And when the withdrawal after the commencement is difficult for noble souls and high aspirations, he said: ﴿So if they desist﴾, meaning from fighting and its preliminaries. This implies that a group among them will desist, for the One who is All-Knowing of everything does not express with a tool of doubt except in this manner.

And when the meaning is: So refrain from them and do not turn to them, for indeed Allah has forgiven them, he explained it with a general matter and said: ﴿For indeed Allah﴾, meaning the One who encompasses all attributes of perfection, ﴿is Forgiving, Merciful﴾, meaning He has these two attributes eternally and forever. So whoever repents, this is his situation with Him.