His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "And let not those who disbelieve think that We grant them respite is good for themselves. We grant them respite only so that they may increase in sin, and for them is a humiliating punishment." "Allah would not leave the believers as you are until He distinguishes the wicked from the good. And Allah would not inform you of the unseen, but Allah chooses from His messengers whom He wills. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And if you believe and fear Allah, then for you is a great reward." (p-427) "Numlah" means: We give respite and extend in lifespan. And "milaawah" is the duration of time. And "malaawan" is the night and day. And you say: "Mallaaka Allahu ni'mata" meaning: He granted you a long lifespan. Ibn Kathir, Abu Amr, and Nafi' read: "yahsabanna" with a yā' from below, with a kasrah on the sīn and a fatḥah on the bā'. Ibn 'Amir read likewise except in the sīn, for he opened it. Hamzah read "tahsabanna" with a tā' from above and a fatḥah on the sīn. 'Asim and al-Kisā'ī read all that is in this surah with a tā' from above except for two letters: His saying: "And let not those who disbelieve think" in this verse, and after it "And let not those who are miserly think." As for the one who read "And let not those who disbelieve think" with a yā' from below, then "those" is the subject, and his saying: "that We grant them respite is good" with a fatḥah on the alif of "that" suffices as a substitute for the two objects of "hasiba." This is because "hasiba" and what follows it takes two objects or one object that suffices as a substitute for two objects, and that is if it occurs in a connection where the mention of the subject and the one spoken about is made. Abu Ali said: And the kasrah of "inna" in the saying of the one who read: "yahsabanna" with a yā' from below should not be. And it has been read in what has been narrated by others than Ahmad ibn Musa and in other than the seven, and the reason for that is that "inna" is received by the oath just as it is received by the lam of the beginning, and they both enter upon the beginning and the news, meaning the "lam" and "inna." Thus, the action of the calculation is suspended from "innama" just as it is suspended from the lam in your saying: "I thought that Zayd is standing." The action is suspended from the verbal meaning, but as for the meaning, what comes after "inna" or the lam is in the position of the two objects of "hasiba," and "ma" may be understood to mean "the one who." Thus, in "numli" there is an implicit return, and it may be understood to be a verbal noun, so it does not need to be estimated with a return. As for the one who read "And let not you think" with a tā' from above, then "those" is the first object for the calculation. Abu Ali said: And it should be that the alif of "innama" is broken in this reading, and that "inna" and what it has entered upon is in the position of the second object for "tahsabanna," and it is not permissible to open the alif of "innama" because it would be the second object, and the second object in this case is the first object in meaning, and the granting of respite does not occur to them. Makki said in his difficult matters: I do not know anyone who read: "tahsabanna" with a tā' from above and broke the alif of "innama." And al-Zajjaj permitted this reading "tahsabanna" with a tā' and "anna" with a fatḥah on the alif, and the apparent meaning of his words is that it nominates "khayran." He said: And many people have read it, and he brought as an example the saying of the poet:

So, Qays's destruction was not like the destruction of one, by the establishment of the second destruction on the basis that the first is a substitute.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: So likewise, "Indeed, We give respite" is a substitute for "those who disbelieved," as His saying, the Exalted, is: "And none caused me to forget it except the devil, that I should mention it" [Al-Kahf: 63] and His saying: "And when Allah promised you one of the two groups that it would be yours" [Al-Anfal: 7]. And "good" would be the second object.

Abu Ali said: No one has read this reading. I asked Ahmad ibn Musa about it, and he claimed that no one has read it. It appears from Abu Ali's words that Abu Ishaq only permitted the matter with the reading of "good" in the nominative, and Abu Ali is more knowledgeable for having witnessed Abu Ishaq. Some people mentioned that this reading is permissible on the basis of omitting a genitive, the estimation of which is: And do not think that the affair of those who disbelieved is that We give respite to them. This is like His saying, the Exalted: "And ask the town" [Yusuf: 82] and others. The master Abu al-Hasan ibn al-Badish goes to say that it is permissible on the substitute of "that" from "those" and omitting the second object for the sake of consideration, as the speech indicates it.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And the matter is permissible, as the meaning is: Do not think that Our giving respite to those who disbelieved is good for them or something like this.

And the meaning of this verse is: the refutation of the disbelievers in their saying: Our being apparent and provided for is a proof of Allah's pleasure with our state and the correctness of our path with Him. So Allah informed that this delay and respite is merely a giving respite and a leading them on, so that they may acquire sins. And Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said: There is no soul that is righteous or sinful except that death is better for it. As for the righteous, it is so that they may hasten to the mercy of Allah, and he recited: "And what is with Allah is better for the righteous" [Al-Imran: 198]. And as for the sinful, it is so that they do not increase in sin, and he recited this verse. And the description of the punishment as humiliating means: the belittlement of them, for it may be that one is punished who is not humiliated, and that is if it is believed that his slip will be excused one day.

And the commentators differed in the meaning of His saying, the Exalted: ﴿Allah would not leave the believers﴾...the verse. Mujahid, Ibn Jurayj, Ibn Ishaq, and others said: The address is to the believers, and the meaning is: Allah would not leave the believers mixed with the hypocrites, making their matter unclear. The hypocrite would flow like the believer, but He distinguished some of them from others, by what appeared from these and those in the events and words during Uhud. And Qatadah and Al-Suddi said: The address is to the disbelievers, and the meaning is: Until He distinguishes the believers from the disbelievers by faith and migration. And Al-Suddi and others said: 'The disbelievers said in some of their arguments: You, O Muhammad, claim that a man among us is from the people of the Fire, and that if he follows you, he is from the people of Paradise. How can this be correct? But inform us of who among us believes and who remains upon his disbelief.' So the verse was revealed, and it was said to them: There must be a distinction, and Allah would not inform you of the unseen regarding who believes and who remains a disbeliever, but this is a chosen Messenger, so believe in him. If you believe, you will be saved, and you will have a reward.

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

As for Mujahid, Ibn Jurayj, and the people of the first saying, their statement in the interpretation of His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And Allah would not inform you of the unseen﴾ is about the matter of Uhud, meaning: Allah would not inform you that you would be defeated, so you were thrown down, and something like this. And also, He would not inform you of the hypocrites explicitly by naming them, but this is through the indications of their actions and words in such a situation.

And 'until' in His saying: 'until He distinguishes' is a mere limit, because the meaning of the words before it is: Allah clarifies what is between you by His testing and trial until He distinguishes.

And Ibn Kathir, Nafi, Abu Amr, Ibn Amir, and Asim read: 'until He distinguishes' with a fatḥah on the yāʾ and a kasrah on the mīm and a lightening of the yāʾ, and likewise 'to distinguish.' And Hamzah and Al-Kisai read: 'until He distinguishes' and 'to distinguish Allah' with a ḍammah on the yāʾ and a shaddah.

Yaqoub ibn Al-Sukayt said: 'Miztu' and 'Mayyaztu' are two dialects with one meaning. Abu Ali said: And 'Mayyaztu' is not derived from 'Miztu,' as evidenced by the fact that 'Mayyaztu' does not take two objects, but rather takes one object like 'Miztu,' just as 'Alqaytu' is not derived from 'Laqiya,' but rather it means 'I dropped.'

And the unseen here refers to what is hidden from humans regarding what is in Allah's knowledge of the events that will occur, and of the secrets in the hearts of the hypocrites, and of the words they say when they are absent from people. Al-Zajjaj and others said: It has been narrated that some of the disbelievers said: Why are not all of us prophets? So this verse was revealed. And 'Yajtabi' means: He chooses and selects, and it is from 'Jabaitu' the water and wealth. And the rest of the verse is clear, and Allah is the One sought for help.