The saying of the Exalted and Majestic:

﴿And when We said to you, "Indeed, your Lord has encompassed the people, and We did not make the vision which We showed you except as a trial for the people, and the accursed tree in the Qur'an. And We frighten them, but it increases them not except in great transgression."﴾

Al-Tabari said: The meaning of His saying: ﴿And when We said to you, "Indeed, your Lord has encompassed the people"﴾ is: in your protection, O Muhammad, and your guarding and preservation. The verse is a notification to him that he is protected from the disbelievers, secure from being killed or subjected to a great harm. That is: convey the message of your Lord and do not fear anyone from the creation.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is a clear interpretation that aligns with the wording. It has been narrated similarly from Al-Hasan ibn Ali, and Al-Suddi, except that it does not match what follows it with a strong correspondence. It is possible that the speech is made suitable for what follows it, as a prelude to it. So I say: The people have differed regarding the vision - the majority said: it is a vision of the eye and wakefulness, and it is what the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, saw on the Night of Isra. They said: When the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, informed the morning after Isra of what he saw that night of wonders, the disbelievers said: "This is astonishing! The guides take two months to reach Al-Aqsa, and Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, says he came to it in one night and returned from it." Thus, some weak Muslims were led astray by this deception and apostatized, and this troubled the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, so these verses were revealed.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Based on this, it is good that the meaning of His saying: ﴿And when We said to you, "Indeed, your Lord has encompassed the people"﴾ is: in misleading them and guiding them, and that each one is facilitated for what he was created for. That is: do not be concerned about the disbelief of whoever disbelieved, and do not grieve for them. It has been said to you: do not grieve for them, indeed Allah encompasses them, the Owner of their affair, and He made this a trial for the one who has already been destined for disbelief. The vision is called a vision in this interpretation, as they are both sources from: saw.

Al-Naqqash said: This came according to the belief of whoever believed that it was a dream, even though the reality is otherwise.

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: The vision in Isra is a vision of a dream, and this is the saying of the majority, contrary to it, and this verse necessitates its invalidity, as the vision of a dream has no trial in it, and no one would deny it. This has been mentioned comprehensively in the beginning of the surah.

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The vision mentioned in this verse is the vision of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, that he would enter Mecca, and he hastened in the year of Hudaybiyyah, but was turned back. Thus, the Muslims were led astray by that, and the verses were revealed.

Sahl ibn Sa'd said: This vision is that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, saw the Banu Umayyah climbing upon his pulpit like monkeys. He was troubled by that and did not gather laughing from that day until he died, so the verse was revealed informing that this was from their possession and their climbing upon the pulpits. Indeed, Allah makes it a trial for the people and a test.

And His saying, exalted is He: "He has encompassed the people," means: by His decree, and that all that He has decreed is effective. So do not concern yourself with what will come after you of that. Al-Hasan ibn Ali said in his sermon regarding his pledge to Muawiya: "And I do not know, perhaps it is a trial for you and a provision for a time" [Al-Anbiya: 111].

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And in this interpretation, there is consideration, and neither Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, nor Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, nor Muawiya enters into this vision.

And His saying, exalted is He: "And the accursed tree in the Qur'an" is connected to His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "the vision," meaning: He made the vision and the tree a trial. And "the tree" here - according to the majority - is the tree of Zaqqum. This is because when its matter was revealed in Surah As-Saffat, Abu Jahl and others said: This is Muhammad threatening you with a fire that burns stones, then claims that trees grow from it, and we do not know Zaqqum except as dates with butter. Then Abu Jahl commanded a servant of his to bring dates and butter, and he said to his companions: "Eat Zaqqum." Thus, some of the weak ones were also led astray by this statement. So Allah informed His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, that He only made the Isra and the mention of the tree of Zaqqum a test for those who had previously disbelieved, and to affirm those who had previously believed. As it has been narrated that Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, was told on the morning of the Isra: Your companion claims that he went last night to Al-Maqdis and returned from it. He said: If he said that, then he has spoken the truth. It was said to him: Do you believe before you hear from him? He said: Where are your minds? I believe him regarding the news of the heavens, so how could I not believe him regarding the news of Al-Maqdis, while the heavens are much farther than it?

And a group said: The tree refers to the people mentioned before in the vision.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And this is a weak, newly introduced saying, and this is not from Sahl ibn Sa'd, nor his like. And Al-Tabari said - on the authority of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both - that the accursed tree means: the accursed is its eater because it has not been mentioned.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And it is valid to mean: "the accursed" here: he confirmed the matter by saying: "in the Qur'an." And a group said: The accursed one is the distanced, the hated, and this is what he meant; because he cursed it with the word of curse that is commonly known, and this is close in meaning to what came before it. Also, whatever grows in the origin of Hellfire is at the utmost distance from the mercy of Allah.

And His saying, exalted is He: "And We frighten them," means: either the disbelievers of Mecca, or the kings from the Umayyad dynasty after the caliphate, in which the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "The caliphate after me will be thirty years, then it will be a tyrannical kingship." The first of these is more correct as we said before.

And His saying, exalted is He: "So it increases them not except in great transgression" means their disbelief and their violation in it, like the saying of Abu Jahl regarding Zaqqum and eating Zaqqum. Al-Naqqash said: Indeed, this was revealed.

And in this regard, Al-A'mash recited: 'And He frightens them' with a 'ya', while the majority recited: 'And We frighten them' with a 'noon'.