لَوْ يَجِدُونَ مَلْجَـًٔا أَوْ مَغَٰرَٰتٍ أَوْ مُدَّخَلًا لَّوَلَّوْا۟ إِلَيْهِ وَهُمْ يَجْمَحُونَ
Important Words:
یجمحون (rushing uncontrollably) is derived from جمح. They say جمح الفرس i.e. the horse broke loose or ran way and went at random so as not to be turned by anything; or it ran so as to have the mastery over its rider. جمح الرجل means, the man went at random without consideration or aim and not obeying a guide to the right course. جمح مرادہ means, the object of his desire baffled his efforts to attain it. The words ھم یجمحون mean, they hasten or go quickly so that nothing turns them back, like horses that become ungovernable by their riders (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The preceding verse speaks of the extreme fear of the hypocrites. As one, who is in a state of fear, generally takes to one of the three possible places of rescue, the present verse refers to all those three places, whether real or supposed. These are (1) ملجأ i.e. place of refuge; (2) مغارات i.e. caves; and (3) مدخلا i.e. a hole or a burrow. The first idea of a man in fright is to go to his friends and seek refuge with them. This is referred to in the word ملجأ (place of refuge). If, however, one has no friend to go to, one seeks the shelter of nature in a cave, etc. This is spoken of in the word مغارات (caves). But there may be occasions when even a cave is not available for shelter. In such a case, a frightened man tries to hide his head in any hole or burrow that may happen to be near, just as an animal in fright does. This is referred to in the word مدخلا (hole). Thus, the verse refers to the extreme fear of the hypocrites which they feel when confronted with an opportunity to fight in the way of God.