And when the decree was a causation for what he firmly judged regarding their being rooted in filth and their increase therein: do they not see their persistence in hypocrisy and their steadfastness upon it? He then referred to their confirmation of the punishment of this world and their denial of it in His saying: "Do they not see?" meaning the hypocrites. Al-Rummani said: The vision here is a heart vision; because the vision of the eye does not enter into the statement, as the thing cannot be seen from different angles. "Indeed, they" meaning the hypocrites; and when the occurrence of temptation from punishment is absolute, he built for the passive form his saying: "They will be tempted" meaning they will mix with the events of time and the calamities of occurrences, which will compel them to reveal their morals by showing their secrets in their hypocrisy. "Every year" meaning even if the people are at their most prosperous and their lives are elevated. "Once or twice" they will be exposed by that, and that necessitates repentance, for the knowledge that whoever knows their secrets - which they are striving to hide - is knowledgeable of all things and capable of all that is decreed. Thus, he is worthy of having His commands obeyed and His prohibitions feared.

And when their lack of repentance with their temptation in this manner is unlikely, he indicated it with a tool of delay and said: "Then they do not repent" meaning they do not renew repentance. "Nor do they" meaning with their hearts "remember" or have the slightest remembrance of what was indicated by the merging. If it were not that they had an increase in filth, the repetition of temptation would have weakened their filth to the point of removing it. However, whenever something is weakened, it is replaced by something similar or more due to the increases resulting from the existence of the stars of the Qur'an. And remembrance is the seeking of the mention of the meaning in disbelief therein. Thus, the verse is a reproach to them for their lack of repentance due to the afflictions that befall them for their lack of remembrance that He, glorified is He, did not afflict them with it except for their sins. "And He forgives much" [Ash-Shura: 30] as one of them does not punish his errant except for a sin, and as long as he does not repent, he continues to face his punishment.