And when He - glorified and exalted is He - brought them down to the level of animals; because they attribute them to evil; by making them a subject of mockery and play; and because they look at anyone who opposes them; so they distance themselves from him; and they flee from him; without utilizing what they distinguished themselves with from animals in that the opponent may have the remedy; and the disliked may lead to healing; and the beloved may lead to destruction; and ruin; He made clear to them that this is a lofty rank; and a high status compared to what they are in; so he said - in a manner of concession; and loosening the reins -: "Say"; meaning: O one who cannot stand up to their argument due to their knowledge and stubbornness other than you; for what you were created with of strength of understanding; then for what has been revealed to you of knowledge; "Shall I inform you"; meaning: I will inform you with a precise; great; news; "of worse than that"; meaning: the matter which you have condemned upon us; while it is valid; even if you have turned a blind eye to it; and he unified the letter of address; indicating the blindness of their hearts; and that this comparison is not understood rightly except by one who is supported by a spirit from Allah; "as a reward"; meaning: a good recompense that is returned to him; for indeed the reward is for good; just as punishment is for evil; and it is a source of the mim form; like "the easy"; and "the rational"; then he highlighted his honor; by saying: "with Allah"; meaning: the one who encompasses the attributes of majesty and honor; then he brought it down to the lowest of the low; clarifying that it is a mocking metaphor on the way of "the greeting between them is a strike and a blow"; by saying - in response to one who seemed to say: Yes -: "from"; meaning: the reward of one whom "Allah has cursed"; meaning: the greatest king has distanced him and expelled him; "and He is angry with him"; meaning: He destroyed him; and indicated the curse and anger with a tangible matter; so he said: "and made"; and indicated the multitude of the cursed with the gathering of the pronoun; so he said: "from them"; meaning: with the transformation upon their sins; "the apes"; at one time; "and the swine"; at another; and the definition is for the genus; and Ibn Qutaybah said: Indeed the definition implies the assumption that they did not become extinct; rather they multiplied until there were among them individuals of the two types that you recognize; so how far is one who was among them from being the children of Allah and His beloved ones! Then he added - according to the reading of the congregation - to his saying "Allah has cursed"; the reason for that; after he had presented the cause; out of concern for it; for its clarity in the intended meaning; even though the curse and anger are a true cause; and worship is an apparent cause; so he said: "and worshipped the tyrant"; and Hamzah read it with a damm of the ba; on the assumption that it is plural; and the addition is an apposition to "the apes"; so it is - as he said in the dictionary - Al-Lat; and Al-Uzza; and the soothsayer; and the devil; and every head of misguidance; and the idols; and everything that was worshipped besides Allah; and the rebellious ones of the people of the Book; for the singular; and the plural; "so let it be a tyrant"; from "I have tyrannized"; and all of these meanings are suitable here; as for Al-Lat and Al-Uzza; and others; from what they did not worship explicitly; it is to beautify their religion; out of envy for Islam; and they have worshipped idols at all times; even in the time of Moses - blessings be upon him - as in the text of the Torah; then they exaggerated in the stars for the use of magic; so they shared with the Sabians in that; so the meaning of the verse is: We have descended to the fact that your attribution to us of evil is correct; but no book has come with cursing us; nor with anger upon us; nor transforming us into apes; nor swine; nor have we worshipped other than Allah since we turned to Him; and you have all fallen into that; you cannot disavow anything of it; so there is no doubt that you are worse than us and more misguided; and the rational person is one who if his matter revolves between two evils does not choose except the lesser of the two evils; so the correctness of the claim that they are a people who do not understand is as firm as the sun; and for that He concluded the verse with His saying: "Those"; meaning: the far ones; the hated ones; described with the curse and what is with it; "are worse in place"; and if that is for their place then what do you think of themselves; for it is a metaphor for their attribution to the root of evil; "and more misguided"; meaning: than those whom they attributed to evil and misguidance; and He conceded to them that in them; loosening the reins; aiming for clarity in the statement; "from the just"; meaning: the intention and justice of "the path"; meaning: the way; and it is permissible that the reference in that is to what the first evidence indicated; of their lack of understanding; and there is no concession then; and I only said: that they cannot deny anything from that; because in the text of the Torah which is among them in the fifth book: (For the Lord says to you; and commands you to be to Him a beloved people; and to keep all His commandments; and to act upon them; for He will raise you above all the peoples; and when you cross the Jordan set up the stones which I command you today on Mount Ebal; and plaster them with plaster; and build there an altar of stones upon which no iron has come; but build the stones complete; which have not been cut; and offer upon it whole burnt offerings before the Lord your God; and eat there; and rejoice before the Lord your God; and write upon those stones all the words of this law.. Then Moses appointed men to stand on a mountain when they crossed the Jordan; and they shouted with a loud voice; and said to the children of Israel: Cursed be the one who makes molten images; and carved idols before the Lord; and all the people shall say: Amen; Cursed be the one who moves the boundary of his neighbor; and wrongs him in his land; and all the people shall say: Amen; Cursed be the one who leads the blind astray from the way; and all the people shall say: Amen! Cursed be the one who perverts justice for the poor; and the orphan; and the widow; in judgment; and all the people shall say: Amen; - until he said: Cursed be every one who does not stand firm on the covenant of the words of this Torah; and acts upon them; and all the people shall say: Amen; Then he said: And if you do not hear the word of the Lord your God; and do not keep; and do not act upon all His statutes; and His commandments which I command you today; this curse which I recount to you all shall come upon you; and the punishment shall overtake you; and you shall be cursed in the city; cursed in the field; and your offspring shall be cursed; and the fruits of your land shall be cursed; and you shall be cursed when you enter; and cursed when you exit; the Lord will send upon you calamity and pests; and will send upon you severe blows; and with everything you stretch your hands to do; until He destroys you; and makes you perish quickly; for the evil of your deeds; and your forsaking of My worship; and He will cause these peoples to dominate you until you perish; and the heavens which are above you shall be like bronze; and the earth beneath you like iron; and the Lord will break you before your enemies; you shall go out against them in one way; and flee in seven ways; and you shall be a horror and a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth; and your carcasses shall be food for all the beasts; and birds of the sky; and no one shall drive them away from you; you shall be oppressed; wronged; and robbed; all the days of your life; a people shall take your sons and daughters captive; and you shall look at them and not be able to save them; and you shall be oppressed and wronged all your life; the Lord shall lead you; and shall lead your kingdom which He has given you to a people whom your fathers have not known; and you shall worship there other gods made of wood and stone; and you shall be a horror and a wonder; and every one who hears your report among all the peoples to which the Lord shall bring you shall think of you; you shall plant much; and harvest little; and your inhabitants shall rise up against you; and they shall become above you; this entire curse shall cling to you; and shall come upon you; and shall overtake you until you perish; because you did not accept the word of the Lord your God; and did not keep His statutes; and His commandments which He commanded you; and signs and wonders shall appear in you; and in your offspring forever; because you did not worship Allah your Lord; and did not act upon His commandments; and your enemies shall tighten the iron upon your neck; and Allah shall send upon you a people who shall come to you when you are hungry; thirsty; naked; poor; having been deprived of everything that is needed; and you shall serve your enemies; and a people shall rush upon you like the flight of an eagle; a people whose description you do not know; a people whose faces are harsh; who do not shy away from the elders; nor have mercy on the children; and they shall oppress you in all your towns until they seize your fortified towers in which you trust; and you shall be forced to eat the flesh of your son; and the favored man among you shall look at his brother; and his friend; and to whoever remains of his children hungry; he shall not give them any of the flesh of his son whom he eats; because he has nothing left; from the oppression; and the distress which your enemy shall oppress you with; and if you do not keep and act upon all the commandments and statutes which are written in this book; and fear Allah your Lord; and give His praised and feared name; the Lord shall afflict you with painful blows; and shall test you with them; and shall test your offspring after you; and there shall remain of your offspring a small number after their multitude which had become like the stars of the sky; because you did not hear the word of Allah; as the Lord has made you rejoice and blessed you; and multiplied you; so shall the Lord rejoice for you; to uproot you with punishment and calamity; and to destroy you and make you perish; and you shall be cast out from the land which you enter to inherit; and the Lord shall scatter you among all the peoples); these are the words of the covenant which Allah commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab besides the covenant which He made with them at Horeb; so if they say: We have not broken [the covenant] after Moses - blessings be upon him - until this conditional curse of breaking the covenant is binding upon us; it is said: What is between your hands of your book has testified against you; for it says in the last of its scrolls what is its text: (And the Lord said to Moses: The days of your death have drawn near; call Joshua; and stand in the tent of meeting to command him what I want; and Joshua and Moses went; and stood in the tent of meeting; and the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting in a pillar of cloud; and a pillar of cloud stood at the door of the tent of meeting; and the Lord said to Moses: You are lying down; turned to your fathers; and this people will rise up and go astray; and follow other gods; the gods of the peoples which they enter; and see; and dwell among them; and they will oppose Me; and break My covenant which I have made with them; and My anger will be kindled against them in that day; and I will forsake them; and I will turn My face away from them; and they shall become food for their enemies; and a great evil and a long sorrow shall come upon them; because they followed other gods; so write for them now this song; and teach it to the children of Israel; and put it in their mouths; that this song may be a witness against the children of Israel; for I will bring them into the land which I swore to their fathers; a land that flows with milk and honey; and they shall eat; and be satisfied; and delight themselves; and follow other gods; and worship them; and provoke Me to anger; and break My covenant; so when this great evil and sorrow comes upon them; this song shall be recited to them for a witness; and their descendants shall not be deprived of it; for I know their inclinations; and all that they do here today before I bring them into the land which I swore to their fathers; and Moses wrote this song that day; and taught it to the children of Israel); and he mentioned after all this what I mentioned at: "Indeed, We have revealed to you as We revealed to Noah and the prophets" [An-Nisa: 163]; so he reviewed it; then he said: (Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words from my mouth; for it longs for my words like a thirsty one; and like the dew, my saying descends; and like rain upon the palms; and like the mist upon the grass; for I have called upon the name of the Lord forever; and in glorification to Allah, the Lord of justice; and there is no injustice with Him; the Lord is the just and true; the children of the wicked have erred; the crooked and perverse generation; and with this they rewarded the Lord; for it is a people ignorant; and not wise; is not the Lord who redeemed you and created you?! Remember the days of old; and understand what has passed from My traditions generation after generation; ask your father and he will inform you; and your elders and they will make you understand; when the Most High divided the nations of the children of Adam; those whom He scattered; He established the borders of the nations according to the number of the angels; and the portion of the Lord became His people; Jacob; the cord of His inheritance; Israel; and He made him drink in the wilderness from the thirst of the heat; where there was no water; and He surrounded him and instructed him and kept him like the pupil of the eye; and like the eagle when he stirs up his nest; and longs for his chicks; he spreads his wings; and kisses them; and carries them on his back; the Lord alone led them; and there was no other god with them; and He raised them to the heights of the earth; and fed them from the fruit of the trees; and nourished them with honey from the rock; from the rock He brought forth oil for them; and from the fat of the cattle; and the milk of the sheep; and the fat of the rams; and the bulls; and the goats; and the heart of the wheat; Jacob ate the chosen; when he became fat and thick and broad; he forsook the God who created him; and turned away from Allah, his Savior; Allah says: Did they provoke Me to anger with strangers with their idols; and angered Me when they sacrificed to demons; and did not bring near to the God of gods; and the new generation did not know Him; those who came and forgot their fathers).

This is what I intended to mention from the Torah; in the testimony regarding the necessity of cursing and anger upon them; for their worship of the false deities; and Allah has confirmed His words concerning it; and completed His words - and He is the most truthful of the speakers - with what occurred to them after the death of Musa - peace be upon him - then after Yusha - peace be upon him - along with what was previously established for them in the days of Yusha - peace be upon him - from the worship of Baal-Yun (p-208) the idol; as has been mentioned in His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: ﴿And they were made to drink into their hearts the calf because of their disbelief﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 93].

The mention of what confirms that from the Book of Joshua; he said: (And Joshua called all the children of Israel; and said to them: I have grown old and am advanced in age; and you have seen what Allah has done to these nations; indeed, He has destroyed them before you; and Allah, your Lord, is the one who has fought your battles; and has given you victory; you have certainly known that I divided for you the nations that remained; as for at the great river; in the west of the sun; I have divided it for you; and Allah, your Lord, will defeat them; and destroy them before you; and you will inherit their land; as Allah, your Lord, has said; but be very strong; and act according to all that is written in the Book of Moses at the Lord; the Lord has destroyed before you great nations; and no man has stood before you to this day; one man among you defeats a thousand men; because Allah, your Lord, is with you; and He fights for you; as He has said to you; so be cautious for yourselves; if you mingle with the nations that remain among you; and become allies to them; they will become traps for you; and snares; and spears in your sides; and hooks in your eyes; until you perish from the good land which Allah, your Lord, has given you; and as for me; I am going the way of all the earth; and you will certainly know with all your hearts; and your souls; that not one word has failed of the good words which Allah, your Lord, promised you; (p-209) and as all the good words which Allah has promised you have been fulfilled; likewise He will bring upon you all the curse; until you perish and be destroyed; if you disobey; and transgress the covenant of Allah, your Lord; and the commandments which He commanded you; and he gathered all the children of Israel to Shechem; and set them before the Lord in the tabernacle of the congregation; and said: Hear the words of Allah; the God of Israel: Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river in old times; Terah; the father of Abraham; and Nahor; and they served other gods there; and I took your father Abraham from the other side of the river; and led him throughout all the land of Canaan; and multiplied his descendants; and gave him Isaac as a son; and I gave Isaac Jacob and Esau; and I gave Esau the mountain of Seir as a possession; but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt; and I sent Moses and Aaron; and I plagued Egypt with what I did among them; and I multiplied in their land the signs and wonders; and after that I brought you out from there; and the Lord split the Sea of Reeds for you; and you passed through it on dry ground; so when the Egyptians pursued you, I caused the sea to return upon them; and drowned them; and your eyes saw what I did to the Egyptians; then I brought you to the wilderness; and you dwelt there many days; and I brought you to the land of the Amorites who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan; and they fought against you; and I delivered them into your hand; and you possessed their land; and I destroyed them before you; and the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, arose and fought against Israel; and he sent and called Balaam son of Beor to curse you; but I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you; and I delivered you out of his hand; (p-210) then you crossed the Jordan; and came to Jericho; and the men of Jericho fought against you; and the Amorites - then he counted the rest of the seven tribes -; I delivered them all into your hand; and I gave you a land for which you did not labor; so fear the Lord; and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river; and in Egypt; and serve the Lord alone; and if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord; choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river; or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house; we will serve Allah; and the people answered and said: Far be it from us that we should forsake the service of the Lord and serve other gods; for Allah, our Lord, is He who brought us out of the land of Egypt; and delivered us from the house of bondage; and did those great signs in our sight; and preserved us in all the way that we went; and among all the people through whom we passed; therefore we will serve the Lord; for He is our God; then he said: Behold; lest you forsake the service of Allah; and serve strange gods; and the anger of the Lord be kindled against you; and He destroy you after He has done you good; and the people said: We will not have any other service than the service of Allah; our Lord; Joshua said: Do you witness against yourselves?! That you have chosen the service of the Lord; (p-211) they said to him: We witness; so the first thing that came upon them was that they did not exterminate the idolaters; and mingled with them in the days of Joshua; he said in his Book: And the messenger of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim; and said to the children of Israel: Thus says the Lord: I am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt; and brought you to the land which I swore to your fathers; and I said: I will never break My covenant with you; and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; but you shall tear down their altars; but you have not obeyed My voice; why have you done this? And I also said: I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your sides; and their gods shall be a snare to you; and when the messenger of the Lord spoke these words to the children of Israel; the people lifted up their voices and wept; and they called the name of that place Bochim; that is: the place of weeping; and they sacrificed there to the Lord; and Joshua son of Nun died; being a hundred and twenty years old; and they buried him within the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres; which is in the mountain of Ephraim; on the north side of the mountain of Gaash; and all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them which did not know the Lord; nor the work which He had done for Israel; and the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord; and served the Baals; and forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt; and followed other gods, the gods of the people who were around them; and they bowed down to them; and served Baal and Ashtoreth; and the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He sold them into the hands of plunderers; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies; and they could not (p-212) stand before their enemies; whenever they went out to battle, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity; and as the Lord had said to them; and as He had sworn to their fathers; and they were greatly distressed; and the Lord raised up judges for them; and delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them; and the Lord heard their groaning; and their complaints from those who oppressed them; and troubled them; and when the judges were dead, they returned and corrupted themselves more than their fathers; and served the idols; and bowed down to them; and did not cease from their evil deeds; and their wicked ways; so the anger of the Lord was hot against the children of Israel; and He said: Because this people has transgressed the covenant which I commanded their fathers; and have not heeded My voice; I will no longer drive out any man from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died; that through them I may test Israel; whether they will keep the ways of the Lord to walk in them as their fathers kept them before; therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out quickly; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua; and those who left five kings; the kings of the Philistines; and all the Canaanites; and the Sidonians; and the Hivites; who dwelt in the mountains of Lebanon; and from the mountain of Baal-hermon; to the entrance of Hamath; to test Israel by them; and the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites and the rest of the tribes; and they took their daughters to be their wives; and gave their daughters to their sons; and served their gods; and the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord; and forgot the work of the Lord their God; and served Baal and Ashtoreth; (p-213) and the anger of the Lord was hot against the children of Israel; and He sold them to Cushan-Rishathaim; king of Mesopotamia; and they served him eight years; and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord; and the Lord raised up a deliverer for them; and delivered them, Othniel son of Kenaz; the younger brother of Caleb; and the Lord was with him; and he became judge for the children of Israel; and went out to battle; and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim into his hand; and the land had rest for forty years; and Othniel son of Kenaz died; and the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord strengthened against them Eglon king of Moab; and they continued like this in every time they transgressed; and the command of the Lord they rejected every little while; and they would not be upright except to the extent that they forgot the severity of the punishment; and tasted the sweetness of the blessings); and were it not for the fear of the lengthy discourse which causes boredom; I would have mentioned much of the books that are in their hands; they cannot deny what they are obliged to by it from disgrace and shame; and Allah is the Grantor of success.