Here Allah tells His Messenger to command the believing women - especially his wives and daughters, because of then- position of honor - to draw their Jilbabs over their bodies, so that they will be distinct in their appearance from the women of the Jdhiliyyah and from slave women. The Jilbab is a Rida’, worn over the Khimar. This was the view of Ibn Mas'ud, ‘Ubaydah, Qatadah, Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Said bin Jubayr, Ibrahim An-Nakha‘i, ‘Ata’ Al-Khurasani and others. It is like the Izar used today. Al-Jawhari said: “The Jilbab is the outer wrapper.”

*Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn ‘Abbas said that Allah commanded the believing women, when they went out of their houses for some need, to cover their faces from above their heads with the Jilbab, leaving only one eye showing.
Muhammad bin Sirin said, “I asked Ubaydah As-Salmani about the Ayah: {to draw their Jalabib over their bodies.} He covered his face and head, with just his left eye showing.”

means, if they do that, it will be known that they are free, and that they are not servants or whores.

means, with regard to what happened previously during the days of Jahiliyyah, when they did not have any knowledge about this.

A Stern Warning to the Evil Hypocrites

Then Allah issues a warning to the hypocrites, those who, make an outward display of faith while concealing their disbelief,

{those in whose hearts is a disease,} ‘Ikrimah and others said that this refers to adulterers in this instance.

means, those who say that the enemy has come and war has started, which is a lie and a fabrication. Unless they give up these actions and return to the truth,

‘Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn ‘Abbas said, “We will give you power over them.” Qatadah said: “We will incite you against them.” As-SuddI said: “We will inform you about them.”

{then they will not be able to stay in it} means, in Al-Madlnah, {but a little while. Accursed...}
‘this describes their state while they are in Al-Madlnah for this short time before they are expelled and sent far away.’

{they shall be seized wherever found, } means, ‘they will be attacked, because they are so weak and so few,’ {and killed with a (terrible) slaughter.} Then Allah says:

{That was the way of Allah in the case of those who passed away of old,} meaning, this is how Allah dealt with the hypocrites when they persisted in hypocrisy and disbelief and did not give it up; He incited the believers against them and caused them to prevail over them.

means, the way in which Allah deals with this does not alter or change.