وَلَوْ أَنَّا كَتَبْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَنِ ٱقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ أَوِ ٱخْرُجُوا۟ مِن دِيَـٰرِكُم مَّا فَعَلُوهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ مِّنْهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ فَعَلُوا۟ مَا يُوعَظُونَ بِهِۦ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ تَثْبِيتًا
Wa law annaa katabnaa 'alaihim aniq tulooo anfusakum awikh rujoo min diyaarikum maa fa'aloohu illaa qaleelum minhum wa law annahum fa'aloo maa yoo'azoona bihee lakaana khairal lahum wa ashadda tasbeetaa
Dan sesungguhnya kalau Kami perintahkan kepada mereka, "Bunuhlah dirimu atau keluarlah kamu dari kampungmu", niscaya mereka tidak akan melakukannya, kecuali sebagian kecil dari mereka. Dan sesungguhnya kalau mereka melaksanakan pelajaran yang diberikan kepada mereka, tentulah hal yang demikian itu lebih baik bagi mereka dan lebih menguatkan (iman mereka),
Had we prescribed for them, "Lay down your lives" or "Leave your homes," only a few of them would have done it. Yet if they had done what they were counseled to do, it would have been better for them and a firmer grounding.
The demand actually made of them in the previous verse was a light one — bring your disputes to the Messenger and accept the outcome. This verse measures that refusal against two commands never issued to this community, one of them the very thing asked of the Children of Israel after the calf, and concludes that almost none would have complied. Tathbīt, the firmness they forfeited, comes from a root for being planted in place.