His saying, exalted and majestic is He:

"Say, 'We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the descendants, and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims to Him.'"

"So if they believe in the like of what you believe in, then they have certainly been guided. But if they turn away, then they are only in dissension, and Allah will suffice for you against them, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing."

"The dye of Allah, and who is better than Allah in dyeing? And we are His worshippers."

This address is to the nation of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. Allah taught them faith.

"And what has been revealed to us" means the Qur'an. The addition of the revelation to them is correct because they are the ones commanded and prohibited in it.

And (Abraham and Ishmael) gather "Baraheem and Samail," this is the choice of Sibawayh and the close friend. Some people said: "Barahim and Samail," and the Kufans said: "Barahimah and Samailah," and Al-Mubarrid said: "Abarahu and Asami'u," and Thalab allowed "Barrah," as it is said in the diminutive "Birayyih." And "the descendants" are the children of Jacob, and they are: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah his daughter, and their mother is Leah. Then he had children with his sister Rachel, and she bore him Joseph and Benjamin. He had children from two maidservants, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. The descendant in the Children of Israel is like the tribe in the children of Ishmael, so they were called the descendants because there was a descendant from each of them.

"And what was given to Moses" is the Torah and its signs, and "what was given to Jesus" is the Gospel and its signs. The meaning is: We believe in all the prophets because all of them came with faith in Allah. The religion of Allah is one, even if the rulings of the laws differ, and "We make no distinction between any of them" means: We do not believe in some and disbelieve in others as you do. And in the speech, there is an omission whose estimation is: between any of them and between his counterpart, so it was shortened for the understanding of the listener, and the pronoun in "to Him" refers back to the name of Allah, exalted and majestic is He.

And His saying, exalted is He: "So if they believe in the like of what you believe in," the verse is an address to Muhammad and his nation, and the meaning is: If they affirm a belief like your affirmation, then the similarity occurred between the two beliefs. This is the saying of some of the interpreters.

It is said that the "in" is an additional confirming particle, and the estimation is: they believe like, and the pronoun in "in it" refers back as the pronoun in "to Him," so it is as if the speech is: So if they believe in Allah like what you have believed in. And the return of the pronoun appears on "what." And it is said that "like" is an addition as it is in His saying: "There is nothing like Him" [Ash-Shura: 11]. And a group said: This is from the metaphor of speech; they say: This is a matter that someone like you does not do, meaning you do not do it. The meaning is: So if they believe in that which you have believed in, this is the saying of Ibn Abbas, and it has been narrated from him by Al-Tabari as a reading. Then it was attributed to him that he said: "Do not say, 'So if they believe in the like of what you have believed in,' for there is no likeness for Allah, exalted and majestic is He, but say: 'So if they believe in that which you have believed in or in what you have believed in.'"

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is in the context of interpretation, meaning thus let it be understood. Abu Amr al-Dani narrated two readings from Ibn Abbas, and Allah knows best.

And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And if they turn away﴾ means they have turned away, referring to the Jews and Christians. And 'shiqaq' means opposition, conflict, and disagreement, meaning they are in opposition to you while you are in opposition to them. It is said that 'shiqaq' means each one has separated and what is between him and his companion has been severed. Then Allah, the Exalted, promised him that He would suffice him against them and grant him victory over them. This was in the killing of the Banu Qaynuqa and Banu Qurayza and the expulsion of the Banu Nadir. This promise and its fulfillment are among the signs of the prophethood of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. And 'the Hearing' is for the words of every speaker, and 'the Knowing' is of what must be executed among His servants. And ﴿the dye of Allah﴾ is His law, His Sunnah, and His innate nature. This is because the Christians have water in which they dye their children, so this refers to that. It is said that the religion is called 'dye' by analogy, as its deeds and characteristics appear on the one who practices it, just as dye appears on a garment or otherwise.

And the accusative of 'dye' is for encouragement, and it is said to be a substitute for 'millah', and it is said to be established on the emphasized source because what precedes it from His saying: ﴿Indeed, they have been guided﴾ is in the meaning of they wear or are covered by the dye of Allah. It is said that the estimation is: We are Muslims, the dye of Allah, so it is connected to the preceding verse. Al-Tabari said: Whoever reads with the raising of 'millah' reads with the raising of 'dye'.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And I have mentioned it from al-A'raj and Ibn Abi Abla: ﴿And we are devoted to Him﴾ is a beginning and a report.