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 God knew would happen for some of them apostatised upon the death of the Prophet s — God will assuredly bring in their place a people whom He loves and who love Him the Prophet s 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 God 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 God’s bounty; He gives it to whom He will; and God is Embracing of abundant bounty Knowing of those who deserve it.
