And when a faction of them said, "O people of Yathrib,1185 there is no stability for you [here], so return [home]." And a party of them asked permission of the Prophet, saying, "Indeed, our houses are exposed [i.e., unprotected]," while they were not exposed. They did not intend except to flee.
Notes
[1185] The name by which al-Madīnah was known before the arrival of the Prophet (ﷺ).
Verse 13 of Surah Al-Ahzab (33:13), a Medinan surah, is in juz 21, on page 419 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 73 reciters.
Listen to verse 13 of Surah Al-Ahzab
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Tafsir of verse 13
Al-Mukhtasar
O Messenger, remember when a group of hypocrites said to the people of Madina: “O people of Yathrib (the name for Madina before Islam), there is no stability for you by the peak of Silah near the trench, so return to your homes”. And a group of them was seeking permission from the Prophet (peace be upon him) to return to their homes, claiming that their homes were exposed to the enemy, but they were not exposed as they claimed. They were only seeking to flee from their enemy through this false excuse.
And [remember] when a group of them said, “O people of Yathrib11, you cannot withstand [the enemy attack], so go back.” Another group of them asked the Prophet’s permission to leave, saying, “Our homes are exposed,” even though they were not exposed; they only wanted to flee.
Notes
[11] This was the name of Madīnah prior to the arrival of the Prophet (ﷺ).
And when a party of them said: "O people of Yathrib (Al-Madinah)! There is no stand (possible) for you (against the enemy attack!) Therefore go back!" And a band of them ask for permission of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying: "Truly, our homes lie open (to the enemy)." And they lay not open. They but wished to flee.
And when a party of them said: O folk of Yathrib! There is no stand (possible) for you, therefor turn back. And certain of them (even) sought permission of the Prophet, saying: Our homes lie open (to the enemy). And they lay not open. They but wished to flee.
Behold! A party among them said: "Ye men of Yathrib! ye cannot stand (the attack)! therefore go back!" And a band of them ask for leave of the Prophet, saying, "Truly our houses are bare and exposed," though they were not exposed they intended nothing but to run away.
And when a party of them said: O people of Yasrib! there is no place to stand for you (here), therefore go back; and a party of them asked permission of the prophet, saying. Surely our houses are exposed; and they were not exposed; they only desired to fly away.
And as a section of them said, " O population of Yathrib, Al-Madinah) there is no stationing (here) for you, so return!" And a group of them were asking permission of the Prophet, saying, "Surely our houses are privacies." (Or: weak spots; i.e., They begged permission to protect their own homes) And in no way were they privacies; decidedly they would like (to seek) nothing except flight.
