And when it was one of the great objectives to rebuke the Jews, because they are the people of the Book and they possess knowledge of the Prophets [which] is not with the Arabs, and they had sought their guidance and counsel, it was therefore one of the most obligatory duties upon them to provide pure advice to them. So, He, glorified and exalted is He, expressed in His rebuke of them what has preceded until He concluded that all the Prophets were prostrating to Allah and were submissive to His command. He followed that with a reprimand that is greater in its essence and more severe than what has preceded for those who fear Allah and His Messengers, saying: "Then there came after them a generation" meaning in some of the time that came after these chosen ones quickly. "A generation" they are in the utmost of wickedness. "They wasted the prayer" which is the prohibition against immorality and wrongdoing, which is the purity of bodies, the protection of religions, and the greatest of deeds, by neglecting it or delaying it beyond its time and failing to observe its limits. So, they were more neglectful of what is besides it. Their hearts became darkened, so they turned away from the call of reason. "And they followed" meaning with all their effort "the desires" that lead to disgrace in this world and the Fire in the Hereafter. So, no one who deserves to be counted among men approaches it, from changing the rulings of the Book and altering what is in it that contradicts desires, such as stoning for adultery, and the prohibition of bribes and usury, and so on. The greatest of it is concealing the glad tidings of the Arab Prophet who is from the descendants of Ishmael. "So they will surely face" meaning they will experience - a promise with no change in it after a long period of respite - the recompense for their actions, "a great error" meaning evil that follows a great misguidance. They will remain in blindness from the path of guidance and will not be able to find a way to it, while they are aware that they are in error and misguidance. However, they are compelled to that by what has been adorned for them until it became for them the most complete desire, and that is the greatest evil. And He, glorified and exalted is He, has continued to draw them in with blessings until they were cut off by victory and dominance, until the might of honor overwhelmed them, and they were taken by surprise. And there is no more severe taking than this after the soul has settled on victory, and it is from the valley of His saying: "And We will gather them on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, mute, and deaf" [Al-Isra: 97] along with His saying: "Listen to them and see" [Maryam: 38]. And the recompense for whoever has this as his way in this world and the Hereafter is known to everyone who has the slightest insight that it is disgrace and then the Fire. Also, indeed, whoever has gone astray has missed the path of success to Paradise and otherwise, and he has failed, and whoever fails has indeed perished. Abu Ali Al-Jibai said: "And the error is failure in the language" - it has ended. And it is permissible that by "error" is meant destruction, either from their saying - "deception" - the weight of "a pit" - meaning a place of destruction, or from naming something by the name of what it entails.