Who is the Companion whom Allah forgave in His saying (And if We pardon a party of you)? And who are the hypocrites to be punished in His saying (We will punish a party)? And what is their story and the lessons learned from it?

The story behind the verse ﴿And if you ask them, they will surely say, "We were only conversing and jesting." Say, "Is it of Allah and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking?"﴾ [At-Tawbah: 65] is summarized as follows: A group of hypocrites, including Wadia bin Thabit and Makhshi bin Humair, mocked the Qur'an reciters among the Companions. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) learned of their words, he sent Ammar bin Yasir to question them. They denied it, claiming they were only conversing and jesting. So, the verse was revealed, clarifying that their mockery of Allah, His verses, and His Messenger constituted disbelief. Scholars differed regarding the meaning of "a group" in the verse ﴿If We pardon a group among you, We will punish another group﴾. Some said it refers to a single man, Makhshi bin Humair, who denied their statement, repented, and his repentance was good, and he was martyred in Yamama. Others said it refers to a group that repented. The verses reveal the characteristics and secrets of the hypocrites, emphasize that mockery of religion is disbelief, affirm that repentance is accepted no matter how great the sin, and highlight the importance of associating with good people and enjoining good and forbidding evil.