(O ye who believe! If an evil-liver bring you tidings, verify it…) [49:6-8]. These verse were revealed about al-Walid ibn ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘ayt. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, sent him to collect the poor-due from Banu’l-Mustaliq. However, there was an old enmity between him and them in the pre-Islamic period. When these people heard of his coming, they came out to receive him out of reverence for Allah, exalted is He, and His Messenger. But he was scared of them and the devil whispered to him that they wanted to kill him. He returned halfway and went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, saying: “Banu’l-Mustaliq have refused to pay the poor-due and wanted to kill me”. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, became angry and was about to attack them. Meanwhile, when Banu’l-Mustaliq realised that the emissary had gone back, they went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: “We heard of your emissary and we went out to receive him, honour him and give him that which was due upon us of the right of Allah, exalted is He. But your emissary went back and we feared that what sent him back might be a message he received from you because you are angry with us. And we seek refuge in Allah from His wrath and from the wrath of His Messenger”. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (O ye who believe! If an evil-liver) i.e. al-Walid ibn ‘Uqbah (bring you tidings, verify it…). Al-Hakim Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Shadhyakhi informed us> Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Zakariyya al-Shaybani> Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Daghuli> Sa‘id ibn Mas‘ud> Muhammad ibn Sabiq> ‘Isa ibn Dinar> his father> al-Harith ibn Dirar who said: “I went to see the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and he invited me to embrace Islam. I embraced Islam and believed. He enjoined me to pay the poor-due and I agreed. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I will go to my people and invite them to embrace Islam and pay the poor-due. I will collect the poor-due from whoever accepts my invitation and at such-and-such a time you send for me so that I bring you the poor-due I collect’ ”.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou
