Surah Al-Maaida (5) — Ayah 54

54. O you who believe! Whoever among you turns back from his religion, Allah will soon bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him [96], humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah and not fearing the blame of any critic [97]. That is the grace of Allah; He bestows it upon whom He wills [98]. Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.

[96]
Prophecy Regarding the Apostates:

In this verse, Allah Almighty has made a great prophecy. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away, most of the Arab tribes thought that all the successes and triumphs Islam had achieved were solely due to the person of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom, through revelation, guidance was sent down for the Muslims according to the circumstances at all times. Now, since he has passed away, disbelief will once again prevail. With this thought, many tribes of Arabia apostatized from Islam, and some began to say, "Now what is the benefit of paying zakat or bearing the other obligations of Islam?" Immediately after the passing of the Prophet ﷺ, the Muslims had to face extremely delicate and emergency situations. Firstly, the Muslims were deeply grieved by his passing; secondly, in this state, many tribes had apostatized, against whom jihad was obligatory. Thirdly, some tribes outright refused to pay zakat, even though at that time there was a great need for expenses for jihad. Then there was also the issue of dispatching the army of Usama, which the Prophet ﷺ had arranged during his lifetime. The dispatch of this army for the protection of the Syrian borders was also necessary. In other words, at that time, the Muslims were facing both internal and external dangers, and the greatest difficulty was that there were no funds available. Among these tribulations, the greatest was the one mentioned in this verse, so we will discuss it in some detail. During the life of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a few ambitious claimants to prophethood had arisen, foremost among them being Musaylimah, who belonged to the Yemeni tribe of Banu Hanifah. A delegation from this tribe came to Madinah in 9 AH. This delegation included Musaylimah and seventeen others who presented themselves before the Prophet ﷺ and accepted Islam. However, Musaylimah, who was the leader of the delegation, due to his arrogance and pride, kept somewhat aloof. He used to say that if Muhammad ﷺ promised to grant him prophethood after himself, he would follow him. When the Prophet ﷺ learned of this, he, along with Thabit bin Qais, the orator of the Ansar, went to Musaylimah. Musaylimah repeated his statement, saying that if you want us to leave you free in matters of governance, then decide this for us after yourself. At that time, the Prophet ﷺ had a stick in his hand. Pointing to it, he said, "If you ask me for even this stick in this matter, I will not give it to you. And remember, you cannot go beyond Allah's decision, and if you turn your back, Allah will break you. By Allah! I consider you to be the very man who was shown to me in a dream." Then the Prophet ﷺ entrusted the matter of explanation to Qais bin Thabit ؓ and himself returned.
[بخاری۔ کتاب المغازی۔ باب وفد بنی حنیفۃ و حدیث ثمامۃ بن اثال]

The First Apostates: Musaylimah the Liar and His Followers:

Upon returning, Musaylimah kept pondering over this matter. Eventually, he himself claimed prophethood and said that he had been made a partner with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the business of prophethood. He made adultery and wine lawful for his people, yet continued to bear witness to the prophethood of the Prophet ﷺ, i.e., he also claimed to be a shadow prophet. Due to these concessions, he gained great respect and status among his people and came to be called the "Rahman of Yamamah." Then he wrote a letter to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, saying, "I have been made a partner with you in this matter; half the government is for us and half for the Quraysh." The Prophet ﷺ replied to him, "The earth belongs to Allah; He gives it as inheritance to whom He wills, and the end is for the righteous." Then Musaylimah sent two envoys, Ibn Nawahah and Ibn Athal, to the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ asked them, "Do you bear witness that I am the Messenger of Allah?" They replied, "We bear witness that Musaylimah is the Messenger of Allah." The Prophet ﷺ said, "I believe in Allah and His Messenger. If it were permissible to kill envoys, I would have killed both of you."
[مسند احمد۔ بحوالہ مشکوٰۃ ج 2 ص 347]

This Musaylimah and his followers were the very first group of apostates. Thus, at the beginning of Rabi' al-Awwal, 11 AH, a military campaign was launched against these people. Banu Hanifah were great warriors and brave people; they fought fiercely, and a great and intense battle ensued. Although in this battle, which became famous as the Battle of Yamamah, many Qurra (reciters) among the Muslims were martyred and there were considerable casualties, the field remained in the hands of the Muslims. Musaylimah the Liar himself met his fate at the hands of Wahshi bin Harb. This is the same Wahshi bin Harb who, in the Battle of Uhud, had martyred the Prophet's ﷺ uncle, Sayyiduna Hamzah, with a spear. In this battle, as an expiation, he killed Musaylimah with the same spear.
[بخاری کتاب المغازی۔ باب غزوہ احد]

The Second Claimant to Prophethood: Aswad Ansi:

The second claimant to prophethood was Aswad Ansi. Once, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "I saw in a dream that there were two golden bracelets on my hands, and this worried me. Then, in the dream, I was told to blow on them. I blew, and both flew away. The interpretation is that after me, two false prophets will arise; one is Aswad Ansi and the other is Musaylimah the Liar of Yamamah."
[بخاری۔ کتاب المناقب باب علامات النبوۃ فی الاسلام]

Aswad Ansi was the chief of the tribe of Banu Mudlij; he was also called Dhu al-Himar. He was a sorcerer. He seized the surrounding areas of Yemen and expelled the Prophet's ﷺ governors. The Prophet ﷺ wrote to Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal ؓ and the chiefs of Yemen to suppress him. Eventually, this man was killed at the hands of Fayruz Daylami. The Prophet ﷺ gave the news of his death at the very time it happened, although the news from Yemen arrived two months later. The third apostate was from the tribe of Banu Asad, whose chief, Tulayhah bin Khuwailid, claimed prophethood. A military campaign was also launched against him, and he was defeated and fled towards Syria. Later, he sincerely accepted Islam again. These three tribes were those who had apostatized in the last days of the Prophet's ﷺ life, and their suppression was carried out in a timely manner.

Tribes That Apostatized During the Era of Abu Bakr:

There were seven tribes who apostatized after the Prophet's ﷺ passing:
(1) Fazarah, the people of 'Uyainah bin Hisn
(2) Ghatafan, the people of Qarah bin Salamah Qushayri
(3) Banu Sulaym, the people of Fijarah bin 'Abd Yalil
(4) Banu Yarbu', the people of Malik bin Nuwayrah
(5) Some people of Banu Tamim who became followers of Sajah bint Mundhir—this woman also claimed prophethood and married Musaylimah
(6) Kindah, the people of Ash'ath bin Qays
(7) In Bahrain, Banu Bakr bin Wa'il, the people of Hatim bin Zayd.

The Dispatch of Usama's Army:

Thus, after the Prophet's ﷺ passing, emergency and alarming circumstances arose for the Muslims. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar ؓ says that in these circumstances, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ first consulted regarding the dispatch of Usama's army. In such delicate circumstances, the entire Shura was against the immediate dispatch of Usama's army, but Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ, contrary to the entire Shura, made his unequivocal decision in these words: "By Him in Whose hand is the life of Abu Bakr Siddiq, even if I am certain that wild beasts will come and snatch me away, I will still send Usama's army as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded, and even if I am left alone in this town, I will still send this army." [طبري ج 3 ص 225]

Jihad Against Those Who Withheld Zakat:

Accordingly, this army was sent, and after forty days, it returned victorious. Now, regarding those who withheld zakat, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ summoned the Muhajirin and Ansar, presented the entire situation before them, and sought their counsel. His speech left the assembly in a state of silence. After a long silence, Sayyiduna Umar ؓ said, "O Caliph of the Messenger! In my opinion, you should consider it a blessing if you are able to establish prayer at this time. Allah will strengthen Islam, and then you can deal with them. At this time, we do not have the strength to face all the Arabs and non-Arabs." After this, Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ turned to Uthman ؓ, who also supported Umar's opinion. Then Sayyiduna Ali ؓ also supported it. After that, all the Ansar and Muhajirin unanimously supported this opinion. He turned to Sayyiduna Umar and said, "You were very bold and courageous in the state of disbelief, and now you show weakness after coming into Islam?" Then he addressed the entire Shura, "By Allah! I will remain steadfast on the command of Allah and will strive in His path until these people pay the full zakat which they used to pay to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. For Allah has not differentiated between prayer and zakat." This incident has been narrated by Imam Bukhari in these words: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that when the Prophet ﷺ passed away and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ became the Caliph, some tribes of Arabia became disbelievers. Sayyiduna Umar ؓ said to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ, "How will you fight these people when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, '«لا اله الا الله»'? Then whoever says this testimony has protected his wealth and life from me, except for a right due, and his reckoning is with Allah." In response, Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ said, "By Allah! I will certainly fight the one who differentiates between prayer and zakat, for zakat is the right of wealth (just as prayer is the right of the body). By Allah! If they withhold from me even a young goat which they used to give to the Prophet ﷺ, I will fight them for it." Then Sayyiduna Umar ؓ said, "By Allah, after that I realized that the intention for battle that had arisen in Abu Bakr Siddiq's ؓ heart was indeed placed there by Allah, and I recognized that Abu Bakr Siddiq's ؓ opinion was correct."
[بخاری۔ کتاب استتابۃ المعاندین و المرتدین]

Thus, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ himself became ready to set out for jihad. Sayyiduna Ali ؓ advised him that his presence in Madinah was more necessary than setting out for jihad. Accordingly, he appointed Sayyiduna Khalid bin Walid ؓ as the commander-in-chief to suppress both the withholders of zakat and the apostates, and continued the campaign until the apostates and those withholding zakat were brought back to the right path. In this verse, Allah Almighty warns the Muslims of that time that the elevation of Allah's religion does not depend solely on you. If any of you apostatizes, Allah will bring forth other people who will possess these and these qualities. Now, the question is: in the last days of the Prophet's ﷺ life and after his passing, when countless tribes apostatized, who were the people Allah brought forth against them, and who was their leader at whose hand this promise was fulfilled? And those who are even slightly familiar with the history of Islam will spontaneously say that against these apostates, the noble Companions ؓ, the Ansar and Muhajirin, and the people of Yemen rose up, who suppressed all these apostate people, and their leader and Caliph was Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ. Thus, just as this verse confirms the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Prophet's ﷺ prophethood, it also proves the legitimacy of the caliphate of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ.

The Shia View on Apostasy and Its Refutation:

This was the historical reality of the tribulation of apostasy. Now, the Shia say that in reality, the leader of the group that suppressed the apostates and the one who fulfilled this promise was Sayyiduna Ali ؓ, and that the people's failure to make Sayyiduna Ali ؓ Caliph and depriving him of his right by making Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ Caliph, and not giving Lady Fatimah the right of Fadak, is the real apostasy. Since these people made Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ Caliph instead of Sayyiduna Ali ؓ, therefore they all became apostates. If the Shia view of apostasy is accepted as correct, then the question arises: if the noble Companions ؓ became apostates by making Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ Caliph, did Sayyiduna Ali suppress them? Also, which nation was it through whom Allah fulfilled His promise by suppressing these apostates? And did Allah's promise actually come to pass or not? These questions strongly refute the Shia view. Rather, the opposite happened: Sayyiduna Ali ؓ always remained an honored member of the Shura of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ and Sayyiduna Umar ؓ, and was their helper and supporter in their affairs, and participated wholeheartedly with them in the campaigns against the apostates. As for the Shia assumption that Sayyiduna Ali ؓ was not a participant at heart, firstly, this is against
﴿وَلَا يَخَافُوْنَ لَوْمَةَ لَآىٕمٍ﴾
Secondly, if Sayyiduna Ali ؓ himself understood apostasy in this way, then at the very least, he could have refrained from supporting and helping them. Thirdly, their mutual marital relations are also established from history. All these things are strong evidence that apostasy does not mean what the Shia say, nor did Sayyiduna Ali consider it to be apostasy.

[97] The meaning of being gentle-hearted towards the believers is that their strength is not used to suppress, harm, or hurt Muslims, but rather they are gentle, compassionate, and sympathetic towards each other. And being stern towards the disbelievers means that the firmness of their faith, sincerity in honesty, strength of principles, character, and insight in faith prove to be like a rock against the opponents of Islam. This does not mean at all that they treat disbelievers with rudeness and harshness, or curse them, or that when they see them, signs of anger and hatred appear on their faces. The character of the believers is free from such vile morals, and the fourth quality of such believers is that they do not care at all about the taunts, objections, and mockery of the opponents, and they continue steadfastly on the path of truth with full determination and perseverance.

[98]
Those Who Crush the Tribulation of Apostasy:

That is, this favor of Allah is not limited to the group of the noble Companions ؓ alone. Rather, whenever and wherever the tribulation of apostasy arises, Allah raises such devoted and loyal Muslims for the suppression of such apostates who are superior to the apostates in both knowledge and strength, and they break the power of this tribulation. In the history of Islam and Muslims, countless such tribulations have arisen and will continue to arise in the future, and Allah has always raised His servants for the suppression of these tribulations and will continue to do so. And among such people, the above-mentioned qualities are always found to some degree. And these tribulations of apostasy are also of two types: one political, the other written. For crushing both, Allah has always raised suitable people and will continue to do so. And the glad tidings for them is that such people are beloved to Allah.