And those who responded to their Lord. This was revealed about the Ansar: Allah, the Exalted, called them to believe in Him and obey Him, so they responded to Him by believing in Him and obeying Him, and they established the prayer and completed the five prayers. Before Islam and before the arrival of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, in Medina, whenever they had a matter, they would gather and consult one another. So Allah praised them, meaning: they do not act on their own opinion until they gather on it. And from Al-Hasan: "No people consult except that they are guided to what is best for them." [Narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah and Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab and Abdullah ibn Ahmad in the additions of Al-Zuhd. The compiler mentioned it as a narration in Al-Imran.] And consultation (shura) is a noun like fatwa, meaning consultation. The meaning of His saying, 'And their affair is consultation among them,' means it is one of consultation. Likewise, their saying: The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, left the caliphate to be by consultation.