His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves the reliant." [Aal 'Imran: 159] "If Allah should aid you, no one can overcome you; but if He should forsake you, who is it that can aid you after Him? And upon Allah let the believers rely."

Allah, the Exalted, commanded His Messenger with these commands that are in a profound progression. This is because He commanded him to pardon them, peace be upon him, for what he has against them in his own right and obligation. When they reach this level, He commanded him to ask forgiveness for them regarding what Allah has against them in terms of obligation. When they reach this level, they become worthy of consultation in matters.

Consultation is one of the principles of the Shari'ah and the foundations of rulings. Whoever does not consult the people of knowledge and religion, their removal is obligatory; this is without dispute. Allah praised the believers by saying: "And their affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves." [Ash-Shura: 38] And the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "No one has failed who has sought guidance, nor has anyone regretted who has consulted." And he, peace be upon him, said: "The one who is consulted is entrusted." The characteristic of the one who is consulted in rulings is that he should be knowledgeable and pious, and this is rarely found except in a wise person. Al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan said: "The religion of a person is not complete unless his intellect is complete." The characteristic of the one who is consulted in worldly matters is that he should be wise, experienced, and trustworthy in the one consulting him. Consultation is a blessing. Umar ibn al-Khattab made the caliphate— which is one of the greatest calamities— a matter of consultation. Al-Hasan said: "By Allah, no people have consulted among themselves except that Allah guided them to the best of what was present among them." The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, would consult his companions. He said during the Battle of Badr: "Consult me, O people," on the day when Al-Miqdad spoke, then Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah. His consultation, peace be upon him, was only in matters of wars and missions and similar urgent matters. As for what is lawful or unlawful or a punishment, those are the laws of the Shari'ah: "We have not omitted in the Book from anything." It seems that the verse was revealed to comfort the believers, as their dominance over the opinion in the story of Uhud necessitated that they be punished by not being consulted in the subsequent matters.

Ibn 'Abbas read: "And consult them in some of the matter." The reading of the majority is in the name of the general category that applies to some and to all. There is no doubt that the wording is specific to what is not about permissibility and prohibition. Consultation is based on differing opinions, and the one consulting looks into that difference and chooses. When Allah, the Exalted, guides him to what He wills of it, he decides upon it and carries it out, relying upon Allah, as this is the ultimate goal of the required diligence from him. And with this, the Exalted commanded His Prophet in this verse.

(p-406) And Jabir ibn Zayd, Abu Nuhaik, Ja'far ibn Muhammad, and Ikrimah read "I determined" with a damm on the ta. Allah, the Exalted, named His guidance and support determination from Him. This is in meaning similar to His saying: ﴿That you may judge between the people by what Allah shows you﴾ [An-Nisa: 105] and similar to His saying: ﴿And you did not throw when you threw, but it was Allah who threw﴾ [Al-Anfal: 17]. So, the Exalted made the defeat of the polytheists at Hunayn and the disfigurement of their faces a throwing, as that was connected to the throwing of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, with the pebbles. And Umm Salamah said: Then Allah determined for me.

And reliance on Allah, the Exalted, is one of the obligations of faith and its principles. However, it is coupled with seriousness in obedience and striving with utmost effort. It is not merely throwing one's hands up and similar actions under the guise of reliance. Rather, it is as he, peace be upon him, said: "Tie it and rely."

Then the Exalted affirmed the believers with His saying: ﴿If Allah helps you, no one can overcome you﴾, meaning: adhere to the matters He has commanded you and He has promised you victory along with them.

And abandonment is leaving in times of need for the one who abandons. Its origin is from the abandonment of the deer, and for this reason it is said to her: abandoned, when her mother left her. This is in relation to lineage, meaning: one who is abandoned, for the abandoned one is the one who is left, meaning the forsaken one.

And His saying: ﴿So who is it that will help you﴾ implies the answer: no one. The pronoun in "after it" can refer back to the written one, and it can refer back to the abandonment that is implied in His saying: "And if He abandons you."