And when He informed them that He did not send down this legislation upon the tongue of this compassionate and merciful Messenger except as a mercy for them, after He warned them of the sources of ignorance, He forbade them from persisting in it in a context that makes clear that the one calling to it is the enemy, the devil. He said, encouraging them with the call: "O you who have believed," meaning acknowledge faith, "do not follow" meaning with your effort "the footsteps" meaning the path "of the devil," meaning do not imitate him nor follow his ways which he beautifies in some matters. It is as if he indicated by the form of causation to pardon for mistakes.

And when the estimation is: for indeed, whoever turns away from his path will bring forth goodness and kindness, He added to it His saying: "And whoever follows" meaning with a firm resolve without being mistaken or forgetful; and He made it clear and did not conceal it for the sake of increasing the deterrence, saying: "the footsteps of the devil," meaning whoever follows him will fall into the depths of ignorance that arise from it, every evil. "For indeed," meaning the devil "commands with immorality," which is what is immersed in ugliness, "and what is forbidden," which is what the legislation has not permitted. Thus, he primarily aims for the highest misguidance; if he does not reach it, he descends to the lowest. Perhaps he may progress in other ways. It is known that whoever follows one whose path is like this will act according to his actions, thus becoming in the utmost degradation. This is more severe in deterring from the repetition of the pronoun in 'for indeed' upon 'whoever,' and Allah is the Guide.

And when the estimation is: if it were not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy, you would have followed the devil with his command of abominations, He added to it His saying: "And if it were not for the favor of Allah," meaning the Majestic and Honorable, "upon you," meaning by purifying your souls and elevating them from what you desire of lowly things to the heights, "and His mercy" for you by honoring you and elevating you with the legislation of repentance that expiates what ignorance has brought forth of deficient words and foolish actions. "What has purified" meaning has been cleansed and has grown "from you," and He emphasized the totality with His saying: "from anyone," and He encompassed the time with His saying: "forever. But Allah," meaning in His Majesty and perfection, "purifies" meaning cleanses and causes to grow "whom He wills" of His servants, from all the impurities of his soul and the diseases of his heart. Even if the servants and their morals are in spread and multitude to the extent that none but He can enumerate them, for that reason He purified from you whom He willed and protected him from this falsehood, and abandoned whom He willed.

Then he concluded the verse with that which the testimony cannot be valid without it. He said: "And Allah" meaning the One who has all the attributes of perfection. "All-Hearing" meaning of all their sayings. "All-Knowing" of everything that occurs to their minds, and arises from their conditions and actions. He is All-Aware of who is worthy of the testimony and who is not worthy of it. So be grateful to Allah for His testimony for you from engaging in what others have engaged in, from those who have been forsaken in a type of forsakenness. And be patient with that from them, and do not cut off your kindness towards them. For that will be an increase in your good deeds, and a reason for the acceptance of whoever among them has goodness in him. Thus, his repentance is accepted, and his sin is washed away. This is the intended meaning of his words.