Al-Baghawī—may Allah have mercy on him—said in his commentary: “Mujāhid said: ‘This is a threat to them.’ It was said that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—sees their deeds because Allah Most High informs him of them, while the believers see them through love for the righteous and hatred for the corrupt being instilled in their hearts.” End quote.

Shaykh Abd al-Rahmān al-Sa‘dī—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “Allah Most High says: ‘And say’ to these hypocrites, ‘Act’—do whatever deeds you see fit and persist in your falsehood, but do not suppose that it will remain hidden. ‘For Allah will see your deeds, as will His Messenger and the believers’—that is, your deeds will inevitably become apparent and clear. ‘Then you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will inform you of what you used to do,’ whether good or evil. This contains a threat and a stern warning to anyone who persists in his falsehood, transgression, waywardness, and disobedience. It may also mean that whatever good or evil you do, Allah is fully aware of it and will cause His Messenger and His believing servants to see your deeds, even if they are concealed.” End quote from his commentary on the verse.

I have discussed this at length because people have become so indiscriminate in citing verses out of their proper context that this has become habitual. Even the most unqualified people now speak about the Quran, interpreting it according to their whims and imagining that they have free rein to do so, but that is not the case. The early generations considered such conduct extremely reprehensible. Al-Tirmidhī and Abū Dāwūd narrated from Aslam Abū Imrān al-Tujībī, who said: “We were at Constantinople, and the Byzantines deployed an immense battle line against us. The Muslims went out to meet them with an equal or greater force. Uqbah ibn Āmir commanded the Egyptian contingent, while Fadālah ibn Ubayd commanded the army as a whole. A Muslim man charged the Byzantine line and penetrated their ranks. The people cried out, saying, ‘Glory be to Allah! He is throwing himself into destruction with his own hands!’ Abū Ayyūb al-Ansārī then stood and said: ‘O people, you are interpreting this verse in this way, whereas it was revealed concerning us, the Ansār. When Allah strengthened Islam and its supporters grew numerous, some of us said privately to one another, without the knowledge of the Messenger of Allah