pay it of one’s own initiative and pay it immediately, without waiting for a petitioner to ask him.

Another is that the passage occurs in the context of prohibiting allegiance to the unbelievers and commanding allegiance to the believers, as the context itself indicates.

The remainder of the discussion concerning this verse will come, Allah willing. The Rāfidah scarcely ever adduce an argument without [that argument] (1) being against them rather than in their favor. An example is their citing this verse as proof of wilāyah in the sense of political authority, whereas it concerns wilāyah in the sense of allegiance—the opposite of enmity—and the Rāfidah act contrary to it. (2)

The Ismailis (3), the Nusayris, and others like them show allegiance to the unbelievers—the Jews, Christians, polytheists, and hypocrites—while displaying enmity toward the believers among the Emigrants, the Helpers, and those (4) who followed them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. This is well known among them (5): they display enmity toward the best of Allah’s believing servants, while showing allegiance to the Jews, Christians, and polytheists from among the Turks and others.

Allah Most High says:

{O Prophet, Allah is sufficient for you and for the believers who follow you.}

[Surah al-Anfāl: 64]

That is, [Allah] is sufficient for you (6), and sufficient for those who follow you (7) among the believers. The Companions are the best of the believers who followed him and the earliest among them (8).