(51–55) “Warn with it those who fear that they will be gathered before their Lord, having no protector or intercessor besides Him, so that they may become mindful of Him. * Do not drive away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Countenance. You are in no way accountable for them, nor are they in any way accountable for you. Were you to drive them away, you would then be among the wrongdoers.”
This Quran is a warning to all creation, yet the only ones who benefit from it are “those who fear that they will be gathered before their Lord.” They are certain that they will pass from this abode to the lasting abode. They therefore take with them what will benefit them and leave aside what will harm them. “Having no protector or intercessor besides Him”—that is, besides Allah: no one to take charge of their affairs, secure what they seek, and ward off what they fear, and no one to intercede for them, for no created being has any share in the command. “So that they may become mindful of Allah” by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions. A warning calls for this and is one of the means that bring it about.
“Do not drive away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Countenance.” That is, do not drive the people of worship and sincerity away from you and your company out of a desire to sit with others instead. They constantly call upon their Lord, both through acts of worship—such as remembrance, prayer, and the like—and through supplication, at the beginning and end of the day. In doing so, they seek Allah’s Countenance and have no aim besides that sublime purpose. Such people do not deserve to be driven away or shunned. Rather, they deserve loyalty, love, welcome, and closeness, for they are the finest of creation even if they are poor, and truly honorable even if they are ⦗258⦘ regarded as lowly by others.
“You are in no way accountable for them, nor are they in any way accountable for you.” That is, each person has his own reckoning, his own good deeds, and his own evil deeds. “Were you to drive them away, you would then be among the wrongdoers.” The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—obeyed this command to the fullest extent. Whenever the poor believers sat with him, he patiently remained in their company, treated them kindly, showed them gentleness and excellent character, and drew them close. Indeed, they formed the majority of his gathering﵃.
The reason these verses were revealed was that some people [from Quraysh, or] from among the uncouth Arabs said to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—“If you want us to believe you and follow you, then drive away so-and-so and so-and-so”—referring to some of the poor Companions—“for we are embarrassed that the Arabs should see us sitting with these poor people.” His desire for them to embrace Islam and follow him led him to consider doing so. Allah therefore admonished him through this verse and others like it.