Quran Universe
48:12

بَلۡ ظَنَنتُمۡ أَن لَّن يَنقَلِبَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِيهِمۡ أَبَدٗا وَزُيِّنَ ذَٰلِكَ فِي قُلُوبِكُمۡ وَظَنَنتُمۡ ظَنَّ ٱلسَّوۡءِ وَكُنتُمۡ قَوۡمَۢا بُورٗا

Bal thanantum an lan yanqaliba alrrasoolu waalmuminoona ila ahleehim abadan wazuyyina thalika fee quloobikum wathanantum thanna alssawi wakuntum qawman booran

But you thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to their families, ever, and that was made pleasing in your hearts. And you assumed an assumption of evil and became a people ruined."

Word by word
  1. بَلۡNay
  2. ظَنَنتُمۡyou thought
  3. أَنthat
  4. لَّن(would) never
  5. يَنقَلِبَreturn
  6. ٱلرَّسُولُthe Messenger
  7. وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَand the believers
  8. إِلَىٰٓto
  9. أَهۡلِيهِمۡtheir families
  10. أَبَدٗاever
  11. وَزُيِّنَthat was made fair-seeming
  12. ذَٰلِكَthat was made fair-seeming
  13. فِيin
  14. قُلُوبِكُمۡyour hearts
  15. وَظَنَنتُمۡAnd you assumed
  16. ظَنَّan assumption
  17. ٱلسَّوۡءِevil
  18. وَكُنتُمۡand you became
  19. قَوۡمَۢاa people
  20. بُورٗاruined
Al-Fath · 48:12Madinah

You thought they would never come home.

The real reason they stayed behind

What they really thought
they will not returnthe believers will die
made
pleasingin their hearts
became
ruinedgoing to destruction
What staying home was
just busya small lapse
an evil thoughtabout Allah's promise

Ibn Kathir explains: your staying behind was not a simple lapse; it came from thinking the Muslims would all be killed and never return. They let that idea settle and feel right. Ibn Abbas and Mujahid said the word bur means headed for destruction.

You do not join the new project because, honestly, you expect it to fail and do not want to be on the losing side. The excuse was being busy. The real reason was low trust. Notice what you are betting on.

I stayed out because I was busy, nothing more.

Sometimes I stay out of good things because I do not trust Allah's promise.

Try this

Ask yourself honestly why you avoided one good thing recently. Write the real reason.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 48:11)

Those of the bedouins who lagged behind will say to you: "Our possessions and our families occupied us, so ask forgiveness for us." They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Say: "Who then has any power at all (to intervene) on your behalf with Allah, if He intends you hurt or intends you benefit? Nay, but Allah is Aware of what you do (11)Nay, but you thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to their families, and that was made fair seeming in your hearts, and you did think an evil thought and you became a Bura. (12)And whosoever does not believe in Allah and His Messenger, then verily, We have prepared for the disbelievers a blazing Fire (13)And to Allah belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. He forgives whom He wills, and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful (14)

The Fabricated Excuse offered by Those Who lagged behind and did not participate in Al-Hudaybiyyah; Allahs Warning for Them

Allah informs His Messenger ﷺ of the excuses that the bedouins who lagged behind would offer him, those bedouins who preferred to remain in their homes and possessions and did not join the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. They offered an excuse for lagging behind, as that of being busy – in their homes and with their wealth! They asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to invoke Allah to forgive them, not because they had faith in the Prophet ﷺ and his invocation, but to show off and pretend. This is why Allah the Exalted said about them,

يَقُولُونَ بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ مَا لَيْسَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ ۚ قُلْ فَمَنْ يَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا إِنْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ ضَرًّا أَوْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ نَفْعًا ۚ

(They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Say: "Who then has any power at all (to intervene) on your behalf with Allah, if He intends you hurt or intends you benefit?")

Allah says, none can resist what Allah has decided in your case, all praise and honor belong to Him. Allah is the Knower of your secrets and what your hearts conceal, even if you pretend and choose to be hypocritical with us. This is why Allah the Exalted said,

بَلْ كَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا

(Nay, but Allah is Ever All-Aware of what you do.) then He said,

بَلْ ظَنَنْتُمْ أَنْ لَنْ يَنْقَلِبَ الرَّسُولُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِيهِمْ أَبَدًا 

(Nay, but you thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to their families,) 'for your lagging behind was not an excusable act or just a sin. Rather, your lagging behind was because of hypocrisy and because you thought that the Muslims would be killed to the extent of extermination, their lives would be extinguished and none of them will ever come back,'

وَظَنَنْتُمْ ظَنَّ السَّوْءِ وَكُنْتُمْ قَوْمًا بُورًا

(and you did think an evil thought and you became a people Bur) going for destruction, according to 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas, Mujahid and several others. Qatadah explained Bur to mean, corrupt and some said that it is a word used in the Arabic dialect of the area of Oman. Allah the Exalted then said,

وَمَنْ لَمْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ 

(And whosoever does not believe in Allah and His Messenger,) Allah states here that whoever does not purify his actions outwardly and inwardly for Allah's sake, then Allah the Exalted will punish him in the Blazing Fire, even if he pretends to show people that he follows the faith, contradicting his true creed. Allah the Exalted then states that He is the Only Authority, King and Owner Who has full control over the residents of the heavens and earth,

يَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا

(He forgives whom He wills, and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful.) with those who repent, return and submit to Him with humiliation.