﴿And do not believe﴾ meaning do not establish the true belief ﴿except for those who follow your religion﴾ so align with his way and affirm his religion and creed.

And when this was the essence of misguidance, He, glorified and exalted is He, commanded him to marvel at their state, alerting to their misguidance by saying, turning away from them as a sign of anger: ﴿Say, indeed, guidance is the guidance of Allah﴾ meaning the guidance that is characterized by greatness and all attributes of perfection. That is, you cannot mislead anyone of us from it, nor can we guide anyone of you to it except by His permission. Then he followed this with a reprimand of them, saying: ﴿Did you﴾ with the affirmation of the hamzah of denial in the reading of Ibn Kathir, and its omission in the reading of others, meaning did you act upon the belief in the mentioned manner out of fear that ﴿one may be given﴾ meaning from the groups of people ﴿like what you were given﴾ meaning of the knowledge and guidance that you were upon at first ﴿or﴾ out of dislike that ﴿they may argue with you﴾ meaning those who were given like what you were given ﴿before your Lord﴾ who has long been gracious to you by bearing witness against you that they believed and you disbelieved after the clear evidence, so they will expose you.

And when this verse was similar to the verse of Al-Baqarah ﴿The disbelievers among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists do not wish that any good should be revealed to you from your Lord﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 105] in the envy of what others were given of the true religion, and like an explanation for it by clarifying what they disguise for the purpose of misguidance, it was concluded with what it was concluded with in that. However, since he intended by it a rebuttal against them in both of these matters for which they devised this plot, it was added what has an entrance into that. So He, exalted is He, responded to those who were eager for the teaching of what might prevent their plotting and secure them from their evil, turning away from them in address after having turned to them, indicating severe anger: ﴿Say, indeed, the favor﴾ in the honor of sending down the verses and others ﴿is in the hand of Allah﴾ who is characterized by the fact that there is no equal to Him. For Him is all command, and there is no command for anyone with Him. And he followed it with its result, saying: ﴿He gives it to whom He wills﴾ so for Him, with the perfection of ability, is the perfection of selection. Then he said, encouraging and threatening and responding to them in the second matter: ﴿And Allah﴾ who has from greatness and all attributes of perfection that which minds cannot encompass nor imaginations reach ﴿is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing﴾ meaning He expands for whoever He knows has good in him, and destroys whoever He knows is not suitable for good, and He knows your subtle and great matters, so He, glorified and exalted is He, does not need anyone to alert Him with your arguments against Him.