54

O you who believe, whoever of you apostatises (read either yartadid, with separation [of the two dāl letters], or yartadd, with assimilation [of one of the dāl letters with the other]), turns back, from his religion, to disbelief - this is a notification of what Allahu ta’ālā knew would happen, for some of them apostatised upon the death of the Prophet "sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam" - Allahu ta’ālā will assuredly bring, in their place, a people whom He loves and who love Him: the Prophet "sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam" said, 'They are people like him', and he pointed to Abū Mūsā al-Ash'arī, as reported by al-Hākim [al-Naysābūrī] in his Sahīh; humble, sympathetic, towards believers, stern, severe, towards disbelievers, struggling in the way of Allahu ta’ālā, and fearing not the reproach of any reproacher, therein, in the way that the hypocrites fear the reproach of the disbelievers. That, description mentioned, is Allah’s bounty; He gives it to whom He will; and Allahu ta’ālā is Embracing, of abundant bounty, Knowing, of those who deserve it.

54 ﴿