His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And We did not give them any books which they study, nor did We send to them before you any warner." "And those before them denied, and they did not reach a tenth of what We had given them. So they denied My messengers; how was My denial?" "Say, 'I only advise you of one thing: that you stand for Allah in pairs or individually, then reflect. There is no madness in your companion; he is only a warner to you before a severe punishment.'"

The meaning of this verse is that they say with their opinions about the Book of Allah, glorified and exalted is He. Some of them say: 'It is magic,' and some say: 'It is a fabrication.' This is a boldness from them, as they do not base it on the stirring of knowledge or on the report of someone whose report is accepted. For indeed, We did not give them books which they study, nor did We send to them a warner, so they cannot claim that their words are based on His command.

The majority of people read: "they study it" with the dal being silent. Abu Haywah read: "they teach it" with the dal being opened and doubled, and the ra being broken. The meaning is: and We did not send any warner who confronts them with anything, nor who directly addresses the people of their time or those close to their forefathers. Otherwise, the warning was in the world and among the Arabs with Shu'ayb, Salih, and Hud. The call to Allah and His oneness is an ancient matter; the earth has never been devoid of a caller to it. The meaning is: from a warner who is specific to those whom We have sent you to. There was much warning among the Arabs from the warning of Isma'il, peace be upon him. And Allah, exalted is He, says: "Indeed, he was true to the promise and was a messenger, a prophet" [Maryam: 54]. However, no one dedicated himself to warning or fought for it except Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him.

Then He likened them to the nations that denied before them. His saying: "And they did not reach a tenth of what We had given them" can have three meanings: One is that the pronoun in "they reached" refers to Quraysh, and in "We had given them" refers to the nations before them. The meaning is from strength, blessings, and triumphs in this world, as said by Ibn Abbas, Qatadah, and Ibn Zayd, may Allah be pleased with them. The second is the opposite, and the meaning is from the signs, clear proofs, and the light that you brought to them. The third is that the pronoun refers to the earlier nations, and the meaning is from gratitude for blessings and the reward for favors. And "a tenth" refers to one-tenth, and this form has only come in ten and four. They said: "a quarter" and "a tenth," and some said: "a tenth is one-tenth of a tenth," and this is not valid.

And "denial" is a noun like "rejection" in meaning, and like "the weight" in form. The yā has dropped from it for ease because it is the last verse. And "how" is a glorification of the matter, and it is not merely an inquiry. In this is a threat to Quraysh, meaning that they are exposed to a denial like it.

Then he commanded his Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, to invite them to the worship of Allah and to contemplate the reality of his Prophethood. He should admonish them with a matter that is close to their understanding. His saying: "with one matter" means: with one issue, briefly for you and to bring it closer to you. His saying: "that" is explanatory, and it may be a substitute for "one matter." His saying: ﴿that you stand for Allah in pairs and singly﴾ may mean that he intends with obedience, sincerity, and worship. The one matter he admonished them with is this. Then he added that they should reflect on his matter: is he possessed or is he innocent of that? The pause according to Abu Hatim is at "reflect," so it comes: "what is with your companion" as a negation that is newly initiated. According to Sibawayh, it is the answer to what has descended to the level of an oath; because "to reflect" is one of the actions that provide certainty, like "to clarify." The reflection, on this, is on the verses of Allah and belief in Him. It is possible that by their standing, he means that it should be for the sake of Allah in the sense of contemplating Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. Thus, the one matter he admonished them with is "that you stand" meaning: that you stand to contemplate their need. It is as if the meaning is that one should reflect between himself and his soul, and the two should engage in seeking the truth: is there possession with Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, or not? And on this, it is not paused at the reflection. He preferred the pairs because the truths from two supporters in contemplation are more effective than one reflection. If the truth emerges between the two, then each one of them reflects thereafter, which increases their insight. The poet said:

When they gather, they bring forth every strange thing, So some of the people increase in knowledge from one another.

And Ya'qub read: "Then reflect" with one 'taa'. Mujahid said: "with one matter" means: without a god except Allah. It was said other than this which the verse does not convey.

His saying: "before them" is arranged on the basis that Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, came in the time before the severe punishment that they were warned of.