And when they did not have a foot of truth or a prior right with what the messengers brought them of proofs, and the evidence continued upon them, they had no response except silence. This is meant by His saying: ﴿So they became blind﴾, meaning: it became hidden and darkened for them in misguidance and obstinacy. ﴿The tidings came upon them﴾ [meaning:] the news that is of such greatness that it is fitting for it to be mentioned on that day, and it is that by which salvation can occur. He used 'upon' to indicate that their blindness fell upon them, so blindness encompassed them all, and they became in a state where the news could not guide them due to their blindness, nor could they find their way to it due to the spread of their blindness towards them. All of this indicates that they did not present any action in response to the messengers that would be worthy of mention on that day. Rather, they had preceded with denial and wrongdoing, wishing that there was a long distance between them and it. And He said: ﴿On that day﴾, reiterating to frighten about that day and to emphasize its significance and greatness.

And when silence resulted from this question, it was known to them that none of them had anything that would suffice in answering it with good words and correctness. They would not mention anything from the speech except that it would return upon them with harm. He said, translating that: ﴿So they do not ask each other﴾, meaning: no one among them asks anyone else about anything by which they could achieve salvation, due to their knowledge that destruction has encompassed them, and there is no time for escape, and because each of them is the most hated of people to the other.