At-Tawbah 118: And (Allah accepted the repentance) of the three people left behind (from the campaign). Despite its vastness, the face of the earth appeared tight to them and their hearts straitened them. Finally, they realized that there is no other means but seeking refuge in Allah from Allah(‘s punishment). With their return (to their old self), Allah accepted their repentance. Verily, Allah is Tawwab (the One who accepts repentance) and Raheem (the One who very generously accepts repentance).

Perhaps, because of their (?) that campaign, the remorse felt afterwards and the pangs of conscience — in return, with that light of faith shining in him again, people asking Allah Almighty, for the mistakes they made, for pardon and forgiveness; otherwise, when it says 'former state', it is not a state of having left Islam and then entered Islam again.

Those who, deceived by the hypocrites' words, did not set out on the campaign and hesitated to repent — since they had given a good covenant to Allah Almighty at (?) — because their nafs had not reached perfection in the world, even though they were deceived by the hypocrites' words, even though they took their places beside them, then, from the fitra in themselves — that is, that fitra in them we call the light of faith, yes — because of that light of faith, from the fitra within them, they came to understand their mistakes. They regretted what they had done. That is, they felt remorse about not having set out on the campaign.

Then, since the time of those who set out had passed, since there would be no campaign again, in the pangs of conscience at not having gone on that campaign, this world became too narrow for them. Because of the mistakes they made.

Although the earth is wide, the distress and depression in their hearts, in the (?) of what they had done, made it narrow for them. Their conscience pressed them harder and harder, and finally they found no way out of Allah's punishment but again to take refuge in Allah. Then, by repenting to Allah, they returned to their former state.

So when we say here they returned to their former state, it is not that they left Islam and (?); they returned to the state of love and devotion of their early Islam.

'They returned to their former state' here means: it was Islam. It does not mean that they turned away from Islam and then became Muslims again. Had such a thing happened, they would have become murtad. Murtad — that is, apostates. Yes. The meaning here (?). Every soul that made a covenant with Allah Almighty, by acting within that covenant, can carry on its life. Of course: a person comes into the world in Islam, lives in unbelief, leaves in Islam. Yet Islam is a covenant; in the environment he found himself in the world, with bad habits, in a way not in keeping with that covenant, not in keeping with the covenant he gave, he behaved. In the end, since man has traits that will return to his covenant, those traits reach perfection and he returns to his origin.

(?) does this resemble? (?) does it resemble? Take a fruit tree. Let's say a fig tree.

This fig tree bears fruit. Its fruit is the fig. But it is unripe, not ready yet. In the form of a bud. Well, if you eat it, it is bitter, of course. In time, if this fruit ripens, you cannot get enough of its taste. Likewise people, at the root, have such a ripe, beautiful fig-fruit state, a state of Islam. But since in living in the world they are in a bad environment, just as that fig's bud is unripe, as it is unripe, so a person's behavior is outside that covenant. But in fact, at the root, he has good character. Good character. Over time a person reaches perfection, and with that perfection, as a result of the covenant he gave Allah, he returns to his covenant.

In the end everyone returns to their covenant. So in this sense, its saying 'they returned to their former state' — probably because they returned to the covenant they had given Allah Almighty, Allah forgave them. That is, in response to the Prophet's saying 'join the Tabuk campaign', these, deceived by the hypocrites, with words like 'does one go on a campaign in this heat now?', those who discouraged some people from the campaign and those who did not go on that campaign — since in the end they were Muslims, the light of faith in them pressed them harder and harder; the earth became narrow for them.

So, when at Qalu Bala He made them covenant with Allah Almighty, as a result of the good covenant they had given to Allah Almighty, the person, in the world, again, because of that mistake he had made, returned to Allah. He swiftly returned once more to the result of the earlier covenant he had given Allah Almighty.

And Allah Almighty forgave them. If, perhaps, the covenant they gave had been bad, since their desires and wishes are written for them as destiny, the earth, despite all its (?), would not be narrow for them, and their conscience would not press them harder and harder. Like whom? Like the hypocrites. Like whom? Like non-Muslims. Yes.

Finally they (?). Their own traits — the traits turned them to the covenant they gave Allah, and they attained Allah's forgiveness. Allah Almighty is the One who accepts repentance abundantly. For there is no other god besides Allah that a person could turn to and (?). So Allah is compassionate and merciful toward His creatures. Because people (?). People, however, can take the crooked for straight and the straight for crooked. When a person, realizing his mistake, returns to Allah and seeks repentance and forgiveness, since Allah is very merciful and forgiving toward His servants, people attain Allah's forgiveness. As most compassionate and forgiving they find Allah. (?).

This verse (?): it is understood that even in the (?) realm, by their own will, whatever people ask of Allah, Allah gives them. Whether it be good or evil. So, although their covenants were good, these Companions, or people like them who will (?) — until they return to their covenant, such people, while in the world, may live in a state contrary to their covenant. In return, they experience depression in their own conscience. So the greatest punishment of people living outside their covenant is distress in their hearts, not finding peace in their conscience, and, with people's depressions, the earth being (?) narrow to them — people living outside their covenant.

These, having seen the truth with the light of faith, and then, since they cannot extinguish that light of faith — take a lamp. A lamp. Cover the top of the lamp. So that nothing leaks outside. What happens? The outside stays in darkness. But the inside is bright, the inside is boiling. But the outside is dark; this time in a person, um, contradictory thoughts arise. With those contradictory thoughts, people fall into unease.

The non-Muslim is not like this. The non-Muslim's heart is uneasy and scattered too. But when we compare with Islam, Islam's light in the heart — when you cover it with a cover and leave that light bright inside, the outside dark — that darkness, what we call the darkness outside them, is kufr, or covering that light with qualities, outside one's character, that Allah does not want. But the light is a light inside. The light of faith. It boils inside. The outside darkness — the person falls into unease between outside and inside. The non-Muslim is not like this. The non-Muslim has no light in him anyway.

He has no light of faith. His inside is dark, and his outside is dark too. He is uneasy anyway. That is why Allah Almighty, in the verse, says this about them: their hearts are uneasy and scattered, they said. Yes.

Let's look at this. They experience depression in their own conscience; so, of people living outside their covenant, the greatest punishment is distress in their hearts, not finding peace in their conscience, and, with people's depressions, the earth (?) for them. Yes, among those who did not join the Tabuk campaign were the Companions Ka'b ibn Malik, Hilal ibn Umayya and Murara ibn Rabi', and it is said that the three people mentioned in this verse are them. Allah knows best. (?) These are narrations; perhaps, if it is not so, we would have (?) these people, — Allah knows best.