4:71

Salaam all,

This is 4:71
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ خُذُواْ حِذْرَكُمْ فَانفِرُواْ ثُبَاتٍ أَوِ انفِرُواْ جَمِيعًا
Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo khuthoo hithrakum fainfiroo thubatin awi infiroo jameeAAan

The Aya says:
O those who made themselves safe (in Allah) take your caution, therefore travel in security or travel together.

My personal note:
This Aya gives the general advice that we should make sure of security or stability of the path if we are travelling alone, and if not then we should travel in a group.

Traditional scholars understood this Aya in terms of marching for battle. They understood THUBATIN as travel in small groups which provide some security. They also understood JameeAAn as big groups or all. This understanding is correct and is included in the more encompassing understanding of travel in general since marching for battle is a form of travel.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Ya ayyuha allatheena: O those who
Note: the three words used here are callings.
Amanoo: made themselves safe
Note: the root is Hamza-M-N and it means safe or safety. AMANOO is an action that is derived from the root and that is completed. It means: the action of making the object (not mentioned and therefore the subject and the object can be the same entity here) become safe happened by the subject (third person plural). So, it ends up meaning: they made themselves safe.
Khuthoo: take
Note: the root is Hamza-KH-TH and it means taking. KHUTHOO is an order or a request addressing a group of people. It means: Take.
Hithrakum: your caution/ consciousness of danger
Note: the root is Ha-TH-R and it means fearing or consciousness of danger. HITHRA means consciousness of danger of or fearing of or caution of. KUM means plural you.
Fainfiroo: so march/ move/ travel
Note: FA means therefore or so or then. INFIROO is derived from the root N-F-R and it means moving away from one entity to get to another or just moving away and so on. This is the conceptual meaning and then the context defines it further. In this context, the term “move away” points to any movement from one place to another or to marching. INFIROO is an order or a request addressed to a group. It means: move or march.
Thubatin: in security/ stability
Note: the root is TH-B-T and it means being or becoming well or securely established in all the planes of thought. As in being well established for the building or the tent, to the well established act or deed, which could mean that it is well proven and/or it has staying power. TTHUBATIN here means well established and the context suggests security and stability as the main issue of “well established”.
Awi: or
Infiroo: move/ march/ travel
Note: INFIROO is derived from the root N-F-R and it means moving away from one entity to get to another or just moving away and so on. This is the conceptual meaning and then the context defines it further. In this context, the term “move away” points to any movement from one place to another or to marching. INFIROO is an order or a request addressed to a group. It means: move or march.
jameeAAan: together/ in a group
Note: the root is J-M-Ain and it means gather the different parts together or putting things together. JAMeeAAaN means together or all. The context suggests being in a group rather than travelling alone.

Salaam all and have a great evening.

Hussein