Nasai

(1) The relevance of the hadith to the chapter is absolutely clear: fighting with a Muslim is a very grave major sin (kabirah) and an act of disbelief (kufr).

(2) This hadith proves that the honor, sanctity, and dignity of a Muslim are very great; therefore, whoever dishonors, insults, or harms a Muslim violates the requirements of faith. Thus, in order to safeguard his faith, it is obligatory upon him to honor and respect every Muslim, to refrain from dishonoring them, and to adopt a cautious attitude by avoiding vile acts such as verbal abuse. Such behavior is not befitting of any Muslim.

(3) This hadith also proves that if abusing an ordinary Muslim is a major sin and an unlawful act, then how vile, repugnant, filthy, and heinous a crime it would be to target the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum)—who are superior, more honorable, and of the highest rank among the entire Ummah—with abuse and insult. May Allah protect us from this.

(4) This hadith explicitly refutes the false belief of the Murji’ah sect that sins are not harmful to a person as long as he has faith, and it also refutes their belief that actions are not part of faith.

(5) Alongside the rights of Allah, fulfilling the rights of the servants (‘ibad) is also extremely necessary. For a complete believer, it is essential to use all his limbs thoughtfully and carefully, especially to ensure that he does not cause even the slightest harm or discomfort to any Muslim with his hand or tongue.

(6) “Fighting” here refers to armed combat. Verbal, physical (by hand), or stick fighting is not called “qital” in the Arabic language, because in such types of fighting, there is not a predominant likelihood of someone being killed. (Qital is derived from qatl—killing.)

(7) “Is disbelief (kufr)”—here, kufr refers to kufr duna kufr (lesser disbelief), not the type of disbelief that causes a Muslim to cease being a Muslim; that is, major disbelief (kufr akbar) is not meant here, but rather the indication of a disbelieving act. Also, the intent is to emphasize the severe reprehensibility of fighting a Muslim. And Allah knows best.

(8) By “fusuq” (wickedness) is meant a major sin (kabirah). Committing it does not make a person a disbeliever, but he is also not a true believer. Verbal abuse is considered fusuq because it is a precursor to fighting. Generally, verbal abuse leads to killing and fighting, and engaging in verbal abuse is the practice of the wicked (fasiqun). Furthermore, it should be noted that those actions which have been described as kufr, fusuq, or acts of ignorance (jahiliyyah) must be avoided—indeed, it is obligatory to do so—because such actions do not befit any Muslim, nor are they appropriate for any believer.

Benefits and Issues:
(1)
By "kufr" is meant a major sin (kabirah), that is, this is an act unbefitting of a Muslim; rather, it is something that only a disbeliever (kafir) would do.

(2)
Those actions which are described as acts of kufr or acts of ignorance (jahiliyyah) must be strictly avoided.