ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَٰهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَىُّ ٱلْحِزْبَيْنِ أَحْصَىٰ لِمَا لَبِثُوٓا۟ أَمَدًا
Important Words:
امدا (the time) is from امد (amida). They say ضرب له امدا i.e. he assigned or appointed for him or it a term or limit. بلغ امدہmeans, he or it reached or attained his or its utmost or extreme extent, term etc. امد means, time considered with regard to its end; the utmost or the extreme extent, term, limit, point or reach; the period of life which one has reached; each of the two terms of the life of a man, i.e. the time of his birth and the time of his death; the starting place and the finish (of horses in a race); any space of time; a space of time of unknown limit; a particular time etc. The difference between امدand زمان is that whereas the former is time considered with regard to its end, the latter is time considered with regard to both its end and its beginning. Similarly, the difference between امد and ابد is that while the former means time limited in duration, the latter means time everlasting. The Arabs say الدنیا امد والاخرة ابد i.e. the present state of existence is limited in duration, but the final state of existence is everlasting (Lane & Mufradat).
Commentary:
There were two parties among the early Christians: (a) Those who did not like to dissemble or dissimulate and knowing no compromise with unbelief and idolatry suffered persecution for their faith with patience and fortitude. These people had to seek refuge in caves: (b) Those who thinking prudence to be the better part of valour, concealed their faith and saved themselves from persecution. Of these two parties the one which suffered most were in a better position to remember the duration of the period of their persecution. Or it may be that the words "two parties" refer to the persecutors and the persecuted.
There seemed to be two parties among the early Christians: (a) Those who did not like to dissemble or dissimulate and knowing no compromise with unbelief and idolatry suffered persecution for their faith with patience and fortitude. These people had to seek refuge in caves. (b) Those who thinking prudence to be the better part of valour concealed their faith and saved themselves from persecution. "Two parties" may also refer to the persecutors and the persecuted.