'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "These are the verses of Allah, We recite them to you in truth, and Allah does not intend any injustice for the worlds." "And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and to Allah are returned the matters." "You are the best nation brought forth for mankind; you enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah. And if the People of the Book had believed, it would have been better for them; among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient." The reference with 'These' is to these preceding verses that include the punishment of the disbelievers and the enjoyment of the believers. Since there is mention of punishment in it, Allah, exalted is He, informed that He does not intend for any injustice to occur to any of His servants. And if He does not intend that, then it will not occur at all, for nothing occurs except what He, exalted is He, intends. And His saying, exalted is He: "in truth" means: with the true information, and it is possible that the meaning is: We recite them to you, containing the actions that are true in themselves, of the honor of a people and the punishment of others. Abu Nahik read: "He recites them" with a 'ya.' And the indication came that He, exalted is He, does not intend injustice in His judgment, so it will not exist. And since the mind may pause here at the aspect by which Allah has favored a people with an action that He has mercy upon them for, and others with an action that He punishes them for, He, exalted is He, mentioned the decisive proof in His ownership of all creatures, and that the truth cannot be opposed, and that is in His saying: "And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth." The verse states "whatever" and did not say "who" as it is in terms of sentences and kinds. Al-Tabari mentioned that some of the Basri scholars considered His saying, exalted is He: "And to Allah" and made the name apparent, and did not say 'to Him' by the saying of the poet: I do not see that death precedes death, anything has made death bitter for the rich and the poor. And what has followed its course, and this was said by Al-Zajjaj. It is reported that the Arabs do this intending to magnify the speech and to indicate the greatness of the meaning. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The verse resembles the line in the intent of the grandeur of the composition, and it differs from it in that the verse has two distinct sentences in meaning. If many sentences were repeated to this extent, it would be good in all of them to make the name apparent, and there is no exposure with the pronoun in that by convention. As for the line and what resembles it, the pronoun in it is the convention, as the speech is in one meaning, and it is not permissible to make the name apparent except in the grand meanings in the souls of which there is no fear of confusion for the listener. And some of the seven reciters read: "the matters return" with a fatha on the 'ta' based on the action for the doer, and that has been mentioned before. The interpreters disagreed in the meaning of: "You are the best nation brought forth for mankind;" Umar ibn al-Khattab said: This is for our first ones, and it will not be for our last ones. And Ikrimah said: It was revealed concerning Ibn Mas'ud and Salim, the freedman of Abu Hudhayfah, and Ubayy ibn Ka'b and Mu'adh ibn Jabal. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, intended those like them. And Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: It was revealed concerning those who migrated with the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, to Medina.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is all one saying, implying that the verse was revealed concerning the Companions. They were told: You are the best nation. The reference in His saying: "nation" is to the nation of Muhammad specifically, for indeed they are the best of it.

And Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan and a group from the people of knowledge said: The meaning of the verse is: Addressing the nation that they are the best nation brought forth for the people. The term "nation" in this interpretation is a generic name, as if it was said to them: You are the best of the nations. This interpretation is supported by the fact that they are witnesses over the people, and the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: "We are the last but the first..." the hadith. And Bahz ibn Hakim narrated from his father from his grandfather: "That the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said one day while leaning his back against the Kaaba: 'We will complete on the Day of Resurrection seventy nations; we are the last of them and the best of them.'" Mujahid said: The meaning of the verse is: You were the best of the people. And Al-Hasan said: We are the last of them and the most honored of them in the sight of Allah, the Exalted. And Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The meaning of the verse is: You were the best of the people for the people.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: So "nation" in this interpretation is a generic name. Abu Huraira said: They will bring the disbelievers in chains and will admit them into Islam.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And no prophet was sent to the entire nation except Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. He and his nation call to faith and fight the world for it. They are the best of the people for the people. And it is not necessary in this interpretation that they are the best of the nations by the very wording of the verse, but this is known from another wording, as in his saying, blessings and peace be upon him: "The most compassionate of my nation towards my nation is Abu Bakr." This wording does not imply that Abu Bakr is the most compassionate of all people towards every believer and disbeliever.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And compassion in general is not in accordance with the Sharia as it should be. As for His saying: "You were" in the past tense, it indicates permanence, as He said: "And Allah was Forgiving and Merciful" [An-Nisa: 96], and other examples. Some said: The meaning is: You were in the knowledge of Allah. It was said: In the preserved tablet. And it was said: In what was informed about you by the nations long ago. And "best" in all these statements is a report of what was. It is possible that "was" is complete, and "best nation" is in the accusative case as a state. This aligns with some of the interpretations we have mentioned over others.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And this excellence that Allah has ordained for this nation can only be attained by those who fulfill these conditions of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong and believing in Allah.

And His saying: "You enjoin what is right" and what follows are states in the position of the accusative.

Then Allah, the Most High, informed about the People of the Book in a manner of reproach combined with advice that if they had believed, they would have saved themselves from the punishment of Allah. The word 'better' in this verse is a form of preference, and there is no sharing between their disbelief and their belief in goodness. Rather, this is permissible due to the commonality and the various aspects contained in the word 'better'. Likewise, the words 'best' and 'most beloved' and what follows them are similar. This meaning has been clarified in other places more eloquently than this.

And His saying, the Most High: ﴿Among them are the believers﴾ is an indication of the state of Abdullah ibn Salam and his brother and Thalabah ibn Sa'yah and others who believed. Then Allah judged most of them as corrupt in their disbelief because they distorted and changed and opposed after they had known the truth of the matter of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. Thus, they are disbelievers who are corrupt in disbelief, having combined the two condemnations.