Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 199

(Ayah 199) ➊ {خُذِ الْعَفْوَ:} That is, in response to the call to Tawheed, you will have to endure much hardship from the polytheists and the ignorant. See Al-Imran (186) and Baqarah (109). In response, you should act with forgiveness. Here, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is taught good character, and through him, every person who is fulfilling the duty of inviting to Islam is addressed, as it is said: «{ وَ جَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِيْ هِيَ اَحْسَنُ }» [ النحل : ۱۲۵ ] "And argue with them in the best manner." And it is said: «{ وَ لَوْ كُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلِيْظَ الْقَلْبِ لَا نْفَضُّوْا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ }» [ آل عمران : ۱۵۹ ] "And if you had been rude and harsh-hearted, they would have dispersed from around you."

➋ {وَ اْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ: ’’عَرَفَ يَعْرِفُ‘‘} is a verbal noun meaning "that which is recognized as good," the thing whose goodness is recognized by human nature and affirmed by the Shariah. That is, forgiveness does not mean that you stop commanding them to do good, rather, forgiveness is related to good character.

➌ { وَ اَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجٰهِلِيْنَ:} If they persist in stubbornness and adopt an opposing attitude and engage in useless repetition, then instead of getting entangled, you should remain silent, even if they interpret this silence in any way. It is hoped that this will bring about a change in their behavior and their aggression will be rendered ineffective. See Surah Qasas (55) and Furqan (63). Some scholars have said that this command of forgiveness was in Makkah; when the command of fighting and establishing legal punishments was revealed in Madinah, it was abrogated. See Surah Baqarah (109). However, even after that, those among the Muslims who adopt ignorance, such as hypocrites or those disbelievers with whom there is no war, the command to forgive them, to enjoin good, and to turn away from their ignorance still remains, and in fact, these things must always be kept in mind during da'wah. Yes, those who are criminals subject to prescribed punishments or those who are ready for war should be dealt with accordingly, and the clear rulings for this are present in the Qur'an and Hadith.

199. 1. Some scholars have interpreted this as "take what is surplus to need," and this was the command before the obligation of Zakat, but other commentators have taken it as a moral instruction, meaning forgiveness and forbearance, and Imam Ibn Jarir and Imam Bukhari, etc., have given preference to this interpretation. Thus, Imam Bukhari has narrated in the explanation of this verse the incident of Umar, that Uyaina bin Hisn came to Umar and started criticizing, saying that you neither give us our full share of Zakat nor do you act justly among us. At this, Umar became angry. Seeing this situation, Umar's advisor, Hur bin Qais (who was Uyaina's nephew), said to Umar that Allah Almighty had commanded His Prophet ﷺ, "Adopt forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant," and he (Uyaina) is also among the ignorant. At this, Umar forgave him. This is also supported by those ahadith in which forgiving in the face of oppression, maintaining ties of kinship in response to severing them, and doing good in return for evil are encouraged.

199. 2. By عُرْف, what is meant is ma'ruf, i.e., goodness.

199. 3. That is, when you have completed the argument by enjoining what is good, and still they do not accept, then turn away from them and do not respond to their disputes and foolishness.

199. (O Prophet!) Adopt forgiveness, enjoin what is right, and turn away from the ignorant [197].

[197]
Instructions for the Caller to Truth:

1. Forgiveness and Forbearance
2. Commanding Good Deeds
3. Avoidance in Argument
4. Refraining from Retaliation

In this verse, Allah Almighty has, in very brief words, stated three pieces of advice to you ﷺ which are extremely important for every caller to truth. It is as if the solution to the problems faced by the caller to truth has been encapsulated in a few words, and they are as follows:
1. In the previous few verses, there has been a serious critique of the false deities of the polytheists and the polytheists themselves. As a result, they may begin to spew venom against you ﷺ or speak ill of you ﷺ. In such a situation, you ﷺ should adopt the way of forgiveness, act with patience and endurance. You should keep your temperament calm both regarding the weaknesses of your companions and the provocations of your opponents, because during the call to truth, sometimes impulsiveness can harm the real objective, and this quality was present in you ﷺ to the highest degree. As Allah Almighty said:
﴿ فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ لِنْتَ لهَُمْ ....﴾ [3: 159]
2. One should invite towards such good deeds in clear and simple words that common sense is ready to accept, and in such a manner that people do not find it burdensome. The best example of this is the incident when you ﷺ sent Mu'adh bin Jabal ؓ as governor to Yemen and gave him these instructions: First, invite the people to the oneness of Allah. Then, when they accept Islam, inform them that your Lord has made five prayers obligatory upon you during the day. Then, when they begin to act upon this, inform them that Allah Almighty has made zakat obligatory upon your wealth, and when collecting zakat, avoid taking their best possessions, and beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between Allah and the supplication of the oppressed. [بخاري۔ كتاب الزكوٰة۔ باب لاتؤخَذَ كرائم اموال الناس فى الصدقة]
In this hadith, the order of invitation and the manner of address that has been described contains countless lessons for the caller to truth. Also, whenever you ﷺ would send any caller, you would instruct them:
﴿بَشِّرُوْا وَلاَتُنَفِّرُوْا وَيَسِّرُوْا وَلاَ تُعَسِّرُوْا﴾ [بخاري۔ كتاب المغازي۔ باب بعث ابي موسيٰ و معاذ اليٰ يمن]
That is, wherever you go, your arrival should be a cause of happiness for the people, not a cause of aversion, and you should be a means of ease for the people, not a means of hardship and difficulty.
3. And the third point is that you should try to avoid those who argue for the sake of argument and object for the sake of objection. If you get entangled in their words, the work of spreading the call to truth will come to a halt. Therefore, one should not waste time responding to the objections and taunts of such people, but rather, being indifferent to them, continue on your journey.