Al-Mujadilah (The Pleading Woman): (22) You will not find a people...

The meaning is that belief (Iman) cannot coexist with the affection (Widad) for the enemies of God. This is because whoever loves someone cannot simultaneously love that person's enemy. This stands on two grounds:

1. Incompatibility in the Heart: They cannot coexist in the heart. If affection for God's enemies is present in the heart, Iman will not be present, meaning the person is a hypocrite (Munafiq).
2. A Great Sin: They might coexist, but it constitutes a major sin (Kabirah). In this case, the possessor of this affection is not an unbeliever because of this love, but rather a disobedient servant of God.

If it is argued: The Ummah has agreed that associating and socializing with them is permissible, so what is this forbidden affection? We reply: The forbidden affection is desiring their success in religion and worldly matters while they are disbelievers. Beyond that, there is no prohibition.

Furthermore, God has emphasized the prohibition of this affection in several ways:

1. Incompatibility with Iman: As mentioned, this affection cannot coexist with true faith.
2. The Closeness of Kinship: His statement, {even if they were their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred} (referring to the believers). This indicates that affection for these relatives is the strongest type of affection, yet even this must be overcome and cast aside for the sake of religion.
   • Ibn Abbas narrated that this verse was revealed concerning Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, who killed his father, Abdullah ibn al-Jarrah, on the day of Uhud; Umar ibn al-Khattab killed his maternal uncle, Al-'As ibn Hisham ibn al-Mughirah, on the day of Badr; Abu Bakr called his son to single combat on the day of Badr, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Spare us your life (by not fighting)"; Mus'ab ibn Umayr killed his brother, Ubayy ibn Umayr; and Ali ibn Abi Talib and Ubaidah killed Utbah, Shaybah, and Al-Walid ibn Utbah on the day of Badr. It is reported that these individuals did not show affection to their relatives and clans out of anger for God and His religion.
3. Listing God's Favors: God enumerated His blessings upon the believers, beginning with: {Those are the ones in whose hearts He has inscribed faith}. Regarding this, there are two issues:

The meaning is: How can someone upon whom God has bestowed this great blessing possibly harbor affection for God's enemies?

There is a difference of opinion regarding the meaning of {inscribed} (kutiba):

• Al-Qadi (The Judge): Mentioned three views aligning with the Mu'tazila position:
  1. He placed a sign in their hearts by which the angels recognize their sincerity.
  2. It means He opened their breasts to faith through subtle guidance (لطف) and success.
  3. It is said that {inscribed} means God decreed that their hearts possess this quality.
  • We accept these three views from Al-Qadi and derive support for our position: What God has decreed, He has informed about and written in the Preserved Tablet. If it did not occur, God's true report would become a lie, which is impossible, and what leads to the impossible is impossible.
• Abu Ali al-Farisi: The meaning is "gathered" (jama'a). Kutaybah means a gathering of an army. The interpretation is: "Those are the ones whom God has gathered faith in their hearts," meaning they are complete and not among those who say, {We believe in some and disbelieve in others} (An-Nisa: 150). When they are like this, it becomes impossible for the affection for disbelievers to enter their hearts.
• The Majority of our Scholars: {Inscribed} means He established and created (athbata wa khalaqa), because faith cannot be physically written; therefore, it must be interpreted as creation and bringing into existence.

Al-Mufaddal narrated from Asim that it is read as {kutiba} (passive voice, the actor is not mentioned), while the rest read it as {kataba} (active voice, attributing the action to the actor [God]).

The second blessing is: {and strengthened them with a spirit from Him}. There are two opinions on this:

1. Ibn Abbas: It means He granted them victory over their enemy, and this victory is called Ruh (spirit/life) because their affair is sustained by it.
2. Al-Suddi: The pronoun in {from Him} refers back to faith (Iman). The meaning is: He strengthened them with a spirit from the faith. This is supported by the verse: {And thus We have revealed to you a spirit of Our command} (Ash-Shura: 52).

The third blessing is: {and will admit them into Gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide eternally}, which refers to the blessing of Paradise.

The fourth blessing is: {God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him}. This is the blessing of Ridwan (Divine Pleasure), which is the greatest of blessings and the most exalted of ranks.

After enumerating these blessings, God mentioned the fourth matter necessitating the abandonment of affection for God's enemies: {Those are the party of God. Unquestionably, the party of God—they are the successful}. This is in contrast to what was said about the hypocrites: {Those are the party of Satan. Unquestionably, the party of Satan—they are the losers} (Al-Mujadilah: 19).

Know that the majority agree that the verse {You will not find a people who believe in God and the Last Day showing affection to those who oppose God and His Messenger} was revealed concerning Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah and his informing the people of Mecca about the Prophet's march when he intended to conquer Mecca. That story is well-known. In summary, the verse is a stern warning against showing affection to disbelievers and the wicked.

It is reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he used to say: "O God, do not let any favor from a wicked or wicked person be upon me, for I found in what was revealed: {You will not find a people...} until the end of the verse."

And God, the Glorified and Exalted, knows best. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the Master of the Messengers and the Seal of the Prophets, our master Muhammad, the unlettered Prophet, and upon his family and all his companions.