And when their request was a motivator for the souls of the good to hope for the answer to their question, He, glorified and exalted is He, followed it with what clarifies that this is of no benefit to them; because it is mere obstinacy. So He, the Most High, said, following His saying: "The disbelievers said, 'Indeed, this is a manifest sorcerer'" [Yunus: 2] or following His saying: "And when harm touches man" [Yunus: 12], clarifying that His mercy is certainly present and frequently coming to them, clarifying that they have a great sign from themselves, which they do not need to be obstinate in requesting a sign, and it indicates the result of the intended purpose of the surah, which is monotheism. Their associating partners with Him is only due to their deficiency in instincts that leads to the denial of kindness. This is because they generally, when honored with a blessing, respond to it with disbelief, making its circumstance proportional to the measure of that blessing, as indicated by the expression "when". Then when harm touches them, it compels them to the truth, and they become sincere. Their condition does not differ in this at all. And this consensus from both sides is clear evidence for both matters: disbelief is injustice due to what it leads to of arrogance, and monotheism is truth due to what it calls to from the upright nature that exists in the best form, which is free from the infliction of harm from desires, lusts, and lethargy. This is as it occurred in Surah Ar-Rum, which corresponds to this in indicating monotheism. Therefore, He expressed in both of them with 'people' so that their consensus would be sufficient evidence for it and a great authority compelling towards it - and Allah is the Guide -: "And when We let the people taste" means: according to our greatness, "a mercy" means: a blessing with which We have shown them mercy without deserving it.

And when the existence of the blessing does not consume the time that follows the punishment, He introduced the conjunction and said: "after hardship has touched them" means: drought and the like. "They plot" refers to the great plot of the sins they commit in secret, most of which are the actions of a schemer. "In Our signs" indicates that they do not cease from His great signs. If they were benefiting from the signs, they would have been guided by them. So when a mercy comes to them after a punishment, they do not consider it a sign indicating the One who sent it to them, due to their habitual state of punishment, even though they acknowledge that none can send it or avert hardship except Him, glorified is He. Rather, they act in it like the schemers, attributing it to causes, like attributing rain to the stars and the like, without fearing the return of such hardship or something worse than it.

And when this statement indicates their hastening in plotting from three aspects: the expression of tasting, which is the first mixing, and the word 'min' which is for beginning, and 'idh' which is sudden, it is as if it were said: They hastened their utmost in plotting. So it was said: ﴿Say, Allah﴾ meaning the One who has complete knowledge of everything ﴿is the swiftest in plotting﴾. The meaning of the description of swiftness is that He decreed their punishment before they devised their plots. [Abu Hayyan pointed this out.] And when plotting is concealing the scheme, He, glorified and exalted is He, made it clear to them that they are unable to plot against Him, exalted is His status and great is His sovereignty, because He is All-Knowing of the secret and what is more concealed. Indeed, they do not plot any plot except that His messengers, glorified is He, are aware of it. So how about Him, glorified is He! He, exalted is He, said, confirming their denial: ﴿Indeed, Our messengers﴾ meaning: regarding what they have of greatness by their being attributed to us ﴿are writing﴾ meaning: a continuous writing in accordance with the continuity of what is written ﴿of what you plot﴾ because they have been assigned to you before you were even sperm, and they were not assigned to you except after their Knowing of all that you do. They do not write your plotting except after their awareness of it. As for Him, glorified is He, when He decrees, it is not possible for His messengers to be aware of it except by His knowledge. So how about others! And when it becomes clear that He is All-Knowing of their affairs while they are ignorant of His affairs, He knows that He does not allow them to devise a scheme except that He has caused something to be in their throats; and plotting is twisting something away from its face through a means of trickery in it; and swiftness is the thing at its time which is most deserving of it. And the verse contains an explanation of what is necessitated by the state of the ignorant from the neglect of the right of the blessing and the plotting in it, even if its status is great and it comes at a time of need for it along with the warning of the return of the consequences upon the plotter in it.