And when it was clarified that there is no harm for them; nor benefit; it was made clear that they race towards closeness to Him; hoping that He may benefit them; and fearing that He may harm them; so He, the Exalted, said: ﴿Those﴾; meaning: those who have elevated their ranks by turning to the obedience of Allah; and the polytheists elevate their ranks by their deification; and He expressed this by describing the initiator with His saying, the Exalted: ﴿Those who call﴾; meaning: they are called by the disbelievers; and they are deified; then He informed about the initiator with His saying, the Exalted: ﴿They seek﴾; meaning: they seek a great request; ﴿to their Lord﴾; the Benefactor to them; alone; ﴿the means﴾; meaning: the status; and the rank; and the closeness; through righteous deeds; ﴿which of them is closest﴾; meaning: they race with deeds; racing as one who seeks for each of them to be closer to Him; and to have better with Him; ﴿and they hope for His mercy﴾; desiring what is with Him; ﴿and they fear His punishment﴾; magnifying His majesty; the one who is obligated among them; like the angels; and the Messiah; and Uzair; in action; and others; like the idols; by force; as He is capable of creating in them the power of perception; for obedience; and punishment; so it would be like that; and the worshippers of them are more deserving to worship Him; and seek to Him the means; and Al-Bukhari narrated in the tafsir; from Abdullah - may Allah be pleased with him -; ﴿to their Lord the means﴾; he said: "There were people from mankind who worshipped people from the jinn; then the jinn embraced Islam; and these held fast to their religion"; then he explained their fear with a general matter; so He, the Exalted, said: ﴿Indeed, the punishment of your Lord﴾; meaning: the Benefactor to you by lifting the vengeance of extermination from your nation; ﴿was﴾; meaning: a state that is constant for Him; ﴿to be feared﴾; meaning: worthy of being feared; for everyone; from a close angel; and a sent prophet; let alone others; for what has been witnessed of His destruction of the nations; and of His great deeds.