Transliteration:( Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo in jaaa'akum faasiqum binaba in fatabaiyanooo an tuseeboo qawmam bijahalatin fatusbihoo 'alaa maa fa'altum naadimeen )
11. This verse was revealed regarding Waleed bin Aqbah who was appointed by the Holy Prophet ? to collect the charities from Bani Mustaliq. In the Days of Ignorance there was ancient enmity between Waleed and Bani Mustaliq, but when they came to know that the Holy Prophet ? had been sent Waleed as an official, they came to welcome him.
But, Waleed thought that they had come to kill him. So he quickly came away and told the Holy Prophet ? about it. In response, the Messenger of Allah ? sent Hazrat Khalid bin Walid to them and he found them giving Azaan and performing their Salaah. They immediately gave their charities as well. In response to it, this verse was revealed.
12. It should be remembered that Allah Almighty had not declared Waleed as a transgressor here, as no Companion is a transgressor. Also, suspicion, danger and fear are not acts of sin, so how can they be regarded as transgression? The purpose, here, is to outline an Islamic law.
13. This tells us that it is permissible to accept the information given by a pious person without having it verified. Thus, a report by a single reporter, who is a person of piety, integrity and of sound mind, would be regarded as reliable.
14. Had the believers attacked this tribe on the instruction of Hazrat Waleed only, then they would have been embarrassed. From this we learn that a judge must not give his judgement on one-sided testimony. We further learn that one should at no time accept the report of a backbiter or a talebearer. One should also not rush into making a decision, lest one has to regret.
The tafsir of Surah Hujurat verse 6 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Hujurat ayat 4 which provides the complete commentary from verse 4 through 6.
(49:6) Believers, when an ungodly person brings to you a piece of news, carefully ascertain its truth, lest you should hurt a people unwittingly and thereafter repent at what you did.[8]
8. Most of the commentators have expressed the view that this verse was sent down concerning Walid bin Uqbah bin Abi Muait. Its background is this: When the tribe of the Bani al-Mustaliq embraced Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent Walid bin Uqbah to collect the Zakat from them. When he arrived in their territory, he became fearful due to some reason and without visiting the people of the tribe returned to Al-Madinah and complained to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that they had refused to pay the Zakat and had even wanted to kill him. On hearing this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) became very angry and he made up his mind to dispatch a contingent to punish those people. According to some traditions he had dispatched the contingent, and according to others, he was about to dispatch it. In any case, all agree that in the meantime the chief of the Bani al-Mustaliq, Harith bin Dirar, father of Juwairiyah, wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him), arrived at the head of a deputation, and submitted: By God, we did not at all see Walid; therefore, there could be no question of refusing to pay the Zakat and wanting to kill him. We are steadfast to the faith and have no intention to withhold the Zakat. At this, this verse was sent down. With a little variation in wording this incident has been related by Imam Ahmad, Abi Hatim, Tabarani, and Ibn Jarir, on the authority of Abdullah bin Abbas, Harith bin Dirar, Mujahid, Qatadah, Abdur Rehman bin Abi Laila, Yazid bin Ruman, Dahhak and Muqatil bin Hayyan. In the tradition reported by Umm Salamah this whole story has been related likewise but there is no reference to the name of Walid.
On this critical occasion when on account of believing in a baseless report a grave blunder was about to be committed, Allah gave the Muslims this guiding principle to be followed on receipt of news: Whenever you receive important news bearing upon a vital matter, you should not accept it immediately but should first examine the man who has brought it. If he is an evil man whose report is not authentic normally, you should inquire into it carefully to ascertain the truth instead of accepting it and acting on it immediately. From this divine command an important legal principle is deduced, the sphere of application of which is very vast. According to it, it is not permissible for a Muslim government to take any action against a person or a group or a nation on the basis of the reports provided by the secret agents whose character might be doubtful. On the basis of this very principle the traditionalists introduced the art of critical appraisal in the science of Hadith in order to determine the value and worth of the people through whom traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) reached the later generations. And the jurists established this principle in the law of evidence that in a matter from which a Shariah value can be deduced, or a duty imposed on a person; the evidence of an evil man would be unacceptable. However, all scholars agree that as far as the common worldly matters are concerned it is not necessary to ascertain the truth of every news and the reliability of every informer. For the word used in the verse is naba, which does not apply to every news but only to the news of consequence. That is why the jurists say that this principle does not apply in the case of ordinary matters. For example, if a person goes to visit somebody and seeks permission to enter the house, and a person comes out and conveys the permission, he can enter the house accordingly no matter whether the one conveying the permission from the master of the house was good or bad. Likewise, the scholars also agree that the evidence, as well as the report, of the people whose evil does not relate to lying and immorality, but they are regarded as unrighteous only on account of false beliefs, will also be acceptable. Only the falsehood of heir creed cannot be a hindrance to accepting their evidence or reports.
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