And when the reason preventing them from accepting guidance was that it would be a disgrace to their forefathers, which would return as harm upon them, they would be insulted by it, according to their claim. Allah informed the believers that opposing others in accepting guidance does not harm them at all, by following the verse of denial against them in adhering to their forefathers, due to their following them in disbelief, by His saying: ﴿O you who have believed﴾; meaning: those who have pledged allegiance to their Lord and His Messenger in faith; ﴿take care of yourselves﴾; meaning: adhere to its guidance and reform. And when it was as if it was said: We are attributed to our forefathers; and we are related to them; perhaps our relation to them would harm us before Allah; as was permitted by Aktham ibn al-Jawn al-Khuza'i that the resemblance to Amr ibn Luhay might harm him; until the Prophet ﷺ was asked about that, and he said: "No; indeed, you are a believer; and he is a disbeliever." As found in the early parts of the Hishami Sira, from Abu Huraira - may Allah be pleased with him -; and this perhaps prevented one of them from embracing Islam. He said: ﴿Those who have gone astray will not harm you﴾; meaning: from the disbelievers or others, by your relation to them; nor by the words of the disbelievers: Indeed, you have belittled your opinions; nor by anything else from the aspects of harm. And He affirmed their guidance, as a glad tidings for them, with a tool of affirmation; He said - indicating the existence of harm in the absence of guidance -: ﴿If you are guided﴾; meaning: by turning to what Allah has revealed; and to the Messenger; until you become scholars; and act upon your knowledge; so that you oppose those who have gone astray; and if he is present, then by striving in his matter with what is known; and forbidding what is wrong, according to one's ability; and if he cannot repel it, he should wait for it on the Day of the Greatest Gathering; and the greatest horror; and if he is absent, then by opposing him in that misguidance; even if he is the closest of relatives; and the dearest of loved ones; otherwise, the remaining would be more foolish than the past; and indeed, one of them would not follow his father if he was foolish in his worldly affairs; unable to attain them; and he would not shy away from opposing him in his way; rather, striving to attain them; and delving into acquiring them; and the good effort in investing them; and the cleverness in expanding them; is among the high morals; and the authenticity of opinion; and the quality of insight; while that is a fleeting shadow; and a trivial matter; so how could he not oppose him in that by which his eternal happiness lies; and his everlasting life; and take firm action in that; and roll up his sleeves in his matter; and stay awake at night in exercising thought; and arranging his insight into what Allah has commanded him to reflect upon; until the truth appears to him and he follows it; and falsehood is unveiled to him and he avoids it; that is only for mere whims; and indeed, firmness is acting with the wisdom that the Prophet ﷺ revealed by saying; as narrated by Ahmad; and al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah; from Shaddad ibn Aws - may Allah be pleased with him -: "The wise one is the one who holds himself accountable and works for what comes after death; and the incapable one is the one who follows his whims and wishes for Allah's promises." And Muslim, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah narrated from Abu Huraira - may Allah be pleased with him - that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer; and in each there is good; strive for what benefits you; and seek help from Allah; and do not be incapacitated; and if something befalls you, do not say: If I had done such and such, it would have been such and such - and Ibn Majah said: and do not say: If I had done such and such, it would have been such and such - for indeed, (if) opens the work of Satan." And in some narrations of the hadith: "But say: Allah has decreed, and what He wills, He does." Meaning: By Allah; act with the actions of the wise; and broaden your insight; so that you do not leave a matter that is likely to benefit you and not harm you except that you take it; and do not leave a matter that is likely to harm you and not benefit you except that you avoid it; for if you do that and fate overcomes you, you will not find in your ability a matter to say: If I had done it; or left it; but you will say: Allah has decreed; and what He wills, He does; unlike if you do not reflect; and act with the actions of the incapable; for you will certainly say: If I had done such and such; for indeed, Satan opens for you those doors that the wise one has reflected upon; and he increases for you the "if"; for it is the key to his work; and there is nothing in the verse that relates to those who are negligent in the matter of what is known; as many of the worthless do; Ahmad narrated in the Musnad; "From Abu Amir al-Ash'ari - may Allah be pleased with him - that the Prophet ﷺ said to him about a matter he saw: "O Abu Amir; did you not change?" And he recited this verse: ﴿O you who have believed, take care of yourselves; will not harm you who has gone astray if you have been guided﴾; and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ became angry and said: "Where have you gone? It is only that those who have gone astray from the disbelievers will not harm you if you have been guided." And Ahmad narrated; and the authors of the four Sunan; and al-Harith; and Ahmad ibn Mani'; and Abu Ya'la; "That Abu Bakr al-Siddiq - may Allah be pleased with him - said: O people; indeed you recite this verse; and place it in other than its places; and indeed I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: "Indeed, when people see a wrongdoing and do not change it, it is likely that Allah will encompass them with His punishment." And al-Baghawi said: And in another narration: "You must enjoin what is right; and you must forbid what is wrong; or Allah will surely appoint upon you the worst of you; and they will make you suffer the worst of punishment; then your best will call upon Allah and He will not respond to you." And Allah is the Grantor of success.

And when Allah (glorified and exalted is He) - and He is the Just Judge - decreed that there is no harm upon them from others; provided they are guided; and the disbelievers would mock them; He said - affirming what He has informed of and confirming its meaning -: ﴿To Allah﴾; meaning: the Greatest King; who has no partner; not to others; ﴿Is your return﴾; meaning: you and those who mock you; and threaten you; and others from all of creation; ﴿All together, and He will inform you﴾; meaning: He will inform you with a great informing; complete; thorough; ﴿Of what you used to do﴾; meaning: deliberately; by nature; and by disposition; and He will reward each one according to what he has done; based on what he has done; and He does not hold anyone accountable for what another has done; nor for what he has erred in; or repented from; and the return is not to the disbelievers; nor to their deities; nor to others; until you fear something from their schemes in something of harm.