His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Indeed, Allah admits those who believe and do righteous deeds into gardens beneath which rivers flow. Indeed, Allah does what He wills." "Whoever thinks that Allah will not support him in this world and the Hereafter, let him extend a cause to the sky, then let him cut it off. Let him see if his cunning will remove that which enrages him." "And thus We have sent down clear verses, and indeed, Allah guides whom He wills." "Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews, the Sabians, the Christians, the Magians, and those who associated partners with Allah, indeed, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, Allah is, over all things, Witness."

When Allah, blessed and exalted is He, mentioned those who worship Allah on the edge and belittled their opinion and warned them of the loss of the Hereafter, He followed that by mentioning their opposers from the people of faith. He mentioned what He promised them of admitting them into Paradise. Then the verse took to reproaching those earlier ones and their submission to their opinion and referring them to that which has caused them hardship and not in which is their comfort. It is as if He is saying: These worshipers on the edge have been accompanied by anxiety and have thought that Allah, exalted is He, would not support Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, and his followers. And we have only commanded them to be patient and to wait for Our promise. So whoever thinks otherwise, let him extend a cause and let him choke himself and let him see if that will remove his rage? This meaning was stated by Qatadah, and this is in the manner of a common saying, their saying: 'Here is the rope, so choke yourself,' is said to one who desires something impossible.

And "the cause" is the rope, and "support" is known, except that Abu Ubaidah took it to mean provision, as they say: a supported land, meaning one that is rained upon. And as the poet said: "And indeed, you do not give a man more than his right, nor do you possess the part that the rain supports."

And he said: A questioner from the sons of Abu Bakr stopped by us and said: Whoever supports me, Allah will support him. And "the sky" - according to these sayings - is the air above, so it is as if he meant: a roof or a tree or something similar. And Ibn Zayd said: The sky is the known one, and he went to another meaning, as if he said to whoever thinks that Allah will not support Muhammad: If you think that, then extend a cause to the sky and cut it off if you can do that. For if you are unable, then likewise you cannot cut off the cause of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, from the sky; for his support comes from there, and the revelation that comes to him.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And "the cutting" - according to this interpretation - is not choking, but rather it is the determination of the cause. And in the manuscript of Ibn Mas'ud: "Then let him cut it off with it," and the majority hold that the cutting here is choking. And Al-Khalil said: The cutting of a man is when he chokes with a rope or something similar. Then he mentioned the verse.

The verse carries another meaning, which is that it refers to the disbelievers and all those who are enraged that Allah supports him and hope that he will not be supported. It was said to them: Whoever thinks that this will not be supported, let him die of rage. He is certainly supported; let this one who thinks so choke on his anger and rage. This is supported by the fact that al-Tabari and al-Naqqash said: It is said that it was revealed concerning a group from Banu Asad and Ghatafan who said: We fear that Muhammad will be supported, and the ties between us and our allies from the Jews will be severed due to benefits.

The first meaning that was said to the worshippers is not like this, but it means: Whoever is anxious and impatient for support and thinks that Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, will not be supported, let him choke in foolishness since he has exceeded the limits set for him in patience and waiting for the action of Allah, glorified and exalted is He. Mujahid said: The pronoun in "He supports him" refers back to "whoever," and the meaning is: Whoever is among the anxious believers.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The pronoun in the interpretation we mentioned, that it refers to the disbelievers, can only refer back to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. A group said: The pronoun refers back to the religion and the Qur'an.

Abu Amr and Ibn Amer read: "Let him cut off, let him see" with the lam being broken in both of them according to the original, and this is the reading of the majority. Al-Asim, Hamzah, and al-Kisai read with the lam being silent in both of them and in the lam of the command throughout the Qur'an with the conjunctions wa and fa and thumma. There was a difference regarding Nafi, and this is the reading of al-Hasan, Abu Amr, and Isa.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: As for the conjunction fa and wa - when one of them enters upon the command - Sibawayh narrated that they see it as if it is part of the word, so the silence of the lam is a lightening, and it is clearer than moving it. As for thumma, it is an independent word, so the correct way is to move the lam after it.

Some grammarians have viewed the mim of thumma as being equivalent to wa and fa.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "What enrages" can be understood that "what" means "the one who," and "enrages" refers back to it. It can also be understood that it is a source particle with no referent back to it, and "the plot" is its reason.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The clearest interpretations of this verse is that it is a parable, and the support is the known one, and the cutting off is choking, and the sky is the elevation in the air with a roof or a tree or something similar, so contemplate it.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "And thus We have sent down clear verses" to "as a witness over everything," means: And just as We promised support and commanded patience, likewise, We sent down the Qur'an as a clear verse for whoever reflects and is guided, not to propose with it and hasten the decree. Al-Tabari said: The meaning is: And just as I clarified My proof against whoever denied My ability to resurrect the dead, thus We sent it down. The pronoun in "We sent it down" refers back to the Qur'an, and these pronouns have come like this even if there was no prior mention due to the familiarity of the reference, similar to His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "Until it disappeared behind the veil." [Sad: 32] and others.

And His saying, exalted is He: "And that Allah" is in the position of the news of the beginning. The meaning is: the matter is that Allah guides whom He wills. And the guidance of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, is His creation of righteousness and faith in the soul of man.

Then Allah, exalted is He, informed about His action with the mentioned groups, which are the believers in Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, and others, the Jews, and the Sabeans. They are a people who worship the angels, face the qiblah, unify Allah, and recite the Zabur, as stated by Qatadah. And the Christians and the Magians, who are the worshippers of fire, the sun, and the moon. And the polytheists, who are the worshippers of idols. Qatadah said: The religions are six, five for Satan and one for the Most Merciful. And the news of "Indeed" is His saying, exalted is He: "Indeed, Allah will judge between them." Then "Indeed" entered upon the news, affirming it, and this is good due to the length of the speech, so it and what follows it is the news of the first "Indeed." And Al-Zajjaj linked this verse to the saying of the poet:

"Indeed, the caliph, indeed Allah clothed him with the garment of a king, by which the endings are hoped for."

(Q. 225) This was narrated by Al-Tabari.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This verse is not like the verse; because the news in the verse is in his saying: "by which the endings are hoped for," and the second "Indeed" and its sentence are an interruption between the two speeches. Then all the speech was completed in His saying, exalted is He: "the Day of Resurrection," and the news about "Indeed Allah, glorified and exalted is He, is a witness over all things and knowledgeable of them." And this news is appropriate for the separation between the groups, and the separation of Allah, exalted is He, between these groups is by admitting the believers into Paradise and the disbelievers into Hell.