And when it was as if it was said: Was this disbelief and adornment from the beginning of the matter, or is it something that occurred, and its occurrence would be more astonishing? It was said: There is no difference for the Wise One between this and that. For His ability over the great and the small, the ignorant and the knowledgeable, the reckless and the forbearing is equal. The reality is that this is something that happened after the clear statement. "The people were one nation," meaning all of them were united on one thing, some of them leading others and some of them following others. Then He confirmed their unity by saying: "one nation," meaning on the straight path. So some of them went astray, and they differed, and the paths became separated for them, as in the verse of Yunus: "And the people were not but one nation, and they differed" [Yunus: 19]. And on this, most of the scholars agree, as stated by the Asfahani, and it has been narrated by Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili in his Musnad with a connected chain from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: On Islam, all of them.

"Then Allah sent" meaning the One for whom there is no judgment for anyone else, "the Prophets" whom Allah raised above the rest of His creation, informing them of what He wants from His command and sending them to His creation, "as bringers of good tidings" for those who obey, and this is in the context of preserving health, and since it is the intended purpose, He preceded "and warning" for those who disobey, and this is in the context of removing illness with medicine.

Al-Harali said: This indicates that the Prophets have no guidance of their own; rather, they are merely revealing the nature of the creation and their instincts. They bring good tidings to those who are created for good and warn those who are created for evil. They do not initiate a matter that did not exist but rather reveal a matter that was hidden. And likewise is the case for every Imam and scholar in his time; Allah distinguishes the foul from the pure - this has ended.

"And He sent down with them the Book," meaning His words that encompass guidance.

Al-Harali said: This is to strengthen the matter that is multiplied so that the matter with witnesses is stronger than with one witness. For there was sufficiency in the Messenger, and in the Book alone there was sufficiency, but Allah, glorified and exalted is He, doubled the matter and combined the Book and the Messenger so that He would have the decisive proof - this has ended.

"With the truth," meaning the established truth in every way, "to judge" meaning Allah by means of the Book "between the people in that in which they differed" regarding the true religion that they were upon before that, being one nation. Then they deviated after much effort on the straightest path, and then they went astray knowingly after the death of the Messengers, and they differed in religion due to their differing regarding the Book. "And whatever they differed in" meaning the guiding Book to the truth, which there is no ambiguity in, revealed to remove the differences, "except for those who" and since it is inappropriate for the scholar to oppose knowledge absolutely, not conditioned by being from a specific teacher built for the action, "they were given it," meaning they exchanged the favor of Allah by causing disagreement in what was revealed to eliminate disagreement. In this is the utmost astonishment and the manifestation of the magnificent ability that led them to that.

(p-201) And when the disagreement was perhaps due to a vague matter, he clarified that the matter was otherwise. He said, indicating the affirmation of the neighbor, that it did not take a long time after the clear signs came to them, meaning the rational and transmitted evidences by which the prophethood was established and by which the Book was confirmed.

Al-Harali said: The gathering of the verses of what is in the tangible and the verses of what is in the audible. Therefore, the clear signs were complementary to the gathering of their witnesses - it has ended.

And when this was the place of the question about the cause, he clarified that it was envy and the desire to deviate from the truth out of love for what was adorned of this world and competition in it. He said: "Out of envy."

Al-Harali said: And the envy is the actions of envy in word and deed. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Three things no one is safe from: one of them is the one who is adorned with envy, and the omen, and suspicion. So if you envy, do not seek to harm." Because envy occurs in the soul as if it is predisposed to it, therefore it was excused in it; so if it acted according to its saying and actions (p-202), it would be seeking harm - it has ended. And he increased his amazement by saying: "Between them," meaning not out of envy against others, so they changed from every direction.

And when he mentioned the sending down of the Book and its cause, he mentioned what resulted from it. He said, adding to what you can understand: They became blind to the clear signs: "So Allah guided," attributing it to the Greatest Name, as Al-Harali said, indicating that it is not within the capacity of creation except by help and success from the Truth - it has ended.

"Those who believed," meaning in the Prophets, by the blessing of their faith: "For what they differed about," meaning the people of misguidance: "In it." Then he clarified it by saying: "Of the truth." And it is permissible that it may be a partitive concerning what they became blind to (p-203) of the truth that the Book was sent down with, which the Prophets brought: "By His permission," meaning by what He has chosen for them of His knowledge, will, and enabling.

Al-Harali said: It indicates what He created them upon of the enabling to accept it, for the permission is at its least enabling and the removal of prohibition - it has ended.

"And Allah," meaning the All-Encompassing in knowledge and power: "Guides whom He wills," meaning by what He has of the attributes of perfection: "To a straight path."

Al-Harali said: This guidance is higher than the first, as if the first was guidance to the encompassing knowledge of Allah and His power, and this is guidance to Him. And in the present tense is good news for this nation of their continued guidance until the end of the Muhammadan day.

"There will always be a group from (p-204) my nation manifest upon the truth until the command of Allah comes." It has ended.