And when it was as if it was said: So why does He delay them and not deal with them by taking them before the punishment in regard to His allies, and those who are dear to Him, and His chosen ones? He said: 'That' meaning: the taking in this situation is because Allah, due to the fact that they changed what was in themselves. And it was for Him, glorified and exalted is He, to take them before they changed, for He knows what is in their hearts. However, He, exalted is He, enacted His divine law for the completeness of His knowledge, the perfection of His power, and His encompassing all attributes of perfection, that He: 'had not been' this was the original, but it was omitted for brevity to clarify the generalization of the reason and to distance the listener from such a thing. And He omitted the noon of 'yakun' as guidance that this admonition is deserving of being summarized to the utmost brevity so that it may be hastened to be conveyed due to the great benefit in its good reception; for whoever opposes it is deserving of hastening the retribution. 'Changing a blessing' meaning: it has diminished or increased, and He clarified that there is no blessing upon anyone except from Him, so He said: 'He bestowed it upon a people' meaning: from whatever group they were, 'until they change' meaning: they replace 'what' they believe in, 'in themselves' with something other than it, which is innate to them and is dear to them. They think that they are characterized by the opposite of it, which is apparent to them as an innate characteristic. 'And that' meaning: and due to the fact that 'Allah' meaning: the One who has all perfection 'is All-Hearing' meaning: of what they deny regarding the messengers and their words: indeed, what they show is their true description, 'All-Knowing' meaning: of what their hearts conceal from other than it, even if they are ignorant of it. He will test them with a trial that will reveal that which is hidden and bring forth every protected secret. So when knowledge is attached to it, it becomes apparent, and the ruling is attached to it, overpowering for the completeness of establishing the proof. And for the completeness of His knowledge of their state, He delayed them. Indeed, only one who fears that his insight may fail or his knowledge may change is hasty. As for the one whose knowledge of the apparent and the concealed is equal, both situations are the same for him. He delays for the completion of wisdom and does not neglect one who deserves punishment. And that change which the trial revealed is the denial of the truth in obstinacy and the distance from what they claimed of justice and walking upon the paths of reason and shyness from obstinacy, and abstaining from the ways of corruption. Thus, every nation to which messengers were sent claims, and what is contrary to that is hidden in their hearts, concealed in their innermost selves, they do not know it as they observe most of those they associate with. They think in themselves what is not in them, and at the time of testing, reality contradicts them. So when the messengers came to them and clarified the matter to them in a way that left no ambiguity, they denied them, changing what was in their souls from what they used to claim.