(And if thou ask them (O Muhammad) they will say: We did but talk and jest…) [9:65].
Said Qatadah: “As the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was heading for the Battle of Tabuk, a hypocrite, who was ahead of him, said: 'Does this man really hope to conquer the castles and fortresses of Syria, far be it! Far be it'. Allah, exalted is He, informed His Prophet about what they said, and so the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, ordered the troops to stop marching. He went to those hypocrites and informed them of what they said. They said to him in reply: 'O Messenger of Allah, we were just engaging in idle talk and jesting'. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed this verse”.
Zayd ibn Aslam and Muhammad ibn Ka'b said: “One of the hypocrites said at the Battle of Tabuk: 'I have never seen anyone whose belly is more hungry, whose tongue lies more or who is more cowardly in fighting than these reciters of ours', meaning the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and his Companions. 'Awf ibn Malik said to him: 'You lie; rather, you are a hypocrite! I will inform the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, of what you have just said'. But 'Awf found that the Qur'an had already informed him. The man went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, when he had already mounted his camel and set off, and said to him: 'O Messenger of Allah! We were but talking idly and jesting; we were talking the way riders do to make our travelling easy' ”.
Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Jawzaqi informed us> Bishr ibn Ahmad ibn Bishr> Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Musa al-Halwani> Muhammad ibn Maymun al-Khayyat> Isma'il ibn Dawud al-Mihrajani> Malik ibn Anas> Nafi'> Ibn 'Umar who said: “I saw 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy walking in front of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, while being hit by stones [as a result of the galloping of horses], and saying: 'O Messenger of Allah, we were only talking idly and jesting', and the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, responded: '(Was it at Allah and His revelations and His messenger that ye did scoff ?)' ”.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou