﴿And those who plotted﴾. And when the intended meaning of the plotting is indeed some people at some time, he said: ﴿before them﴾, meaning by the messengers and their followers. Their plotting was a burden upon them. Thus, he concealed in this sentence their plotting which they conspired upon [not] once and perfected it by their claim. This was the cause of the elevation of Islam and its people and the humiliation of polytheism and its people. This is indicated by the concealed part with the conjunction in his saying ﴿And indeed﴾. He also concealed in the previous speech the destruction of the past nations as evidence of His ability regarding the recompense, which is the essence of accountability, and he indicated this with the conjunction in ﴿Did they not see﴾ [Ar-Ra'd: 41]. So reflect on this highlighting in the forms of the miraculous.

And when that is so, it follows that it should be said: ﴿So for Allah﴾, meaning the greatest king whose knowledge and power encompass all, ﴿is the plotting altogether﴾. And the plotting is: the act of deceit for the purpose of oppression by means of trickery, and it necessitates concealment - as has been explained. And there is nothing concealed from the servants of His actions, glorified and exalted is He: they have no way to knowledge of it except from Him, glorified is He. His action is called plotting metaphorically because it arises from their plotting as a recompense for them. Then he justified that by saying: ﴿He knows﴾. And it may be an explanation of what preceded it, for the knowledge of the plotting from the plotter enabled him where the most subtle plotting is not perceived. ﴿What every soul earns﴾, meaning from plotting and otherwise, so He will recompense them if He wills by producing from every cause they established a consequence that is contrary to what they intended. And their will cannot bring about anything except by His will. So you will see what befalls them from His might through you or otherwise until you prevail over them and annihilate them all. ﴿And the disbelievers will know﴾, meaning every disbeliever, of a promise with no breach in it, if it is from ignorance where they do not know things except by explicit statement or sense. ﴿For whom is the ultimate abode﴾ when we come to them contrary to their intention; and earning is: the act of seeking benefit or repelling harm.