When the Prophet s summoned men for the Tabūk campaign and they thought it too burdensome because of the hardship and the extreme heat from which they were suffering the following was revealed O you who believe what is wrong with you that when it is said to you ‘Go forth in the way of God’ you sink down heavily iththāqaltum the original tā’ of tathāqaltum has been assimilated with the thā’ and the conjunctive hamza has been supplied in other words you hesitate and are disinclined to participate in the struggle to the ground to stay sitting upon it? the interrogative is meant as a rebuke. Are you so content with the life of this world and its delights rather than with the Hereafter? that is in place of its bliss? Yet the enjoyment of the life of this world is in comparison with the enjoyment of the Hereafter but little trivial.
