“…and they also said, ‘If we return to Madinah, the mightier will surely expel from it the lowlier.’” By “the mightier” he meant himself and his clan, and by “the lowlier” he meant the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Zayd ibn al-Arqam, may Allah be pleased with him, heard this and went straight to the Prophet ﷺ to tell him that ʿAbdullāh ibn Ubayy had uttered those words. The Prophet ﷺ thereupon summoned ʿAbdullāh ibn Ubayy, who swore the most emphatic oaths that he had never said such a thing. This is the habit of the hypocrites: they swear to falsehood while fully aware of what they are doing. He persisted in his denial, and the Prophet ﷺ accepted their outward professions, leaving their inner secrets to Allah.

When news of this reached Zayd ibn al-Arqam, it weighed heavily on him. The man had sworn a solemn oath in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, placing Zayd in a difficult position. People began saying, “Zayd ibn al-Arqam has lied to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,” meaning that he had conveyed false information—until Allah revealed verses vindicating Zayd:

“They are the ones who say, ‘Do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah until they disperse.’ Yet to Allah belong the treasuries of the heavens and the earth, though the hypocrites fail to understand. They also say, ‘If we return to Madinah, the mightier will surely expel from it the lowlier.’ Yet honour belongs to Allah, to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.” ⦗Qurʾān 63:7–8⦘

Reflect on how Allah, exalted is He, answered ʿAbdullāh ibn Ubayy’s words—“the mightier will surely expel”—by saying, “Yet honour belongs to Allah and His Messenger.” He did not say, “Allah is the mightier,” for had He done so it would have implied that the hypocrites also possess honour, when in fact they have none. Instead, He said, “Yet honour belongs to Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.”

This verse is clear proof that there is no harm in conveying a hypocrite’s words to the authority