Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (O you who believe! If there comes to you a fasiq [open sinner] with news, verify it)
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (O you who believe! If there comes to you a fasiq [open sinner] with news, verify it)]
Then He, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: [Surah al-Hujurat: 6] ,His saying, the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:104] Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: [When you hear Allah say: ((O YOU WHO BELIEVE)), lend it your ear -Meaning: listen to it - for it is either good that you are commanded to do, or evil that you are forbidden from doing] because this is a call by the noblest of attributes, which is faith [Al-Hujurat 49:6] So who is the fasiq [open sinner]? He is the one who has deviated in his religion and his honor,And its opposite is the just person: and he is the one who is upright in his religion and his honor, and he is the opposite of the fasiq [open sinner]. So if a fasiq [open sinner] who has deviated in his religion and his honor comes to us,Meaning: meaning that he is persistent in sins and leaves off the obligatory duties, but he has not reached the level of disbelief, or he has deviated in his honor; he does not care about himself, he walks among people with a reckless gait, and he speaks by raising his voice, and he brings with him the affairs of his household and parades them in the markets, and the like of that which contradicts honor. So this, according to the scholars, is not justice (adl).
In this verse, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says: [Surah al-Hujurat: 6] news, meaning news from the news, and he is a fasiq [open sinner],And let us apply this issue to reality: a man came to us who shaves his beard, a man who shaves his beard is a fasiq [open sinner], why? Because he is persistent in the disobedience of Allah and His Messenger,For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (let the beards grow) and this man did not let his beard grow but shaved it, so this man is among the fasiqun [open sinners] because he is persistent in disobedience. He brought us news, do we accept it? No, do we reject it? No, we do not accept it because of his open sinfulness, and we do not reject it because of the possibility that he is truthful,Therefore, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said: [Surah al-Hujurat: 6] and it did not say: so reject it,And he did not say: so accept it, but it is obligatory upon us to verify,And in a reading: (so verify) and the two are close in meaning,The meaning: that we verify,If someone were to say: So there is no benefit in his news,We said: No, but there is benefit in his news, and that is that it moves the soul, so that we ask and investigate, because if it were not for his news, it would not have moved us from our rest,But when he brought the news, we say: perhaps he was truthful, so we move and ask and investigate. If the reality testifies to the truth for him, we accept it; because of the presence of the companion indicating his truthfulness, otherwise we reject it.
And His saying, Exalted is He: [Surah al-Hujurat: 6] implies that if a just person comes to us, we accept the news, but this has details according to the scholars, indicated by the Qur'an and the Sunnah,For example: testimony in zina [unlawful sexual intercourse], if a man who is just in his religion and upright in his honor comes to us and testifies that so-and-so committed zina [unlawful sexual intercourse], do we accept his testimony? No, even if he is just, rather we flog him eighty lashes; because he has falsely accused this innocent man of zina [unlawful sexual intercourse],And Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Nur: 4] and we do not accept his testimony ever, and we rule that he is a fasiq [open sinner], even if he is just, until he repents.
Two just men testified against Zayd that he committed zina [unlawful sexual intercourse], do we accept their testimony? No, three? No, four? Yes,For Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Nur: 4] ,And Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Nur: 13] if three men come to us whom we know are trustworthy and just and they testify to zina [unlawful sexual intercourse] against a person, they are liars in the sight of Allah, not accepted, and each one of them is flogged eighty lashes.
A man came to us who testified against a person that he stole, do we accept his testimony? No, two men are necessary.
A man came to us who testified that he saw the crescent moon of Ramadan, do we accept his testimony? Yes, we accept it, because the Sunnah came with that,For 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: [The people saw the crescent moon -Meaning: on the night of the thirtieth of Sha'ban - so I informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that I saw it, so he fasted and ordered the people to fast] .
A man was wealthy, then he was struck by a calamity, then he came asking for zakah [the obligatory alms], and he brought a witness that he was wealthy and was struck by a calamity and became poor, so do we accept the testimony of one? No, do we accept the testimony of two? No, three are necessary, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Qabisa: (Indeed, it is not permissible to ask) and he mentioned among them: (a man who was struck by a calamity -Meaning: that swept away his wealth -So three men of understanding from his people testified: that so-and-so was struck by a calamity, so asking is permitted for him) (three men of understanding) meaning: men of intellect.
In conclusion: So what is our position regarding the news of the fasiq [open sinner]? We suspend judgment until the matter is clarified. As for the non-fasiq [open sinner], there are details; we may not accept the news of less than four, as in the case of zina [unlawful sexual intercourse], or three, as in the case of the man who was wealthy and was struck by a calamity and then came asking for charity, so we do not accept from him until three testify. Two men, if a person testifies to a limit of theft, we do not accept less than two men.
It is possible to accept one man with the oath of the claimant, as if a person claims against another that he owes him a thousand riyals, so we say to the claimant: bring evidence,He said: I have one man, if he brings the one man and swears with him, we rule for him with what he claimed.
And on this basis, the news of the just person has details as you have heard, and there are things for which the occasion does not allow mentioning them.
Then He, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:
O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَأٍ فَتَبَيَّنُواO you who have believed
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواif there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate
إِنْ جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَأٍ فَتَبَيَّنُواIn this verse, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:
if there comes to you a disobedient one with information
إِنْ جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَأٍso verify
فَتَبَيَّنُواAnd His saying, Exalted is He:
if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate
إِنْ جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَأٍ فَتَبَيَّنُواAnd those who accuse chaste women and then do not produce four witnesses - lash them with eighty lashes
وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاءَ فَاجْلِدُوهُمْ ثَمَانِينَ جَلْدَةًTwo just men testified against Zayd that he committed zina [unlawful sexual intercourse], do we accept their testimony? No, three? No, four? Yes,For Allah the Exalted said:
And those who accuse chaste women and then do not produce four witnesses - lash them with eighty lashes and do not accept from them testimony ever after. And those are the defiantly disobedient,
وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاءَ فَاجْلِدُوهُمْ ثَمَانِينَ جَلْدَةً وَلا تَقْبَلُوا لَهُمْ شَهَادَةً أَبَداً وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَWhy did they [who slandered] not produce for it four witnesses? And when they do not produce the witnesses, then it is they, in the sight of Allah, who are the liars.
لَوْلا جَاءُوا عَلَيْهِ بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاءَ فَإِذْ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِالشُّهَدَاءِ فَأُولَئِكَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَA man came to us who testified against a person that he stole, do we accept his testimony? No, two men are necessary.
A man came to us who testified that he saw the crescent moon of Ramadan, do we accept his testimony? Yes, we accept it, because the Sunnah came with that,For 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: [The people saw the crescent moon -Meaning: on the night of the thirtieth of Sha'ban - so I informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that I saw it, so he fasted and ordered the people to fast] .
A man was wealthy, then he was struck by a calamity, then he came asking for zakah [the obligatory alms], and he brought a witness that he was wealthy and was struck by a calamity and became poor, so do we accept the testimony of one? No, do we accept the testimony of two? No, three are necessary, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Qabisa: (Indeed, it is not permissible to ask) and he mentioned among them: (a man who was struck by a calamity -Meaning: that swept away his wealth -So three men of understanding from his people testified: that so-and-so was struck by a calamity, so asking is permitted for him) (three men of understanding) meaning: men of intellect.
In conclusion: So what is our position regarding the news of the fasiq [open sinner]? We suspend judgment until the matter is clarified. As for the non-fasiq [open sinner], there are details; we may not accept the news of less than four, as in the case of zina [unlawful sexual intercourse], or three, as in the case of the man who was wealthy and was struck by a calamity and then came asking for charity, so we do not accept from him until three testify. Two men, if a person testifies to a limit of theft, we do not accept less than two men.
It is possible to accept one man with the oath of the claimant, as if a person claims against another that he owes him a thousand riyals, so we say to the claimant: bring evidence,He said: I have one man, if he brings the one man and swears with him, we rule for him with what he claimed.
And on this basis, the news of the just person has details as you have heard, and there are things for which the occasion does not allow mentioning them.