Tafsir of Ash-Shura 42:38

{And those who have responded to their Lord} This was revealed regarding the Ansar. Allah, the Almighty, called them to believe in Him and obey Him, so they responded to Him by believing and obeying.

{And established prayer} They performed the five daily prayers completely.

{And their affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves} Before Islam and before the arrival of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in Medina, whenever they faced a matter, they would gather and consult one another. Thus, Allah praised them for this, meaning: they do not act upon a single opinion until they have reached a consensus.

Al-Hasan said: "No people have ever consulted one another without being guided to the most correct of their affairs."

Shura (consultation) is a verbal noun, like futya (giving a legal opinion), meaning the act of consulting. The meaning of His saying {and their affair is consultation among themselves} is that their affair is "characterized by consultation." This is similar to the saying: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) left the Caliphate to be decided by consultation (shura)."

{And those who, when tyranny strikes them, they defend themselves}