Transliteration:( Yaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanoo mai yartadda minkum 'an deenihee fasawfa ya'tillaahu biqawminy yuhibbuhum wa yuhibboonahoo azillatin 'alal mu'mineena a'izzatin 'alal kaafireena yujaahidoona fee sabeelil laahi wa laa yakhaafoona lawmata laaa'im; zaalika fadlul laahi yu'teehi mai yashaaa'; wallaahu Waasi'un 'Aleem )
171. In this blessed verse, one important piece of information of the unseen is given: that some reciters of the Kalimah (i.e. Muslims) would become apostales. Thus during the rule of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (May Allah be pleased with him), some became apostates by rejecting the institution of Zakat while others became apostates by accepting Musalama Kazzab as a prophet.
172. Here the word "People" refers to Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (May Allah be pleased with him) and his army, while "shall bring" means to re-establish authority and power through these people. Otherwise, these people were present at that time as well.
173. In this verse, the truth about Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (May Allah be pleased with him) and his rule is clearly mentioned, because it is he who fought against the apostates during his Caliphate, the wars of Hazrat Umar and Hazrat Uthman (May Allah be pleased with them) were fought against the infidels while the wars of Hazrat Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) were against the rebels. Only Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (May Allah be pleased with him) waged war on the apostates which is mentioned in this verse. It should be remembered that during the time of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلمnow waged on the apostates, though they were put to the sword.
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54. O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion (Islam), Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting in the way of Allah, and never fearing the blame of the blamers. That is the grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He wills. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower. 55. Verily, your Protector is Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, those who perform the Salah, and give Zakah, and they bow down. 56. And whosoever takes Allah, His Messenger, and those who have believed, as protectors, then the party of Allah will be the victorious.
Allah emphasizes His mighty ability and states that whoever reverts from supporting His religion and establishing His Law, then Allah will replace them with whomever is better, mightier and more righteous in Allah’s religion and Law. Allah said in other Ayat,
(And if you turn away, He will exchange you for some other people and they will not be your likes.) and,
(Do you not see that Allah has created the heavens and the earth with truth If He will, He can remove you and bring (in your place) a new creation! And for Allah that is not hard or difficult.)﴿14:19-20﴾. Verily this is not difficult or hard on Allah. Allah said here,
(O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion…) and turns back from the truth to falsehood, from now until the commencement of the Last Hour. Allah said next,
(humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers.) These are the qualities of perfect believers, as they are humble with their believing brothers and allies, stern with their enemies and adversaries. In another Ayah, Allah said,
(Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves.) The Prophet is described as the smiling fighter, smiling to his allies and fighting his enemies. Allah’s statement,
(Fighting in the way of Allah, and never fearing the blame of the blamers.) Nothing prevents them from obeying Allah, establishing His Law, fighting His enemies, enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil. Certainly, nothing prevents them from taking this path, neither someone who seeks to hinder them, nor one who blames or chastises them. Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Dharr said, “My Khalil (intimate friend, the Messenger) has commanded me to do seven deeds. He commanded me to love the poor and to be close to them. He commanded me to look at those who are less than me and not those who are above me. He commanded me to keep the relations of the womb, even if they cut it. He commanded me not to ask anyone for anything, to say the truth even if it was bitter, and to not fear the blame of anyone for the sake of Allah. He commanded me to often repeat, `La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (There is no strength or power except from Allah)’, for these words are from a treasure under the Throne (of Allah).” It is confirmed in the Sahih;
(The believer is not required to humiliate himself.) He was asked; “How does one humiliate himself, O Messenger of Allah” So he replied;
(He takes on tests that he cannot bear.)
(That is the grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He wills.) meaning, those who have these qualities, acquired it by Allah’s bounty and favor and because He granted them these qualities.
(And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower,) His favor is ever extending, and He has perfect knowledge of those who deserve or do not deserve His favor and bounty. Allah’s statement,
(Verily, your Protector is Allah, His Messenger, and the believers…) means, the Jews are not your friends. Rather, your allegiance is to Allah, His Messenger and the faithful believers.
(those who perform the Salah, and give the Zakah…) referring to the believers who have these qualities and establish the prayer, which is one of the most important pillars of Islam, for it includes worshipping Allah alone without partners. They pay Zakah, which is the right of the creation and a type of help extended to the needy and the poor. As for Allah’s statement,
(and they bow down,) some people thought that they give the Zakah while bowing down. If this were the case, then paying the Zakah while bowing would be the best form of giving Zakah. No scholar from whom religious rulings are taken says this, as much as we know. Therefore,
(and they bow down,) means, they attend the prayer in congregation in Allah’s Masjids and spend by way of charity on the various needs of Muslims. Allah said;
(And whosoever takes Allah, His Messenger, and those who have believed, as protectors, then the party of Allah will be the victorious.) similarly Allah said;
(Allah has decreed: “Verily, it is I and My Messengers who shall be the victorious.” Verily, Allah is All-Powerful, Almighty. You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such He has written faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with a Ruh (proof) from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow to dwell therein (forever). Allah is pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the party of Allah. Verily, it is the party of Allah that will be the successful.) Therefore, those who accept the allegiance of Allah – His Messenger and the faithful believers – will gain success in this life and the Hereafter. Hence Allah’s statement here,
(And whosoever takes Allah, His Messenger, and those who have believed, as protectors, then the party of Allah will be the victorious.)
(5:54) Believers! If any of you should ever turn away from your faith, remember that Allah will raise up a people whom He loves, and who love Him; a people humble towards the believers, and firm towards the unbelievers;[87] who will strive hard in the way of Allah and will not fear the reproach of the reproacher.[88] This is the favour of Allah which He grants to whom He wills. Allah is vast in resources, All-Knowing.
87. To be ‘humble towards believers’ signifies that a person should never use his strength against the believers. His native intelligence, shrewdness, ability, influence, wealth, physical prowess should not be used for the purpose of either suppressing, persecuting or causing harm to the Muslims. Among themselves, the Muslims should always find him gentle, merciful, sympathetic and mild tempered.
To be ‘firm towards unbelievers’, on the contrary, means that by virtue of the intensity of his faith, the sincerity of his conviction, his strict adherence to his principles, his strength of character and his insight and perspicacity born of faith, a man should be firm as a rock in his dealings with the opponents of Islam, so that they find it impossible to dislodge him. There should be no doubt in their minds that the believer would rather lay down his life than compromise his position by yielding to external pressures.
88.In following the religion of God, in implementing His injunctions, in judging things to be either right or wrong according to the criteria of the faith, the believer will be afraid of nothing. He will be impervious to opposition, reproach, denunciation, name-calling and scorn. Even when public opinion happens to be hostile, and his efforts to follow Islam single him out for the scorn of the whole world, the man of faith will still follow the way which he recognizes in his heart to be true.
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