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Some who did not fight at Badr yearned for martyrdom after Allah revealed the reward and rank of the martyrs. They urged the Messenger صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to meet the enemy outside the city at Uhud but later retreated from the battlefield. The verse questions how they could desire martyrdom but then retreat during the heat of the battle.