And when He mentioned in this verse their turning away from following, along with what He brought of miracles and what was revealed to him of the Book, He consoled him with his brother, peace be upon them, because when the situation becomes widespread, it lightens. He began mentioning him with a letter of expectation, by which he called for its anticipation, close to mentioning him with Pharaoh along with mentioning his Book at the beginning of the Surah. He said, 'And We certainly gave Moses the Book,' meaning the Torah, which encompasses goodness.

And when the harmful and the comforting are of the same disagreement, he built for the action his saying: 'So they differed concerning it.' Some believed in it while others disbelieved in it, even though it is an Imam and a mercy. And He, glorified is He, wrote for him in it from everything a lesson and a detailed explanation for everything. It was astonishing to the people of that time, just as they differed in your Book with admiration for the people of this time. And its clarification of guidance was complete, indicating that creation, no matter what comes to them from Allah, can only be accompanied by decisive evidence. They turned away from it and differed in it, while whatever they received from their forefathers, they accepted it with acceptance and defended it, allowing themselves to sacrifice for it, even if it contradicted reason.

The people of Moses, with their differing in the Book, every little while a group among them would reject some of its rulings and seek to annul its binding, as has been previously clarified more than once regarding the text of the Torah and the Book of Joshua, until their matter has now become that they have become three groups: the Rabbis, the Karaites, and the Samaritans; each misguiding the other. Yet, He did not hasten to take them with His power to do so, as was done with those whose stories have been narrated from the nations due to His previous decree of delaying them to a counted term. He separated this from the story of Moses, peace be upon him, with Pharaoh, so that what called for the precedence of what has been mentioned of the signs would fall into consolation and be more effective in comfort and solace, as is the case with everything that is presented to the needy gradually.

'And had it not been for a word' meaning: a great word that cannot be changed because it is from the speech of the Greatest King, 'that preceded from your Lord,' meaning the Benefactor to you and to them by sending you as a mercy to the worlds, 'it would have been decided,' meaning: the judgment would have occurred 'between them,' meaning: between those who differed in the Book of Moses quickly. But the word has preceded that the complete judgment will only be on the Day of Resurrection, as He said in Surah Yunus, 'So they did not differ until knowledge came to them.'

And when the disagreement may occur without disbelief, He clarified that it is by it. He said, confirming that every group of the Jews denies its doubt in it, and their action is the action of the doubter: 'And indeed they are in a great doubt,' meaning: a doubt that surrounds them 'about it,' meaning: about the judgment or the Book, 'that causes doubt,' meaning: placing them in doubt, accusation, and turmoil, along with what they saw of the signs, among which is hearing the words of Allah and witnessing what was manifested on Mount Sinai of majesty and what appeared to them in the dome of time from extraordinary conditions.