Some say: do not march in the heat

قول بعضهم: لا تنفروا في الحر

October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AH

Medina

Some of the 'hypocrites', in Ibn Ishaq's account, said to one another: do not march out in the heat — in disdain for the campaign, doubt of the truth and to demoralise the Prophet ﷺ's side; he says two verses of Sura al-Tawba were revealed about them.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Arabia
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

In time

620630640
The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate

In space

Medina

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Summary

Some men of the "hypocrites", in Ibn Ishaq's account, said to one another: do not march out in the heat — out of scant appetite for jihad, doubt in the truth and agitation against the Prophet; he says two verses of Sura al-Tawba came down about them. 1

The account

Men of the hypocrites said to one another: do not march out in the heat. This is Ibn Ishaq's own description of them and of their motives: scant appetite for jihad, doubt in the truth and agitation against the Prophet. 1

He says God sent down about them verses 81 and 82 of Sura al-Tawba. 1

What was revealed in the event

  • Qur'an 9:81: revealed about those who said "do not march out in the heat", in Ibn Ishaq's account (p. 160).
  • Qur'an 9:82: revealed about those who said "do not march out in the heat", in Ibn Ishaq's account (p. 160).

Markers of weakness and doubt

  • The word "hypocrites" and the description of motives are Ibn Ishaq's phrasing; the museum does not attribute it to itself.

Connections

Explore the connections

Part of
The expedition to Tabuk
Occurred at
Medina
Revealed in
Qur'an 9:81· Qur'an 9:82

People and things also explored

al-Jadd ibn Qays asks leave to stay behind· The Bedouin excuse-makers· Four believers lag behind without doubt· The builders of the mosque ask the Prophet to pray in it· The Prophet orders the people to prepare to fight the Byzantines· The three who were left behind after Tabuk· The Weepers: seven who asked to be carried· Uthman funds the army of hardship

Sources

  1. al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936) , 4/160
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Some say: do not march in the heat”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/hypocrites-discourage-marching-in-the-heat/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Related

al-Jadd ibn Qays asks leave to stay behind

Al-Jadd ibn Qays of Banu Salima asked the Prophet whether he had any part in fighting the Banu al-Asfar, meaning the Byzantines, and excused himself as a man too fond of women who feared temptation; the Prophet turned away from him and gave him leave. Ibn Ishaq says a verse of Sura al-Tawba was revealed about him, explaining that his falling into temptation by staying behind was greater than what he feared.