And in similar passages, He, glorified is He, explains that He saved His believing servants from the punishment that befell others. They too were exposed to it; had Allah not granted them particular means of deliverance, what befell those others would have befallen them.

Thus, the expression “being saved from harm” presupposes that the cause of harm has arisen, not that the person saved has actually suffered it.

His saying, exalted is He:

“Then We will save those who feared Allah” [Maryam: 72]

does not imply that they were being punished and were then saved. Rather, it implies that they were exposed to a punishment whose cause had arisen. This is what is meant by coming to it.

Thus, the Prophet’s saying, peace and blessings be upon him:

“No one who pledged allegiance beneath the tree will enter the Fire”

does not contradict this coming to it. Merely coming to it is not punishment, but exposure to punishment. He denied only the entry that constitutes punishment; he did not deny being brought near to punishment, the arising of its cause, or going onto the surface of the place of punishment.

Nevertheless, when his wife found this unclear, she asked him about it and mentioned what, as she understood it, contradicted his statement; she did not remain silent.

He would also take a course of action, and they would ask him: Was it based on revelation, so that he must be obeyed, or was it a matter of judgment that could be challenged with a better judgment? In matters of judgment, they would offer him an alternative view, and he would accept their advice and agree with them.

For example, when he encamped at Badr, al-Hubāb ibn al-Mundhir asked him: “O Messenger of Allah, consider this place where you have encamped: is it a place where Allah has directed you to encamp, so that we may not move beyond it, or is it a matter of judgment