Tafsir of Muhammad 47:5

Surah Muhammad (47): Verse 5

سيهديهم ويصلح بالهم (He will guide them and rectify their state/affairs.)

If the reading is قَاتِلُوا (imperative, plural 'fight') or قَاتِلُوا (past tense, plural 'they fought'), then the guidance (سيهديهم) refers to both the immediate (worldly) and the future (hereafter) guidance.

If the reading is قَاتِلُوا (past tense, plural 'they fought'), then سيهديهم refers to the Hereafter—guiding them to the path of Paradise without any pause from their graves to their place of joy.

And His saying: وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَهُمْ (and rectify their state/affairs).

This has already been explained in His saying: إِصْلَاحُ بَالِهِمْ (rectifying their state/affairs) (Surah Muhammad: 2).

The past tense and future tense relate to the following:

1. In the previous context, He promised them what He promised due to their faith and righteous deeds. Since this had already occurred among them, the reward was stated using a form indicating occurrence (past tense).
2. Here, He promises them reward due to fighting and being killed. Therefore, the wording indicates the future, because His saying, فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُ (So when you meet [the enemy]) (Surah Muhammad: 4), indicates the future, so He said: وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَهُمْ (and rectify their state/affairs).

Then, the Almighty said:

وَيُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ عَرَّفَهَا لَهُمْ (And He will admit them into Paradise, which He has made known to them.)