And when he concluded the verse by threatening them with what he clarified, that their threat to him is of no concern to him, he followed it with what confirms that he will not abandon any of his deeds that he was created to do. He intensified the threat and said: "And O my people, work"; meaning: perform the actions for all that you desire, remaining steadfast and exalted "in your position"; meaning: your state in which you are able to act. "Indeed, I am working"; on what has become a position for me, meaning a state in which I am able to act. I will not cease from what I am doing, from warning those who disbelieve and giving glad tidings to those who believe, and fulfilling all that the King has made obligatory upon me, without being intimidated by you, nor fearing you, nor desiring your companionship, nor relying on anyone else.

And when their adherence to their deeds was a cause for the occurrence of the promised punishment, and its occurrence was a cause for knowing who will be disgraced by the One who knows which of these two matters is intended, he mentioned it after this threat. Thus, it was appropriate to omit the conjunction from his saying: "You will soon know"; meaning: with a promise that there is no contradiction in it, even if its time is delayed. And its presentation is in the form of a response to one who might have said: What is meant by this matter of the actions that were previously emphasized as being prohibited? And it has been previously clarified in the story of Noah, blessings and peace be upon him, what explains it.

And better than that is that when they said: "We do not understand much of what you say" [Hud: 91], their lying—in presenting the words as if they were a question from one whose entire thought is directed towards his words—indicates: What will happen if we act and you act? This is a subtle connection indicating the estimation of the question. If he had mentioned the conjunction, it would have been an apparent connection. And the difference has become clear between the words of Allah, the All-Knowing of the causes and what is connected to them from the commanded causes, and the most noble of His creation, blessings and peace be upon him, in Surah Al-An'am and Az-Zumar, and the words reported from His Prophet Shu'ayb, blessings and peace be upon him, in this Surah. "Who"; meaning: which of us or who "will come to him a punishment that will disgrace him"? And when it was from the implication of their saying: "We do not understand much of what you say" [Hud: 91], the reference to lying is because it is speaking of what has no relation to reality that corresponds to it. He said: "And who is a liar"; meaning: from me and from you. So the estimation is: If "who" is relative: you will know the disgraced one by the punishment and the liar, me and you. And if it is interrogative: which of us will come to him a punishment that will disgrace him and which of us is a liar? So remain in your position and do not advance from it, "and wait"; meaning: await what will be the consequences of it.

And when they were denying him and rejecting his words, he affirmed and said: "Indeed, I am with you a watcher"; for such a thing. And I have estimated this conjunction for the sake of clarity in the speech [in his saying: "You will soon"], and it is permissible to connect it to "work". And he made it bare and did not say: "watching"; indicating that his concern is striving in the actions that Allah has commanded him, for he is intense in awaiting the consequences with them, disregarding them.