A People Whom Allah Loves and They Love Him (Surah 5:54)

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

يا نبي سلام عليك

Apostasy and hypocrisy are spreading rapidly in the Ummah. Yet Believers should not become disheartened at witnessing this evil trend because Allah Most High has promised to replace those who turn away from His Religion with others who will be better than them.

یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مَنۡ یَّرۡتَدَّ مِنۡکُمۡ عَنۡ دِیۡنِہٖ فَسَوۡفَ یَاۡتِی اللّٰہُ بِقَوۡمٍ یُّحِبُّہُمۡ وَیُحِبُّوۡنَہٗۤ ۙ اَذِلَّۃٍ عَلَی الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ اَعِزَّۃٍ عَلَی الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ ۫ یُجَاہِدُوۡنَ فِیۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللّٰہِ وَلَا یَخَافُوۡنَ لَوۡمَۃَ لَآئِمٍ ؕ ذٰلِکَ فَضۡلُ اللّٰہِ یُؤۡتِیۡہِ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ؕ وَاللّٰہُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِیۡمٌ

O you who have believed! Whomsoever apostatizes from among you from his Religion, then Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him; humble upon the Believers and glorious against the unbelievers. They strive in the cause of Allah and do not fear the blame of a critic. That is the grace of Allah He grants to whomsoever He wishes. And Allah is encompassing, knowing

(Surah 5, Ayah 54)

Incidentally, the Ayah establishes the fact that apostates may indeed have been true believers prior to their apostasy, for Allah says, addressing the Believers, “whomsoever apostatizes from among you from his religion”. This repudiates the Calvinist doctrine known as perseverance of the saints; that if anyone commits apostasy it means he or she was never truly in possession of faith to begin with.

Rather, Allah mentions the scenario in which someone believed, then disbelieved:

اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا ثُمَّ کَفَرُوۡا ثُمَّ اٰمَنُوۡا ثُمَّ کَفَرُوۡا ثُمَّ ازۡدَادُوۡا کُفۡرًا لَّمۡ یَکُنِ اللّٰہُ لِیَغۡفِرَ لَہُمۡ وَلَا لِیَہۡدِیَہُمۡ سَبِیۡلًا

Those who believed, then disbelieved, then believed, then disbelieved, then increased in unbelief Allah will not forgive them nor guide them to a path

(Surah 4, Ayah 137)

So while a true believer can indeed lose his faith and commit apostasy, one who has been predestined for salvation by the decree of Allah will certainly die in a state of faith. Such a one has divine protection from the Devil, to whom Allah said:

اِنَّ عِبَادِیۡ لَیۡسَ لَکَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ سُلۡطٰنٌ

Indeed, My servants, you do not have over them any power

(Surah 17, Ayah 65)

They are the Elect, the Believers who have been destined for salvation and over whom Satan has no power or authority to deceive or rob them of their faith.

The Mufassirin have explained that the Ayah (5:54) primarily applies to the Prophet’s first successor Abu Bakr and his companions, may Allah be pleased with them, who were raised up by Allah to strive in His cause at a time when many of the Arabs committed apostasy. 

Others mentioned that the people whom Allah has pledged to raise up whom He loves and who love Him are the eminent Abu Musa al-Ash’ari and his people, the Ash’ar tribe or the Yemenis in general, may Allah be pleased with them. Incidentally, the great Sunni theologian, Imam Abul-Hasan al-Ash’ari, also belonged to this tribe and we feel this fadilah encompasses him too. 

There is a Hadith from the Prophet, peace be upon him, in which, while explaining the Ayah (5:54) indicated that the people being extolled in it for the virtue of Allah loving them and they loving him are the people of Abu Musa al-Ash’ari:

 أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ

صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لِأَبِي مُوسَى  هُمْ قَوْمُ هَذَا يَعْنِي فِي قَوْلِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هُمْ قَوْمُ هَذَا

(Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, v.11, p.181)

But the Ayah is general in meaning and is a universal principle. It should not be restricted to meaning only Abu Bakr and his companions during the Ridda Wars, or only the people of Abu Musa al-Ash’ari. Rather, anytime some commit apostasy from Islam Allah shall replace them with another people who are better than them, whom Allah loves and who love Allah. And it is mentioned that among their signs is that they shall struggle, wage Jihad, in the cause of Allah.

Another sign of theirs is that their humility and humbleness is only for the Believers, but against the unbelievers they express honor and glory, for there is a common misunderstanding among some Muslims that even toward the unbelievers the Believers should be humble and meek. Rather, the friends of Allah are not meek in the face of the enemies of Allah—those who are openly hostile to Islam.

وَاِنۡ تَتَوَلَّوۡا یَسۡتَبۡدِلۡ قَوۡمًا غَیۡرَکُمۡ ۙ ثُمَّ لَا یَکُوۡنُوۡۤا اَمۡثَالَکُمۡ

And if you turn away He will replace you with a people other than you. Then they will not be like you

(Surah 47, Ayah 38)

Concerning the latter verse, it has been narrated from the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, that those who would raised up by Allah to replace the ones who turn away are the Ajam—non-Arabs particularly associated with Iran or Persia, the people of Salman the Persian, may Allah be pleased with him.