For those who came after them, it is distinction enough to follow in their footsteps and take their guidance as a model. Allah therefore mentioned those later believers who take them as their model and follow in their footsteps, saying: “And those who came after them”—that is, after the Emigrants ⦗852⦘ and the Helpers—“say,” out of sincere concern for themselves and all other believers, “Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith.”
This supplication encompasses all believers: the foremost among the Companions, those who preceded them, and those who came after them. Among the virtues of faith is that believers benefit one another and pray for one another, because their shared faith establishes the bond of brotherhood between believers (1). One consequence of this bond is that they pray for and love one another.
Allah therefore included in the supplication a plea that the heart be free from rancor, whether slight or great (2). When rancor is absent, its opposite takes its place: mutual love among believers, loyalty, sincere goodwill, and similar rights that believers owe one another.
Allah described those who came after the Companions as believers, for their words, “who preceded us in faith,” demonstrate that they share that faith (3) and follow the Companions in the doctrines and fundamentals of faith. They are the adherents of the Sunnah and the united Muslim community, of whom alone this description is fully true. He also described them as acknowledging their sins and seeking forgiveness for them, seeking forgiveness for one another, and striving to remove rancor and malice toward their believing brothers from their hearts. Their supplication necessarily entails all that we have mentioned. It entails that they love one another, that each loves for his brother what he loves for himself, and that he shows him sincere goodwill whether present or absent, living or dead. The noble verse also indicates [that] this is among the rights believers owe one another. They then concluded their supplication with two noble names that signify Allah’s perfect mercy, profound compassion, and beneficence toward them. Among the manifestations of that beneficence—indeed, among the greatest—is His enabling them to fulfill the rights of Allah and the rights of His servants.
These three classes comprise the categories of this community. They are entitled to the property obtained without battle, whose expenditure serves the interests of Islam.
These are its rightful recipients and truly worthy of it. May Allah, through His grace and generosity, make us among them.
The Exalted then drew attention to the astonishing state of the hypocrites, who gave their brothers among the People of the Scripture hope that they would support them and ally themselves with them against the believers. They say to them: “If you are expelled, we will surely leave with you, and we will never obey anyone concerning you.” That is, we will obey no one who reproaches or intimidates us into withholding our support from you. “If you are fought, we will surely support you. But Allah bears witness that they are certainly liars” in the promise with which they deceived their brothers.
Such conduct is hardly surprising from them: lying is their defining trait, delusion and deception are their constant companions, and hypocrisy and cowardice accompany them. [Allah] therefore declared them liars in words whose report came to pass just as Allah had foretold and unfolded exactly as He had said: “If they are expelled” from their homes through forced departure and banishment, “they will not leave with them,” because of their attachment to their homelands, their inability to endure fighting, and their failure to keep their promise (4).
“If they are fought, they will not support them.” Rather, cowardice will overwhelm them, weakness will master them, and they will forsake their brothers at the very moment they need them most.
“Even if they did support them”—assuming this hypothetically (5)—“they would surely turn their backs; then they would not be helped.” That is, they would retreat from fighting and from rendering support, and no victory from Allah would come to them.
The reason this befell them (6) is that you, O believers, “inspire greater fear in their hearts than Allah.” They fear you more intensely than they fear Allah, placing fear of a created being—who possesses no power to bring benefit or harm to himself or anyone else—above fear of the Creator, in whose hand lie harm and benefit, giving and withholding.
“That is because they are a people who do not understand.” They do not understand the proper order of things, recognize their true realities, or envisage their consequences. True and complete understanding is that fear of the Creator, hope in Him, and love for Him take precedence over all else, while everything else remains subordinate to them.