Avoiding baseless suspicion

Walekumussalam,

This verse of the Qur'an is not limited to being suspicious about another person's faith. Rather, it generally prohibits believers from entertaining unfounded suspicions about fellow Muslims. This includes having negative assumptions about a person's intentions, character, honesty, or faith without valid evidence.

Therefore, it is not permissible to regard a Muslim as a disbeliever, hypocrite, or lacking in faith based merely on suspicion, intrusive thoughts, or outward assumptions. If a religious ruling is to be made about someone's beliefs or actions, it must be based on clear and reliable evidence—not on mere suspicion.

This is also why the verse forbids spying and backbiting immediately after forbidding suspicion, as these actions often arise from baseless negative assumptions.

This understanding is consistent with the explanations of classical Qur'anic commentators such as Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, who explain that the prohibited ẓann (suspicion) in this verse refers to unfounded suspicions that have no valid evidence.