وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ صَبَرُوا حَتَّى تَخْرُجَ إِلَيْهِمْ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿۵﴾ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَإٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوا أَنْ تُصِيبُوا قَوْمًا بِجَهَالَةٍ فَتُصْبِحُوا عَلَى مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَادِمِينَ ﴿۶﴾ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ ﴿۷﴾

﴾5﴿ Wa law annahum sabaroo hatta takhruja ilaihim lakaana khairal lahum; wallaahu Ghafoorur Raheem
﴾6﴿ Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo in jaaa'akum faasiqum binaba in fatabaiyanooo an tuseeboo qawmam bijahalatin fatusbihoo 'alaa maa fa'altum naadimeen
﴾7﴿ Wa'lamooo anna feekum Rasoolal laah; law yutee'ukum fee kaseerim minal amrila'anittum wa laakinnal laaha habbaba ilaikumul eemaana wa zaiyanahoo fee quloobikum wa karraha ilaikumul kufra walfusooqa wal'isyaan; ulaaaika humur raashidoon

﴾5﴿ And if they had been patient until you came out to them, it would have been better for them. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful
﴾6﴿ O people, if a sinful person brings you any news, then investigate it, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and then become regretful over what you have done
﴾7﴿ And know that indeed, the Messenger of Allah is among you. If he were to follow you in many matters, you would surely fall into hardship. But Allah has made faith beloved to you and adorned it in your hearts, and He has made disbelief, sin, and disobedience hateful to you. It is they who are rightly guided

[5] This is an explanation of proper etiquette for the ignorant people, and the intended meaning of patience here is to wait. (لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ) – “It would have been better for them” – this indicates that showing respect to the elders (i.e., proper Islamic etiquette) is a cause of goodness and blessings, and a means of forgiveness and mercy.
[6] This is the third point of etiquette: through the previous etiquettes, unity is established, but some people destroy this unity. These are the sinful liars and tale-bearers. Therefore, it is necessary to refrain from acting upon their unverified words. (فَاسِقٌ) – This refers to someone who commits a major sin and has not sincerely repented, while still being a Muslim. Lying, tale-bearing, and causing discord among believers all fall under this. The commentator al-Khazin said this verse is general, revealed to emphasize verification and the importance of not trusting the words of a sinful person. Al-Khatib al-Shirbini also said the verse was revealed about Walid (may Allah be pleased with him), but calling him a "fasiq" is a weak opinion. The reasoning is that the narration, although transmitted by Ibn Kathir and other commentators, has a disconnected chain of transmission. In al-Bidayah, it is said that Allah knows best about its authenticity (Vol. 8, p. 294). Ibn Arabi, in al-‘Awāṣim min al-Qawāṣim and its commentary, rejected this claim. (أَنْ تُصِيبُوا قَوْمًا) – This highlights the harm of accepting the words of a sinful person. (بِجَهَالَةٍ) – This means being ignorant of the actual reality, or it implies that acting without verification upon the words of such a person is itself ignorance.
[7] This points to the method of verifying the report of a sinful person, and also serves as a warning to the sinful person against lying.
It means that the news of a fasiq (sinful person) is presented before the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) during his life, and after his death, it is judged according to his Sunnah.
In this way, the truth or falsehood of the fasiq becomes evident.
(فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ) – The description (Messenger of Allah) is mentioned, not the name Muhammad.
This indicates that his physical being is neither present nor observing—neither in his lifetime nor after his passing.
However, the attribute of Prophethood (i.e., the Qur’an and the Sunnah) remains among you.
(وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ) – There may have arisen the misconception that the noble Companions intended to lie and have the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) follow them in it.
This misconception is removed, as the status of the Companions is above such thoughts.
The phrase (لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ) proves this, because "لو" is used for benefit or negation—meaning this did not happen.
The difference is that love is an internal matter, so "faith" here refers to the correct belief in Tawheed.
Adornment refers to outward action, so the pronoun in زَيَّنَهُ refers to the outward actions of faith.
(وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ) – This indicates that their love for faith is so intense that its opposite—disbelief—seems repulsive to them.
Kufr is the opposite of Iman, and (الْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ) are opposites to زَيَّنَهُ, as they refer to righteous actions.
The distinction between the three is as follows:
Kufr is the denial of obedience to Allah the Exalted and His Messenger (May Allah bless him and give him peace).
Fusooq is committing major sins.
‘Isyan is committing minor sins.
Note: In the words حَبَّبَ and كَرَّهَ, the subject pronoun refers to Allah the Exalted, indicating that all good and evil actions are created by Allah.
This is a refutation of the Qadariyyah and the Mu’tazilites.