And when the listener might say: Why does he not destroy them or call upon his Lord to repel the oppressors from him by destruction or repentance and following? He commanded him with what clarifies the greatness of his Lord and that He does not do except what He wills, by saying that it is impossible for him, peace and blessings be upon him, to do what is impossible for all possible beings, that is to affect anything by himself or to oppose his Lord: ﴿Say﴾, meaning to those who opposed you, and he confirmed (p-494) a warning for whoever might believe - due to the abundance of what he sees of miracles - that whatever he wants, Allah does for him: ﴿Indeed, I do not possess﴾, meaning now or later ﴿for you﴾ by myself without Allah's decree for me, for there is no one who affects anything among things except Allah, glorified and exalted is He.

And when the context was to repel their evil from him, he said: ﴿Harm﴾, so I understand that as "neither benefit nor misguidance" ﴿nor guidance﴾, meaning correctness and soundness. The verse is from the type of [ihitbak] and this is apparent in this estimation. Abu Hayyan said: He omitted from everything that its counterpart indicates - it has ended. And it may be that his estimation is: I do not possess harm because I do not possess for you misguidance nor do I possess for you guidance, so I do not possess for you benefit, for there is no benefit in other than guidance, and no harm in other than misguidance. So may Allah disgrace Ibn Arabi al-Tai who says in his [Fusus]: that misguidance is more guiding than guidance, for there is no one more foolish than him except for whoever follows him - upon them is the curse of Allah and His disgrace. If they say: He meant other than what is understood from the apparent wording, then say: You have lied, for he has clarified his intent by your consensus on wickedness and immorality. He hardly finds among you one who is suspected of his doctrine while he adheres to a law. And this verse does not exit from [ihitbak], for the mention of harm first indicated the omission of benefit second, and the mention of guidance second indicated the omission of misguidance first.