Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said, regarding what he quoted from Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him): He said: : This was in the early days of Islam in Makkah, because Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) was among the first to embrace Islam. He embraced Islam, and a group of people embraced Islam with him. It is well known that among the first people to embrace Islam was Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), after Khadijah and Waraqah ibn Nawfal. Among these six men was Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who was a poor shepherd, and likewise Bilal ibn Abi Rabah, who was a slave. They used to sit with the Messenger (may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him), listening to him and benefiting from what he had. The great polytheists, who considered themselves superior, used to sit with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): , saying this in contempt for those who sat with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): "Drive them away from us so that they do not sit with us."
So what occurred in the heart of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) occurred, and he considered the matter. Then Allah the Exalted revealed: : Allah the Glorious and Exalted forbade him from driving these people away, even if they were poor, and even if they had no status in society, but they have status with Allah, because they call upon Allah in the morning and in the evening, meaning in the morning and in the evening. They call upon Him with supplication of request, asking for His pleasure and Paradise, and seeking refuge in Him from the Fire.
And they call upon Him with the supplication of worship, worshipping Allah. And the worship of Allah includes supplication. For example, in the prayer, a person says: "My Lord, forgive me," "Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter," "Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah," and the like. Also, the one who worships only worships to attain the pleasure of Allah the Glorious and Exalted.
And in His saying: : there is an indication of sincerity, and that sincerity has a great effect on the acceptance of deeds and the elevation of the doers of deeds with Allah the Glorious and Exalted. So the more sincere a person is in his work, the more pleasing it is to Allah and the greater his reward. How many people are there who pray, and next to them another person prays with him in the same prayer, and the difference between them in elevation with Allah and in reward and recompense is like the distance between the sky and the earth, and that is due to the intention and the sincerity of intention in one of them and not the other. So it is obligatory for a person to strive with utmost effort to be sincere in his intention to Allah in his worship, and not to intend anything from the matters of this world with his worship. He should not intend anything but the pleasure of Allah and His reward, so that he thereby attains elevation in this world and the Hereafter.
Allah the Exalted said at the end of the verse: : meaning, nothing is required of you regarding them, and nothing is required of them regarding you. The reckoning of everyone is with Allah, and everyone is recompensed for his deed. This "fa" (so/then) refers to His saying: not to His saying: . So here in the verse there are two "fa"s: the first "fa" is and this is connected to His saying: , and is connected to His saying: : meaning, if you drive them away, then you will be among the wrongdoers.
And it is derived from this hadith that a person should be with the people of good who call upon Allah in the morning and in the evening, seeking His Face, and not be concerned with sitting with the great, the nobles, the princes, the ministers, and the rulers. Rather, it is not befitting for him to sit with these people unless there is a benefit in doing so. If there is a benefit, such as that he wants to enjoin what is right upon them, or forbid what is wrong, or clarify to them what is hidden from them regarding the state of the Muslim community, then that is good and contains goodness.
As for merely enjoying sitting with them, and attaining fame by having sat with the great, with the ministers, with the princes, with the rulers, this is a purpose for which the servant is not praised. Rather, he is praised for sitting with whoever is more mindful of Allah, whether rich or poor, lowly or noble. The whole matter depends on the pleasure of Allah the Glorious and Exalted, and on loving those whom Allah loves.
And he who has tasted the taste of faith is the one who allies himself with those whom Allah allies with, and opposes those whom Allah opposes, and loves for the sake of Allah, and hates for the sake of Allah. We ask Allah to make us and you like that, and to grant us from Him mercy, for He is the Bestower of gifts. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.