And when what was legislated from the religion, which was commanded to all the prophets, became established, its roots became clear, and its branches and sections became evident. Its wonders appeared, and its treasures and verses shone forth. He concluded with the greatest law regarding the matter of the two abodes, which is observable and no one else can achieve it. Thus, the decree was made without ambiguity: this is the law of Allah that He has chosen for His servants, and He has decreed that turning towards it does not harm the seeking of provision. He has determined the provisions, so no one has the ability to increase anything in their sustenance, nor to decrease anything from it. Should they turn to it? This is just, as He, the Most High, states, affirming and reproaching, warning about what is the root of straying from His established laws and fixed, determined commandments: 'Or do they have'—meaning these who evade right and left—'partners'—according to their claim—who have shared with the legislator, whose honor and majesty and greatness in His matters have been previously explained, until 'they have legislated'—meaning the partners who have approached and followed—'for them'—meaning for the disbelievers. It is permissible that the meaning is: the disbelievers have legislated for their partners 'from the religion' in the acts of worship and customs that establish in the minds that there must be recompense for them, according to what their customs have led them to, without accountability from beneath their hands, and they have determined for them from the provisions. He shifted from the style of greatness to the greatest name, indicating what is in it, along with greatness, of honor, which includes the forbearance that necessitates not hastening to punish them. So He, the Most High, said: 'What He has not permitted'—meaning He enables the servants to it by His command and their establishment upon it, the King with whom no one has authority. His attributes have obliterated every attribute, and every greatness has diminished before them. So they should turn to Him alone, as He is the one who is relied upon. If that is the case, let them make happy whoever turns to this world, which is the focus of their affairs, so they do not recognize anything other than it, by giving it all that they desire and causing distress to whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it as it deserves. And he attributed the law to the idols because they are its cause, just as they were the cause of misguidance in His saying, glorified and exalted is He, recounting the words of Ibrahim, his friend, blessings and peace be upon him: 'My Lord, indeed they have led astray many of the people' [Ibrahim: 36]. And the partners are sometimes attributed to them because they have taken them, and sometimes to Allah, the Most High, because they have associated them with Him. The expression comes according to the context.

And when he knew for certain that the estimation is: If it were not that these actions which they perform without His permission do not diminish anything from His dominion, glorified is He, nor do they harm except the doer of them, while they are by His will, then for their prevention from them, they did not reach anything from it. He then referred to His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And if it were not for the word of separation﴾ which was decreed in eternity that it would not occur. And when their matter was easy, the action was built for the object, so He said: ﴿The matter would have been judged between them﴾, meaning between those who obeyed His command and adhered to His law and between those who followed what they legislated for those they named partners, in the nearest time. However, the judgment had already been decreed in the eternity of eternities with the measures of things and their specifications according to the aspects of wisdom. Thus, they proceed according to what has been determined for them; there is no precedence for anything from it, nor delay, nor alteration, nor change. And the matters will be unveiled for you, and the hidden aspects of the destined will appear, so the separation will not occur except in the Hereafter, as the judgment has already decreed that there will be for the just ones an everlasting bliss.

And when they denied that punishment would befall them, he said, affirming in reference to what I have estimated by what the context has guided to: ﴿And indeed, the wrongdoers﴾ by legislating what Allah has not permitted of polytheism and others ﴿for them is a painful punishment﴾, meaning a deeply painful one.