And perhaps he followed that with his saying: ﴿And they plotted﴾, which is connected to his saying: ﴿Who are my supporters for [the cause of] Allah?﴾ [Aal 'Imran: 52] by implying the inclusion of all those previously mentioned. This indicates that the conspiracy against him can rightly be attributed to the collective, as it is a group. As for the plotting of the Jews, it is well-known. As for the twelve disciples, one of them betrayed him, and he was the one who took on the leadership of the matter and drew the Jews to him and guided them to him - as will be explained, if Allah, the Exalted, wills, in Surah An-Nisa. The arrangement of the plotting in relation to the condition indicates that when they realized his awareness of their disbelief, they feared his consequence and devised a scheme to kill him. Plotting - as Al-Harali said - is the application of deceit and trickery in demolishing an apparent structure like the worldly life, while scheming is the application of deceit and trickery in demolishing a hidden structure like religion, character, and others. Thus, plotting is a deception of the senses, while scheming is a deception of meaning. It has ended. Then indeed, their plotting faded and diminished with his saying: ﴿And Allah plotted﴾, meaning the One who encompasses everything in power and knowledge.

And since the occasion was for the increase of greatness, he made it evident and did not imply it so that the implication would not be understood specifically from one aspect. He said: ﴿And Allah﴾, meaning while He is the One who has this noble name, no one shares in it with Him in any way ﴿The best of planners﴾, intending by His will to delay His war against them to a time He decreed in eternity, which He executed. This will be at the coming of the Dajjal with the army of the Jews, and his supporters will be those whom his Lord asked for this nation, honoring them. Then he clarified what He did to them from the decree that is in the form of plotting, in that it is harm that is hidden from the intended target by raising him to Himself and making that appear to them until they thought they had crucified him, while they only crucified one of them. It is said that he was the one who guided them. As for him, blessings and peace be upon him, Allah protected him after raising him to the place of His allies and the sanctified abode to bring him down in the end of times for their annihilation after He imposed upon them humiliation after their intention towards him with the harm by which they sought honor until the end of time. Thus, their destruction was in their own plotting, and that concealed the scheme. So Allah, the Exalted, informed about that in a way that is a glad tidings for him that He will protect him from being killed and will cause him to die naturally.