'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' He, exalted and glorified is He, said: "And We certainly destroyed the generations before you when they wronged, and their messengers came to them with clear proofs, but they were not to believe. Thus We recompense the criminal people." "Then We made you successors in the land after them so We may observe how you will act." "And when Our clear verses are recited to them, those who do not expect to meet Us say, 'Bring us a Qur'an other than this or change it.' Say, 'It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I follow only what is revealed to me. Indeed, I fear if I should disobey my Lord the punishment of a tremendous Day.'" This verse is a warning to the disbelievers and a parable for them, meaning: just as these acted as you do, so will be done to you what was done to them. And His saying, exalted is He: "And they were not to believe" is news of the hardness of their hearts and the severity of their disbelief. The majority of the seven reciters, and others, read: "We recompense" with the plural form, while a group read: "He recompenses" with the singular form, meaning: Allah recompenses. And "successors" is the plural of "successor." And His saying: "so We may observe" means: to clarify in existence what We have known eternally, but the statement was made in a concise and eloquent manner. And Yahya ibn al-Harith read - and he said: I saw it in the Imam's copy of the Mushaf of Uthman -: "so We may observe" with the noon merged into the dhad. And Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Indeed, Allah, exalted is He, made us successors to observe how we act, so show Allah the good of your deeds in secret and in public." He would also say: "You have been made a successor, O son of al-Khattab, so observe how you act," and sometimes he would say: "You have been made a successor, O son of the mother of Umar." And His saying, exalted is He: "And when Our clear verses are recited to them," this verse was revealed about the Quraysh because some of their disbelievers said this statement meaning: 'Make it easy for us, O Muhammad, and let this speech which is from you be at our choice, and make lawful what you have prohibited and prohibit what you have made lawful so that our matter will then be one and our word will be connected.' So Allah condemned this fabrication and reminded them that they say this about the clear verses, and He described them as not believing in the resurrection. Then Allah commanded His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, to respond to them with the clear truth, and to submit and follow the judgment of Allah, exalted is He, and to inform them of his fear of his Lord, and the tremendous Day: the Day of Resurrection.