Meaning

What is meant by them being afraid of death?

Answer

Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:

They fled from the plague that had struck them. [al-Ḥasan, al-Suddī]
They were commanded to fight, but they fled. [ʿIkrimah, al-Ḍaḥḥāk]

Verses cited

2:243 Al-Baqarah ۞ أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا۟ مِن دِيَـٰرِهِمْ وَهُمْ أُلُوفٌ حَذَرَ ٱلْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مُوتُوا۟ ثُمَّ أَحْيَـٰهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ [Prophet], consider those people who abandoned their homeland in fear of death, even though there were thousands of them. God said to them, ‘Die!’ and then brought them back to life again; God shows real favour to people, but most of them are ungrateful.

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