(O ye who believe! If an evil-liver) this was revealed about al-Walid Ibn 'Uqbah Ibn Ma'it who was sent by the Prophet (pbuh) to Banu'l-Mustaliq to collect their alms; instead he came back claiming that they wanted to kill him. The Prophet (pbuh) and his Companions were about to set forth to conquer them but Allah forbade them from doing so, saying: O you who believe in Muhammad (pbuh) and the Qur'an if a hypocrite, al-Walid Ibn 'Uqbah, (bring you tidings) brings you news about Banu'l-Mustaliq, (verify it) check whether the news are true or false, (lest ye smite some folk in ignorance and afterward repent of what ye did) regret killing them.
