And when their saying is like this, its form is the form of a favor, the translator of it expressed it as a rebuke to them, conveying with the present tense a depiction of their state in its disgracefulness: ﴿They are bestowing a favor upon you﴾ meaning: they mention the mention of one who has done a favor to you and conferred a blessing upon you. Indeed, he only did it due to your need for it, not for the purpose of reward for it; because the favor is the cutting off - as stated in Al-Kashaf: because he only bestows it upon him to cut off his need with it, not for any other reason, without intending to seek a reward. Then it is said: who has a claim upon him - if he considers it a favor and a kindness. And when Islam was manifest in the religion which is submission in appearance with acknowledgment in the heart, he did not express it, and said: ﴿So if they submit﴾ [Al-Imran: 20] meaning: they establish submission to the rulings in appearance.

And when the favor is the cutting off from the gift that is not sought for reward, he said: ﴿Say﴾ meaning: in response to their saying this: ﴿Do not bestow a favor﴾ expressing with what is from the favor, indicating that Islam is not sought for its reward except from Allah, so it should not be considered a favor upon anyone. For that would corrupt it: ﴿Your Islam is a favor upon me﴾ if it were assumed that you were Muslims, meaning: devout in the religion of Islam which is submission in appearance with acknowledgment in the heart, [that is] do not mention it as a favor at all. For the action which is ﴿You bestow a favor﴾ is implied: 'you mention' itself, not its meaning as previously stated in ﴿And glorify Allah for what He has guided you﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 185] ﴿Rather Allah﴾ meaning: the greatest King who has the favor upon every existing thing and there is no favor upon Him in any way ﴿Bestows a favor upon you﴾ meaning: He mentions that He has conferred upon you His blessings, apparent and hidden, among which is what is ﴿That﴾ meaning: by ﴿He has guided you to faith﴾ meaning: He has made it clear to you or has granted you success for guidance, and this is the affirmation of the heart with submission in appearance. And expressing this as a favor is most appropriate; for indeed He, glorified and exalted is He, is not in need of actions; for there is no benefit that reaches Him nor harm. And He only sought actions for the benefit of the doers themselves, and He conferred upon them by sending His Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, and clarified for them, but they all denied him. He continued to strengthen him until He manifested in him [a sign of] His glory and made His religion prevail over all religions, and people entered into it willingly and unwillingly in ways of glory known to those who recall the biography, especially those who know the matter of Banu Asad and Ghatafan, upon whom these verses were revealed, and how their state was in the Battle of Khaybar and others.

And when the intended meaning of this is to make them ignorant and to teach them the realities of matters, not to testify for them regarding guidance, he said, drawing attention to that: "If you are" meaning: being that you are deeply rooted in it, "truthful" in your claim of that, then indeed, it is by the decree of truthfulness that it is only by the success of Allah, and He is the One who created for you the ability to obey. He is the doer in reality, so the favor is upon you from Him. The master Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri said: Whoever observes something of his actions and states, if he sees it as less than himself, it is polytheism, and if he sees it for himself, it is deception. So how can a servant boast about what is polytheism or deception? And the one who is required to accept the favor, how can he see for himself a favor over others? This, by my life, is a disgrace. And the favor tarnishes the deed if it is from the created beings, and with the favor, the blessing becomes pleasant if it is from Allah.