An-Nisa 91: You will also find those who desire to be safe from you and from their own groups. Whenever they are invited to mischief, they plunge into it. If they don’t stay away from you, don’t offer peace and don’t restrain their hands from you, apprehend them and kill them when you encounter them. We have given you an open permission about them.

I suppose that is clear. We have come to verse 91 of Surah An-Nisa. Others, too, who want to be safe both from you and from their own people, you will find, He says. Those who want to be safe from you and safe from others you will also find. Whenever they are led into fitna, they dive into it headfirst. If they do not keep away from you, do not offer peace, and do not hold back their hands, seize them, kill them wherever you meet them; as for them, (?) clear (?) for you.

These are more or less the case of the hypocrites.

Some people, staying out of war, declaring that they will fight neither their own people nor the Muslim forces, want to be safe from them. Whenever they are called to the path of fitna, that is, called to war against Islam, they at once take their place beside the enemies of Islam. That is, (?), people whose true colours are unknown.

These are hypocrites. We are saying so anyway. They are hypocrites. Over the hypocrites Allah Almighty gives authority to kill. But over the others He does not give this authority.

If these hypocrites do not take their hands off Islam, and with such behaviour do not refrain from actions that harm Islam, do not offer peace, and attack you, then kill them, He says, wherever (?) you seize them. The authority our Lord gave us. Over them We have given you clear authority, He says. The reason is that these people are cruel people. Where does their cruelty come from? He appears to be on your side. Like a worm — just as a worm enters a tree, rots it by gnawing it from within, and brings that huge tree down, so on earth these are like that worm: the hypocrites. They are cruel people. They are capable of oppressing anyone.

They see nothing beyond their own interests. They watch weak people, and when they get the chance, their wealth and property, and even their honour, they do not shrink from violating. They are the fitna of the earth. So that such people do not harm innocent people, so that Allah protects His creatures from such (?), to have such people killed in return for the punishment of what they did and so prevent the evils they would do — for this Allah has given people authority in this way, He says. Yes, a narration is told here. Whenever the tribes of Banu Asad and Ghatafan came to Medina, they would say they were Muslims.

While among Muslims they felt safe; when they returned to their own tribes, revealing their disbelief, they would rail against the Muslims and want to be safe from their own tribes. They say this verse was revealed about this. Although this is said, Allah Almighty is telling us about the states of people. The verses light our way, He calls them proof — light and proof for what? They show us people's states very clearly and plainly. And to keep us safe from all disasters, from people's evil and from coming dangers, He warns us. Because we are truly forlorn and alone. Forlorn and alone. Our only refuge is our Lord.

In the world. Our only refuge is our Lord. Therefore, since we are under our Lord's shelter, Allah Almighty has spread His verses before us so that no harm comes to His servants. But if we go and consider our own reason better, and instead of taking refuge at our Lord's door, instead of continuing on our way in the light of the verses, we go and turn our backs on the verses and see ourselves as somebody, then in this world we meet many afflictions, we face many disasters, and we suffer great loss, and we suffer much oppression.

But how beautifully our Lord shows us His doors to take refuge in. If we act in the light of these verses, take refuge in our Lord, call Him our Owner and submit to Him — how beautifully He lights our way with the verses of the Quran. Whoever goes on His way and does what He says — believe this — will not come to harm, nor suffer loss. Even if, according to the verse We will test you with your lives and your wealth, some harm touches us, a harm, the person of faith who takes refuge in his Lord should say exactly this:

Our Lord does not load on our back what we cannot bear. That is one. We are being tested in this world. That is two.

We take our precautions against the afflictions given, and leave the outcome only to Allah. That is three. And if, in the face of the affliction our Lord has given us, we show patience and submit to Him, we earn our Lord's mercy. That is four. Everything turns in our favour, and we gain. Otherwise, if we act by our own reason, shout and cry out and rebel, then just as we suffer that affliction and its harm, we also, in our hereafter, wrong our nafs. We also suffer spiritual harm, and (?) of sin, because we turned to rebellion. We suffer harm in two ways. Two ways. That is why people should accept what comes from Allah, first take precautions, say the outcome is from our Lord, say: if there is a single door to take refuge at, it is our Lord's door, and take refuge there.

Yes.