Commentary
And when the intention behind their mention was such - and Allah knows best - that each of them hastened after guidance to call upon Allah and to be zealous for His majesty against polytheism, nothing distracted any of them from that, whether in times of ease or hardship, by means of kingship or anything else from a king or otherwise. Rather, they adhered to guidance and called to it in every circumstance. He then began anew to repeat their praises in a way that encourages the adoption of their qualities, affirming the establishment of the message: ﴿Those﴾ meaning: the high-ranking ones ﴿whom Allah has guided﴾ meaning: the kingship that possesses the ranks of perfection, the complete guidance; and for this reason, he caused his praise of them to lead to his saying: ﴿So follow their guidance﴾ meaning: specifically in the obligations of the message and others. ﴿Say﴾ meaning: to those whom you call as they used to say, which negates the accusation and purifies the advice, making it obligatory to follow except for the one who is wretched. ﴿I do not ask you﴾ meaning: O those being called ﴿for it﴾ meaning: for the call ﴿any reward﴾ because the callers are encouraged by this to turn to the caller and respond to the guide; then he resumed his saying: ﴿Indeed﴾ meaning: what ﴿it is﴾ meaning: this call that I invite you with ﴿except a reminder﴾ meaning: a profound reminder of everything needed in this life and the Hereafter ﴿for all the worlds﴾ meaning: the jinn, humans, and angels always, his call does not cease nor does his calling stop. And in the expression of following there is an indication of reproaching the disbelievers of the Arabs, as they followed those who are not suitable for being a model from their forefathers, and they left whom they should follow.
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