—who have never come to you—so they endorse falsehood and obey those who oppose you, even though you are the Messenger of Allah.

Hence, both affirming falsehood and obeying anyone who contradicts the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—rank among the gravest sins.

The Arabic term samiʿ (“listener”) may signify merely perceiving sound, or understanding what is meant, or accepting and complying with it. People therefore say, “So-and-so heard what so-and-so said,” meaning that he believes him, follows him, and accepts what he says.

Accordingly, Allah’s words “listeners to falsehood” mean that they credit it; otherwise, merely hearing a liar’s voice and grasping his words is not blameworthy in and of itself.

Likewise, “listeners to another people who have never come to you” means that they respond to them and obey them, just as He said of the hypocrites: “Among you are listeners to them,” that is, compliant and obedient to them. Whoever claims that the verse refers to spies is mistaken, just as the one who says that “listeners to them” are spies is mistaken; for a spy only conveys a people’s news to someone who does not already know it. It is well known, however, that whatever the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—mentioned, commanded, or did was seen and heard by everyone in Madinah, both believers and hypocrites. He never intended to conceal from the Jews of Madinah what he said or did—unlike those Jews who would come to him while endorsing falsehood and submitting to the dictates of their fellow Jews.