And when the evidence was established against the falsehood of the words of the Jews; then against the falsehood of the claims of the Christians; and there remained no excuse for anyone; he ﷺ commanded them to refrain both groups from exaggerating in falsehood regarding the matter of Jesus - peace be upon him -; the Jews, by lowering him from his rank; and the Christians, by elevating him above it; by His saying (the Most High): "Say, O People of the Book"; meaning: generally; "do not exceed"; meaning: do not go beyond the limit in elevation or in lowering; "in your religion"; and when exaggeration might sometimes be applied to the intensity of the search for truths; and the deduction of the hidden from the rulings; and the subtleties from the secrets of the texts; He negated that by His saying: "other than the truth"; and He defined it; to indicate that exaggeration in the truth is not prohibited; rather, what is prohibited is exceeding the bounds of the truth in its entirety; and if it were to be negated, then whoever exceeds the truth to something else would fall into the prohibition; like one who exceeds the effort in the voluntary prayer to seriousness in beneficial knowledge; and if it were said: in falsehood; it would imply that what is prohibited is exaggeration in falsehood; not its essence and its absolute form.

And when He forbade them from going astray by themselves; He forbade them from imitating others in that; so He said: "And do not follow"; meaning: acting in the manner of one who strives in that; "the desires of a people"; meaning: they have desires; along with what they have of strength; so they were the lowest of the low; and desire is not used except in reference to humans; "they have gone astray"; and when their straying was not all-encompassing for the past time; He included the neighbor; so He said: "from before"; meaning: from before your time this regarding the methodology of reason; so they remained patient upon their straying; and they became accustomed to what they persisted in within their circumstances; "and they led astray"; meaning: their straying was not sufficient for them to stray by themselves; until they led others astray; "many"; meaning: from the people; by their persistence in falsehood; from the trinity; and others; until it was thought to be the truth; "and they went astray"; meaning: after the sending of the Prophet ﷺ by opposing the law; "from the straight path"; meaning: the just; "the path"; meaning: there is no path in reality other than it; for the law is the just scale; and the just ruling; and this is an indication that if they do not cease, they would be in mere imitation of their ancestors who are far removed from the path; and abandoning guidance by the light of knowledge; and this is a great reproach; for their imitation, if it were in something resembling the truth, would be ignorance; so how about when it is merely imitation in desire?!