—of the honour, leadership and staunch support they gave to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

“and they prefer others over themselves”: that is, they place the needs of others before their own.

“even though they themselves are in want”: even when they are hungry, they willingly go without so that their emigrant brothers—may Allah be pleased with them—may eat their fill.

“Whoever is protected from the avarice of his own soul, it is they who will prosper.” In other words, the one whom Allah shields from inner miserliness and who therefore becomes generous, open-handed with his wealth, and loving toward his brother—such people are the truly successful.

“And those who came after them” refers to all who follow these two groups until the Day of Resurrection. They say, “Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith” (al-Ḥashr 59:10). Those who come after them are their followers, as the Exalted also says: “The forerunners—the first of the Emigrants and the Helpers—and those who follow them with excellence, Allah is well-pleased with them and they are well-pleased with Him.”

These three verses—“for the poor Emigrants…,” “those who made the city their home and embraced faith before them…,” and “those who came after them…”—clarify who is entitled to the fayʾ (public revenues placed in the Bayt al-Māl). The rightful recipients are precisely these three categories, including “those who came after them, saying, ‘Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith.’”

Imam Mālik—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked whether the Rāfiḍah are to be allotted any share of the fayʾ. He replied, “They are to receive nothing, for the Rāfiḍah do not say, ‘Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith.’ Indeed, they deem the Companions—except for a mere handful—to be disbelievers, God forbid, even Abu Bakr and ʿUmar, holding that both of them were unbelievers and died in that state…"