Hadith No: 1
Ibn Kathir - Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim - Tafsir of Surah Al-Hujurat
Interpretation of His statement, exalted be He: "O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disreputable person with a report, verify it..." (Al-Hujurat 49:6)
Volume: (7) - Page Number: (370 > 372)
[The text is lengthy, so only the relevant excerpt is provided here]
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Many interpreters have mentioned that this verse was revealed concerning al-Walid ibn Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) sent him to oversee the alms of the Banu al-Mustalaq. This has been narrated through various channels, and one of the best is what Imam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad from the perspective of the king of the Banu al-Mustalaq, al-Harith ibn Abi Dhirar, the father of Juwayriyyah bint al-Harith, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her).
- .... Imam Ahmad said: Muhammad ibn Saabiq narrated to us, who said: Isa ibn Dinar narrated to us, from my father, who said that he heard al-Harith ibn Dhirar al-Khuza'i (may Allah be pleased with him) say: "I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), and he called me to Islam, so I entered into it and affirmed it. He then called me to zakat (almsgiving), and I affirmed that as well. I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, return to them and invite them to Islam and the giving of zakat. Whoever responds to me, I will collect his zakat, and you, O Messenger of Allah, send me a messenger to come to you with what I have collected from the zakat.'" When al-Harith collected the zakat from those who responded to him and the appointed time that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) intended to send to him approached, the messenger delayed and did not come to him. Al-Harith thought that there had been a change in him, and he feared that it might be a sign of displeasure from Allah, the Exalted, and His Messenger. So he called the leaders of his people and said to them: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) had appointed a time for me to send a messenger to collect what was with me from the zakat, and it is not the way of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) to delay. I do not see the withholding of his messenger except out of displeasure." So they set out to go to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny).
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) sent al-Walid ibn Uqbah to al-Harith to collect what he had gathered from the zakat. When al-Walid traveled part of the way, he became fearful and returned until he came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, al-Harith has withheld the zakat from me and wants to kill me." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) was angry, and he sent an expedition to al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with him). Al-Harith returned with his companions, and when he met the expedition and it had separated from the city, al-Harith said to them: "This is al-Harith." When he approached them, he said: "Whom have you been sent to?" They replied: "To you." He asked: "Why?" They said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) sent al-Walid ibn Uqbah to you, and he claims that you withheld the zakat from him and wanted to kill him." Al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "No, by the One who sent Muhammad (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) with the truth, I did not see him at all, nor did he come to me." When al-Harith entered upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), he said: "You withheld the zakat and wanted to kill my messenger." Al-Harith replied: "No, by the One who sent you with the truth, I did not see him, nor did he come to me. I only returned when the messenger of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) delayed on me. I feared that it might be a sign of displeasure from Allah, the Exalted, and His Messenger." Then the verses of Surah Al-Hujurat were revealed:
{O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disreputable person with a report, verify it...} (Al-Hujurat 49:6)
to the verse {And Allah is Knowing and Wise} (Al-Hujurat 49:8).
- .... And Ibn Jarir said: Abu Kuraib narrated to us, who said: Ja'far ibn Aun narrated to us, from Musa ibn Ubaydah, from Thabit, the freedman of Umm Salamah,
from Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) sent a man to the alms of the Banu al-Mustalaq after the incident, and the people heard of it and went out to receive him, magnifying the matter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny). She said: Then the devil inspired to him that they wanted to kill him. So he returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and said: "Indeed, the Banu al-Mustalaq have withheld their alms from me." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and the Muslims were angry. When the people learned of his return, they came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and stood before him when he prayed the Dhuhr prayer. They said: "We seek refuge with Allah from the displeasure of Allah and the displeasure of His Messenger. You sent us a man as a confirmer, and we were pleased with that and our eyes found comfort in it. Then he returned from part of the way, and we feared that this was anger from Allah, the Exalted, and His Messenger (peace be upon him and his holy progeny)." They continued to speak to him until Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) came and called for the prayer of 'Asr.
Then the verses were revealed: {O you who have believed, if a disreputable person comes to you with a report, verify it, lest you harm a people in ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful} (Al-Hujurat 49:6).
- .... Ibn Jarir also narrated from the path of al-'Awfi
from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his brother) regarding this verse, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) sent al-Walid ibn Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt to the Banu al-Mustalaq to collect alms from them. When they heard the news, they were happy and went out to receive the Messenger of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny). When al-Walid informed them that they were coming to receive him, he returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, the Banu al-Mustalaq have forbidden me the alms." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) was very angry at this. While he was considering sending an expedition to fight them, a delegation came to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah, we have heard that your messenger returned from halfway and we fear that he was only turned back by a message that came from you due to an anger you felt toward us. We seek refuge with Allah from His anger and the anger of His Messenger." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) was displeased with them and they were with him." Then Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, revealed their excuse in the Book, saying: {O you who have believed, if a disreputable person comes to you with a report, verify it...} (Al-Hujurat 49:6)
to the end of the verse.- ....
Mujahid and Qatadah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) sent al-Walid ibn Uqbah to the Banu al-Mustalaq to receive alms from them. They received him with alms, but he returned and said: "The Banu al-Mustalaq have gathered to fight you," Qatadah added, "and they have renounced Islam." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) sent Khalid ibn al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) and commanded him to verify and not rush. So he went until he came to them at night and sent out his spies. When they came back, they informed Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him): "They are firmly adhering to Islam," and he heard their calls to prayer and their prayers. When morning came, Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him) went to them and saw what pleased him, then returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and told him the news. Allah, the Exalted, revealed this verse, and Qatadah said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) would say: "Verification is from Allah, and haste is from the devil." Many others from the early generations mentioned this, including Ibn Abi Layla, Yazid ibn Rumán, al-Duhhak, Muqatil ibn Hayyan, and others, regarding
this verse that it was revealed concerning al-Walid ibn Uqbah. And Allah knows best.