وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّمَا كُنَّا نَخُوضُ وَنَلْعَبُ ۚ قُلْ أَبِاللَّهِ وَآيَاتِهِ وَرَسُولِهِ كُنتُمْ تَسْتَهْزِئُونَ (65)
(9:65) If you question them ("What were you talking about?"), they will promptly answer, "We were merely jesting and making merry.' *73 Ask them, "What, then! were you mocking at Allah and His Revelations and His Messenger?
*73) This refers to the hypocrites who used to make fun of the Holy Prophet and the true Muslims in their secret meetings when they were making preparations for the expedition to Tabuk. In this way, they used to discourage those Muslims who sincerely and honestly intended to go forth for Jihad. We learn many things in this connection from the traditions. For instance, in one of their meetings, when the hypocrites were having a gossip, one of them remarked, "I say! Do you think that the Romans are no better than the Arabs ? You will see that in the near future these "brave" men will be bound with ropes." Another responded to this, "What a fun it would be if after this each one of them is lashed with a hundred stripes ! " Still another, ridiculing the preparations by the Prophet for the expedition, remarked, "Look at this man, and his preparations ! He intends to go forth to conquer the forts in Syria and the Roman Empire."