Commentary
And when the disbelievers had lied against Allah by what they innovated in religion without any proof, and what they attributed to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, of fabrication, He followed that, glorified and exalted is He, with His saying: "And who is more unjust" meaning: no one is more unjust "than he who invents" meaning: he deliberately fabricated, being arrogant "against Allah" meaning: the Greatest King "a lie". This is a place of a pronoun; if it had been brought, it would have been said: they do not believe unjustly from them, and who is more unjust than them, meaning they are the most unjust of the unjust. So He brought this apparent statement to clarify what they disbelieved in; because when the ruling is attached to the description, it indicates that it is its cause.
And when He clarified that they are the most unjust, He followed it with their recompense by saying, as a new statement: "Those" are the ones deserving of distance; and since the very nature of the display is fearful, He built for the unknown His saying: "They will be presented" [meaning] for that and as an indication that they are in a state of humiliation and are submissive to every occurrence. Their presentation is in the utmost ease "before their Lord" meaning: the One who has done good to them, yet they did not thank Him, the Knower of the hidden matters, so they will be exposed before Him by what they responded to His kindness with of blame. "And He says" [in a manner of repetition] "the witnesses" and they are those who believed in the books, each of which bears witness to the other, as indicated by His saying: "And a witness from him recites it" [Hud: 17], and the angels who witnessed their deeds and from their limbs when their mouths are sealed. "These" is an indication with a tool of proximity to belittle them "who lied" being arrogant "against their Lord" in claiming partners and children, and in permitting and prohibiting, and other than that [by what they were afflicted with from His goodness and the length of His forbearance]. And in bringing the description of lordship is the utmost condemnation against them. Thus, their disgrace was repeated in this statement before their kind and their distance from all who heard this speech; because there is no one further from the hearts than the liar, so how about the one who dares to lie against the leaders? How about the King of kings who raised them, and each of the people of the standing is waiting for His mercy, fearing His vengeance? And as if it were said: What is wrong with them after this great punishment with this disgrace? It was said: "Indeed, the curse of Allah" which is the expulsion of the Greatest King and His distancing. And look at the severity of the matter by the name of the essence, how severe it is "upon the unjust" so how about the most unjust of the unjust?
Explore Other Scholars on This Verse
Compare different scholarly perspectives on Surah Hud verse 18