٞ مُّحۡكَمَةٞ وَذُكِرَ فِيهَا ٱلۡقِتَالُ رَأَيۡتَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٞ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيۡكَ نَظَرَ ٱلۡمَغۡشِيِّ عَلَيۡهِ مِنَ ٱلۡمَوۡتِۖ فَأَوۡلَىٰ لَهُمۡ ﴿
[ محمد: 20]
Those who believe say: "Why is not a Surah (chapter of the Quran) sent down (for us)? But when a decisive Surah (explaining and ordering things) is sent down, and fighting (Jihad - holy fighting in Allah's Cause) is mentioned (i.e. ordained) therein, you will see those in whose hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy) looking at you with a look of one fainting to death. But it was better for them (hypocrites, to listen to Allah and to obey Him).
English - Sahih International
Those who believe say, "Why has a surah not been sent down? But when a precise surah is revealed and fighting is mentioned therein, you see those in whose hearts is hypocrisy looking at you with a look of one overcome by death. And more appropriate for them [would have been]
Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi
(47:20) The believers used to say: 'Why is a surah (that would ordain fighting) not revealed?' But when a definitive surah was revealed wherein fighting was mentioned, you saw that those in whose hearts there was a sickness looked at you as though they were about to faint at the approach of death. *32 Pity on them!
Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi
*32) That is, "In view of the conditions through which the Muslims were passing and the attitude that the disbelievers had adopted towards Islam and the Muslims at that time the believers were generally of the opinion that they should be permitted to fight even before fighting was actually enjoined by Allah. Rather they were asking Allah's Command in this regard impatiently and were awaiting again and again: "Why are we not permitted to fight these wicked people '?" But the condition of the people who had joined the ranks of the Muslims hypocritically was quite different from that of the believers. They held their lives and their properties as dearer to themselves than Allah and His Religion, and were not prepared to risk them at any cost. Therefore, as soon as fighting was enjoined they were clearly sorted out from the true believers. fill the time fighting had not been enjoined, the hypocrites and the common believers could not be distinguished one from the other. The hypocrites offered the Prayer just as the true believers did: they observed the Fast just like them, and practiced every article of the Faith as made no demand of a sacrifice on them. But when time came for making the supreme sacrifice of life for the sake of Islam, their hypocrisy was exposed and their veil of false display of the Faith was rent asunder. In Surah An-Nisa', their this state has been described thus: "Have you marked those to whom it was said: W withhold your handsa while and establish the salat and pay the zakat? Now that the fighting has been enjoined for them,some of them fear the people as they should fear AIIah, or even snore than that; they say: Our Lord, why havc You enjoined fighting for us? Why havc You not given us a brief respite?" (v. 77)