وَءَامِنُوا۟ بِمَاۤ أَنزَلۡتُ مُصَدِّقࣰا لِّمَا مَعَكُمۡ وَلَا تَكُونُوۤا۟ أَوَّلَ كَافِرِۭ بِهِۦۖ وَلَا تَشۡتَرُوا۟ بِـَٔایَـٰتِی ثَمَنࣰا قَلِیلࣰا وَإِیَّـٰیَ فَٱتَّقُونِ
قَوْلُهُ تَعالى: ﴿وآمِنُوا بِما أنْزَلْتُ مُصَدِّقًا لِما مَعَكم ولا تَكُونُوا أوَّلَ كافِرٍ بِهِ﴾
His, the Exalted’s, statement: “And believe in what I have sent down, confirming what is with you, and be not the first to disbelieve in it.”
قِيلَ إنَّ فائِدَةَ قَوْلِهِ: ﴿ولا تَكُونُوا أوَّلَ كافِرٍ بِهِ﴾ وإنْ كانَ الكُفْرُ قَبِيحًا مِنَ الأوَّلِ والآخِرِ مَنهِيًّا عَنْهُ الجَمِيعُ أنَّ السّابِقَ إلى الكُفْرِ يَقْتَدِي بِهِ غَيْرُهُ فَيَكُونُ أعْظَمَ لِمَأْثَمِهِ وجُرْمِهِ، كَقَوْلِهِ تَعالى ﴿ولَيَحْمِلُنَّ أثْقالَهم وأثْقالا مَعَ أثْقالِهِمْ﴾ [العنكبوت: ١٣] وقَوْلِهِ: ﴿مِن أجْلِ ذَلِكَ كَتَبْنا عَلى بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ أنَّهُ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أوْ فَسادٍ في الأرْضِ فَكَأنَّما قَتَلَ النّاسَ جَمِيعًا﴾ [المائدة: ٣٢]
It was said that the benefit of His statement: “and be not the first to disbelieve in it,” even though disbelief is repugnant from the first and the last and all are forbidden from it, is that the one who is first to disbelieve, others will follow him, so his sin and crime will be greater, like His, the Exalted’s, statement, “And they will surely bear their own burdens and other burdens along with their burdens” [Al-Ankabut: 13] and His statement: “Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely” [Al-Ma’idah: 32].
ورُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ: «إنَّ عَلى ابْنِ آدَمَ القاتِلِ كِفْلًا مِنَ الإثْمِ في كُلِّ قَتِيلٍ ظُلْمًا؛ لِأنَّهُ أوَّلُ مَن سَنَّ القَتْلَ»، وقالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ: «مَن سَنَّ سُنَّةً حَسَنَةً فَلَهُ أجْرُها وأجْرُ مَن عَمِلَ بِها إلى يَوْمِ القِيامَةِ» .
And it was narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him: “Indeed, upon the son of Adam, the killer, is a portion of the sin for every soul killed unjustly; because he was the first to establish the practice of killing.” And he, peace be upon him, said: “Whoever establishes a good practice (sunnah hasanah), he will have its reward and the reward of whoever acts upon it until the Day of Resurrection.”