And when he mentioned to them what was taken from them in their scripture of the specific covenant from which they had disassociated, and he followed it with the general covenant that cut off excuses, he followed both with a clarification of what they know of the state of one who has disassociated from the signs. So Allah removed him from the record of the happy. He commanded him, blessings and peace be upon him, to recite to them; because, along with fulfilling the task of reproaching them, it is among the evidences of his prophethood that obligates them to follow him. So he reminded him of what occurred to him in discarding the covenant and disassociating from the pact after he had been given the signs and had been poured upon him from the spirit. He said: 'And recite' meaning: read something after something to them, meaning: the Jews and all the disbelievers, rather all of creation. 'The news of that which' and he magnified what was given to him with the manifestation of greatness and the wording of giving after he had magnified his news with the wording of informing. He said: 'We gave him.' And when the Most High had granted him the response to the supplication and the correctness of the vision and other than that, from what He willed, glorified is He, a great matter by which He guided him with a guidance in which there is no doubt. And all the signs were equal in their indications, even if some were stronger than others. He, the Most High, said: 'Our signs' and it is without a doubt for the preceding and the following. It is said that he is a man whom Moses, peace be upon him, sent to the king of Midian, and he bribed him, so he followed his religion, and the people were led astray by him. It is said that he is 'Umayyah ibn Abi al-Salt al-Thaqafi, about whom the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'His poetry is believed, but his heart is disbelieved.' This was said by Abdullah ibn Amr, Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, and Zayd ibn Aslam. It is said that he is Abu Amir the monk, whom the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, named the wicked. It is said that it was revealed concerning the hypocrites of the People of the Book who knew the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, but denied him.

And when the one who incited them against His greatness, glorified and exalted is He, was what He had bestowed upon them of giving the Book, thinking that it would not cause them distress thereafter, He terrified them by stating that what caused this distress was the giving of the signs. He said: ﴿So he shed it﴾ meaning: he departed from it like a snake sheds its skin. This was because when he was answered in his supplication, the king of his time asked him to pray against Musa and his people, and he refrained. He kept being encouraged until he opposed the command of Allah, following the desires of his soul. Thus, the devil was able to reach him and suggested to him to send to them women adorned and command them not to refrain from anyone. So Allah caused him distress. This is the meaning of: ﴿So the devil followed him﴾ meaning: he was overtaken by his plot and became a companion to him. ﴿So he was﴾ meaning: it resulted from the devil's reaching him that he was ﴿of the misguided﴾ meaning: the lost ones, following the desires of their souls. He expressed in this story by saying: ﴿Recite﴾ [Al-Ankabut: 45] without ﴿And ask them about﴾ [Al-A'raf: 163] similar to what was mentioned in the village; because this news is from what they love to mention, as shedding it from the signs was for their sake. So it is an honor for them. If he had asked them about it, they would have hastened to inform him and would not have stammered. Thus, his recitation ﷺ thereafter of what was revealed concerning him would not have been in a manner that if he had informed them about it before, it would have occurred. Perhaps the greatest intended purpose of this verse and the one before it is the proof against the falsehood of their claims in their saying: ﴿We will be forgiven﴾ [Al-A'raf: 169] by what they are saying. So it would be a matter of obligation, as if it were said: You are saying that whoever associates partners with Allah will not be forgiven for abandoning what has been established for him of evidence, until you say: ﴿There is no blame on us concerning the unlettered﴾ [Al-Imran: 75] for that. So why do you widen the forgiveness for yourselves in abandoning what you have taken a specific covenant for, while you have narrowed it for others in abandoning what they have taken a general covenant for? That is nothing but mere desire. If you say: The matter in the essence of monotheism is greater, so it cannot be compared to it, it would be said to you: Is not the object of worship have forbidden everything? And in the descent, it is written in your Book the matter of Bil'am and that he went astray, and he was greater than your scholars. For indeed, We gave him the signs without the intermediary of a messenger, and the reason for his destruction - as you know - and his departure from the bond of religion and the permissibility of his blood was his advising the king of his time to send the women to the army of Bani Israel adorned and not refraining from anyone who desired them. And that is from the branches which are lighter than the matter of wealth. You have indeed exposed your falsehood in your saying: ﴿We will be forgiven﴾ [Al-A'raf: 169] and that you did not follow in it except desire, as Bil'am followed it. So look at what was done to him.