And when He, glorified and exalted is He, emphasized the matter of secret counsel and that it is only done by the people of hypocrisy, it was possible that someone might think that it causes harm to the people of faith. He said, secretly to the sincere ones and openly to the hypocrites, clarifying that its harm only returns to them: "Indeed, secret counsel" meaning the well-known one which is prohibited, and it is what its owner dislikes for the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, to know about it. It is said that it is what the devil has suggested of the disliked rulings for a person. "From the devil" meaning originating from the one who is burned by being expelled from the mercy of Allah, the Most High, for he is the one who incites it by beautifying it. So, the one who acts upon it is following the most hostile of his enemies in opposition to his allies.

And when He clarified that it is from him, He clarified the one who incites it to beautify it, saying: "To sadden" meaning the devil to cause sadness in the hearts of "those who have believed" meaning he imagines them to be harmed by something that has occurred. Sadness is a heavy concern and a pain that softens the heart. He saddened him and caused him to be sad in meaning. And it is said in the dictionary: or he saddened him: making him sad, and he saddened him: he placed sadness in him. Thus, the reading of Nafi' from "saddened" is stronger in meaning than the reading of the congregation.

And when it was possible that this might suggest to someone in whose heart is a disease that the devil has something [of things], he negated that with His saying: "And not" meaning the devil and what he incited regarding secret counsel. He confirmed the negation with the preposition, saying: "Harming them" meaning "those who have believed" anything from harm, even if little or hidden - by what the merging implies. "Except by the permission of Allah" meaning the enabling of the King who encompasses everything in knowledge and ability. The two Shaykhs narrated from Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "When you are three, do not engage in secret counsel with two of you without the third, for that saddens him."

And when the estimation is: it has been known that no one is feared except Allah, for nothing is executed except what He wills, so Him alone let the fearful ones fear. He then turned to His saying: "And upon Allah" meaning the King who has no equal, not upon anyone other than Him, "let the believers rely" meaning those firmly rooted in faith in all their affairs, for He alone is capable of rectifying them and corrupting them. And let them not be saddened by anyone who schemes against them in secret or openly, for if they rely upon Him and entrust their affairs to Him, He will not permit their sadness, even if He does not act to sadden them. And He specified the firmly rooted ones for the possibility of that from them in general, while as for the people of beginnings, that will not be from them except as a breaking of the norm.