upon you: when you were enemies, He brought your hearts together, and by His favour you became brothers. You were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes His signs clear to you, so that you may be guided.”
“Let there be among you a group who call to goodness, enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. It is they who will prosper.”
“And do not be like those who became divided and differed after clear proofs had come to them. They will suffer a tremendous punishment.”
“On the Day when some faces will turn white and others will turn black. As for those whose faces turn black: ‘Did you disbelieve after having believed? Then taste the punishment for your disbelief.’”
These people became divided and differed until they committed the disbelief they did. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“Do not revert after me to being disbelievers, striking one another’s necks.”
This is a form of disbelief, although a Muslim does not become a disbeliever by committing a sin. Allah Most High says:
“If two groups of believers fight one another, make peace between them. But if one of them transgresses against the other, fight the transgressing group until it returns to Allah’s command. If it returns, reconcile them with justice and act equitably. Indeed, Allah loves those who act equitably. The believers are but brothers, so make peace between your brothers, and fear Allah so that you may receive mercy.”
This is Allah’s ruling concerning believers who fight one another. He declares that they are brothers and first commands that peace be made between them when they fight. Then, “if one of them transgresses against the other,” and they refuse reconciliation, “fight the transgressing group until it returns to Allah’s command. If it returns, reconcile them with justice.”
He thus commands that they be reconciled with justice after the transgressing group “returns to Allah’s command”—that is, comes back to obeying Allah’s command. Whoever returns to Allah’s command must be treated justly in relation to his adversary, and equity must be observed between them. Thus, after the two groups have fought, but before we fight the transgressing group, He commands us to reconcile them without qualification, because neither group has been subdued through fighting.