Tafsir of Ash-Shura 42:38

(And those who responded to their Lord and established prayer)

It is said: This was revealed regarding the Ansar. Allah, the Exalted, called them through the tongue of His Messenger (peace be upon him) to believe in Him and obey Him, the Glorified. They responded to Him, so He praised them with what He praised them for. According to this, it is an instance of mentioning the specific after the general to demonstrate its nobility, as they believed without hesitation or faltering. If the verse is Medinan, the matter is clear; if it is Meccan, the intent by "Ansar" is those who believed in Medina before the Migration, or those who were the people of al-Aqaba.

(And their affair is [a matter of] counsel among themselves)

Meaning: they are possessors of counsel and mutual consultation regarding their opinions. This is based on the view that shura (counsel) is an infinitive, like bushra (glad tidings). Thus, predication is not grammatically correct unless it is meant that the affair is a matter of consultation, or unless exaggeration is intended. It has been argued that one might say, "My affair is generosity," and here "affair" is in the sense of "concern." Indeed, if it is interpreted as "the affairs that are consulted upon," it requires interpretation or the intent of exaggeration. It is also said that it is the addition of the infinitive to the pronoun, and predication is only correct through interpretation. This was refuted by stating that the intent is "their affair in which they consult," not all of their affairs, though this is subject to scrutiny.

Al-Raghib said: Mushawara (consultation) is the extraction of an opinion by referring to one another, derived from the saying: shurtu al-asal (I extracted honey) and ashartuhu (I extracted it). Shura is the affair regarding which consultation takes place. The common view is that it is an infinitive. The sentence is nominal, even though the coordinate clause is verbal, to indicate that consultation was their continuous state both before and after Islam. The verse contains praise for consultation, especially according to the view that it predicates with the infinitive.

Al-Bayhaqi recorded in Shu'ab al-Iman from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: "Whoever intends a matter and consults about it and decides, he is guided to the most right of affairs." Abd ibn Humayd, al-Bukhari in Al-Adab, and Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from al-Hasan that he said: "No people ever consulted together but they were guided to the most right of their affairs," then he recited: (And their affair is counsel among themselves).

Consultation took place between the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions regarding matters related to the interests of war, as well as between the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) after him. It also took place among them regarding religious rulings, such as the fighting of the apostates, the inheritance of the grandfather, the number of lashes for wine drinking, and so on. The "rulings" here refer to that which they had no explicit scriptural text for; otherwise, consultation would have no meaning. How could it befit a Muslim to deviate from the judgment of Allah, the Exalted, to the opinions of men, while Allah is the Wise, the All-Aware?

What supports what we have said is what al-Khatib recorded from Ali (may the face of Allah honor him), who said: "I said, O Messenger of Allah, an affair descends upon us after you for which no Quran has descended and nothing has been heard from you. He said: 'Gather for it the worshippers of my community, and make it a matter of consultation among you, and do not judge by one single opinion.'"

The one consulted should be wise, just as he should be a worshipper. Al-Khatib also recorded from Abu Huraira in a marfu' (attributed) report: "Seek guidance from the wise, and you shall be guided, and do not disobey them, lest you regret."

Consultation, in the manner we have described, is among the causes for the goodness of the earth. In the Hadith: "If your leaders are the best of you, your wealthy are the most generous of you, and your affair is by consultation among you, then the surface of the earth is better for you than its interior. And if your leaders are the worst of you, your wealthy are the stingiest of you, and your affair is [left] to your women, then the interior of the earth is better for you than its surface." When it is not in that manner, it is a corruption of religion and the world more than it is a reformation.

(And from what We have provided them, they spend)

Meaning: in the way of goodness, for it is brought forth as praise, and there is no praise in mere spending. Perhaps it was separated from its counterpart by the mention of consultation because the response to Allah, the Exalted, and the establishing of prayer were among its effects. It is also said: because it occurs when they gather for prayers.