Tafsir of Al-Hujurat 49:6

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent al-Walid ibn ‘Uqbah, the brother of ‘Uthman through his mother—the same man whom ‘Uthman later appointed over Kufa after Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas—to the Banu al-Mustaliq to collect Zakat. There was a feud between him and them. When he approached their territory, they rode out to meet him. Fearing they were coming to fight him, he turned back and told the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that they had apostatized and withheld the Zakat. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) became angry and intended to raid them. When the news reached the tribe, they came and said, "We seek refuge in Allah from His anger and the anger of His Messenger." The Prophet (ﷺ) suspected them and said, "You shall desist, or I will send to you a man who is to me as my own self; he will fight your warriors and take your offspring captive," and he placed his hand on the shoulder of ‘Ali (ra). It is also said that he sent Khalid ibn al-Walid, who found them performing prayers and keeping vigil, so they handed over the alms to him, and he returned.

On the Indefinite Noun (Fasiq/Naba’): The use of the indefinite "a transgressor" (fasiq) and "a report" (naba’) implies a generalization among all transgressors and reports, as if saying: "Whatever transgressor comes to you with whatever report, pause regarding it, investigate the matter, and seek the truth. Do not rely on the word of a transgressor, for one who does not guard against the genus of transgression will not guard against lying, which is a type of it."

Etymology of Fusuq: Fusuq means exiting or peeling away from something. It is said, "The date fasaqat (peeled) from its skin." Its anagrams include faqasat (the egg broke/cracked) and qafasat (to seize something from its owner’s hand by force). It was then used to describe exiting the path of righteousness and peeling away from the truth.

On Tathabbutu: Ibn Mas‘ud read it as fatathabbutu. Tathabbut (verification) and tabayyun (clarification) are close in meaning; both signify seeking stability, clarity, and investigation. Since the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his companions were of such a status that no one would dare lie to them, and such an incident as al-Walid’s was rare, the phrase "If there comes to you" (in ja’akum) uses the particle of doubt. This teaches believers to maintain this standard so that no transgressor dares to address them with falsehood.

On An and Tusibu: {An} is a maf‘ul lahu (causative object), meaning: "lest you afflict a people out of ignorance." {Bi-jahalatin} is a hal (state), meaning: ignorant of the reality of the matter and the essence of the story.

On Nadam (Regret): Nadam is a type of grief: to be distressed over what you have done and wish it had not occurred. It is a grief that accompanies a person with persistence, because every time the person remembers what they regret, the feeling returns.

On Lawla and the Prophet’s Status: The sentence beginning with lawla (if not) is not a new, disconnected statement, as that would disrupt the structure. Rather, it is connected to what precedes it as a hal (state) for one of the pronouns in fikum (among you). The meaning is: "The Messenger of Allah is among you in a state that you must change," or "You are in a state that you must change: namely, that you attempt to make him act in affairs according to the opinions that occur to you." If he were to follow your opinions, you would fall into ‘anant (hardship/ruin).

On the Exception: This indicates that some believers encouraged the Prophet (ﷺ) to attack the Banu al-Mustaliq and believe al-Walid. Others were cautious, restrained by their piety from such boldness. These are the ones excluded by: {But Allah has endeared the faith to you}—meaning to some of you. The omission of "some" is one of the subtle, concise miracles of the Quran, understood only by the elite.

On Rashidun: The address is to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Those who are excluded are the rightly guided," confirming what I have said. If you ask why the predicate of inna is placed before its subject, it is to rebuke those believers for wanting the Prophet’s opinion to follow theirs.

On Tuti‘ukum: Why is it yuti‘ukum (imperfect tense) rather than ata‘akum (perfect tense)? To indicate that they desired his continuous compliance with their opinions whenever they occurred to them, as in the phrase "So-and-so feeds the guest," implying a habitual, ongoing action.

On Walakin: Though the formal condition of walakin (negation followed by affirmation) is missing in the text, it is present in meaning, as the state of those to whom faith was endeared differs from those mentioned previously.

On Divine Guidance: Allah’s "making faith endearing" and "making disbelief hateful" refers to His grace and support through success (tawfiq). A person is not praised for what is not their own action. To interpret the verse literally would imply praising them for Allah’s action, which Allah denied to those who {love to be praised for what they have not done} (3:188). While Arabs praise beauty, they do so because it often reveals a pleasant character; it is not a virtue in itself.

Definitions:

• Kufr: Covering and belittling Allah’s blessings through denial.
• Fusuq: Exiting the path of faith by committing major sins.
• ‘Isyan: Abandoning obedience to what the Lawgiver has commanded.
• Rushd: Steadfastness on the path of truth with firmness, derived from rashada (a rock).

{Fadlan} is a maf‘ul lahu (causative object) or a verbal noun (masdar) from a different root. It is attributed to Allah’s name, making it as if it were His action. {And Allah is Knowing} of the states of the believers and their distinctions, {Wise} in bestowing success upon the best among them.