The danger arising from the suddenness of the impending attack was formidable...

The danger arising from the suddenness of the impending attack was formidable, and the nature of the quarter from which it was to come was uncertain. It was for these reasons that divine assurances became necessary. All these factors combine to indicate that the danger implied in the verse must be from the Muslims themselves, and must be in consequence of a matter which had come to the surface recently, brought on by the…