Then he began with what the letter of expectation indicates from the intensity of longing, saying: ﴿He said﴾ that is: a righteous one pleading for guidance: ﴿O my people﴾ that is: O sons of my uncle and those among them who are sufficient for fulfilling the interests ﴿Why do you hasten﴾ that is: you seek haste [in coming] ﴿with the evil﴾ that is: the state whose badness is established, which is the punishment that I warned those who disbelieved with ﴿before﴾ the state ﴿of the good﴾ of the good things that I give you glad tidings of in this world and the Hereafter if you believe. And hastening is: seeking to bring about the matter before the appointed time for it. Their hastening for that is due to their insistence on its cause and their saying in mockery: ﴿Bring us what you promise us﴾ [Al-A'raf: 77] ﴿Why﴾ that is: why not ﴿do you not seek forgiveness from Allah﴾ that is: you seek forgiveness from the One who has the attributes of perfection for your past sins by returning to Him in repentance with sincerity of worship to Him ﴿so that you may be shown mercy﴾ that is: so that you may have hope of being treated [by anyone who has goodness] with the treatment of the merciful by granting good and protection from evil.