يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن تُطِيعُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَعْقَٰبِكُمْ فَتَنقَلِبُوا۟ خَٰسِرِينَ ﴿١٤٩﴾ بَلِ ٱللَّهُ مَوْلَىٰكُمْ ۖ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ ٱلنَّٰصِرِينَ ﴿١٥٠﴾ سَنُلْقِى فِى قُلُوبِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱلرُّعْبَ بِمَآ أَشْرَكُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِۦ سُلْطَٰنًا ۖ وَمَأْوَىٰهُمُ ٱلنَّارُ ۚ وَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ﴿١٥١﴾
O you who have believed, if you obey (and listen to) those who disbelieve, they will turn you back (from Islam) on your heels, and you will (then) become losers. Instead, Allah is your Protector, and He is the best of all helpers. We shall put awe into the hearts of those who disbelieve, since they have associated with Allah something for which He has not sent any authority. Their ultimate place is the fire (of Jahannum); and evil is the abode of the unjust. (Surah Aal ‘Imraan v149-151)
During the Battle of Uhud, the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) suffered a temporary defeat in which many of them were martyred. The munaafiqeen (hypocrites) seized this opportunity to sow the seeds of mischief. They came to the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) and told them that had their Deen been the true Deen, they would not have suffered these losses. They then told the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) that they should return to idol-worship, as this would restore peace with the people of Makkah Mukarramah and would solve their problems.
In the abovementioned verses, Allah Ta‘ala commands the believers that they should not listen to the disbelievers or seek guidance or advice from them (in matters relating to Deen or when their advice clashes with the laws and teachings of Islam). As friendly and kind as they may appear to be, they have no love for Islam and the Muslims in their hearts. Thus, they ultimately wish to turn the Muslims to kufr and disbelief.
The ‘Ulama thus mention that reading literature on Islam which is written by non-Muslims can be extremely dangerous. No matter how well-written the literature may be, the author is not a Muslim. Hence, his writing will definitely, in some subtle way, plant doubts in the mind that will cause one to become distant from Islam.
Allah Ta‘ala then reminds us that instead of listening to the disbelievers in times of difficulty, we should turn to Allah Ta‘ala, as he is the Protector and Helper of the Muslims.
Allah Ta‘ala then describes one instance where He divinely assisted the Muslims. When the Muslims suffered the losses in Uhud, then at that time, they were weakened, wounded and vulnerable. That would have been the opportune moment for the disbelievers to strike and finish off the Muslims. However, despite that, Allah Ta‘ala caused the disbelievers to turn away, returning to Makkah Mukarramah. En-route, when they realized that they had missed a valuable opportunity, they decided to return to Madeenah Munawwarah to finish off the Muslims. They even sent a message to the Muslims, warning them of their return.
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) responded to this message, coming out to a place named Hamraaul Asad to face the disbelievers. However, Allah Ta‘ala then caused the hearts of the disbelievers to be filled with such awe and fear that they turned back and never arrived.
Thus, even in the most dire and difficult of situations, when it seems like all hope is lost, one should still hope in the mercy of Allah Ta‘ala and turn to Him for help and assistance, as nothing is beyond His assistance.