His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Indeed, they were when it was said to them, 'There is no deity except Allah,' they were arrogant." "And they say, 'Are we to leave our gods for a mad poet?'" "Rather, he has come with the truth and has confirmed the messengers." "Indeed, you will taste the painful punishment." "And you will not be recompensed except for what you used to do." "Except for the servants of Allah, the chosen ones." These are the people of sin who have ignored Allah, glorified and exalted is He, and magnified idols and statues. So when it was said, 'There is no deity except Allah' - which is the word of truth and the firmest handhold - arrogance struck them, and it was great upon them to leave their idols and the idols of their forefathers. This is similar to what was said about Abu Talib when the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said to him: 'O uncle, say there is no deity except Allah, a word by which I will testify for you before Allah.' Abu Jahl said: 'Do you desire to turn away from the religion of Abdul Muttalib?' He then said the last thing he said: 'I am upon the religion of Abdul Muttalib.' And by presenting to him the saying of 'There is no deity except Allah,' the Sunnah has been established in teaching the dying the dying to oppose the disbelievers and submit to it. As for the group that said, 'Are we to leave our gods for a mad poet?' they are from Quraysh. Their reference to the mad poet is to Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. So Allah, exalted is He, responded to them, saying: 'The matter is not as they said that he is a poet, rather he has come with the truth from Allah and has confirmed the previous messengers like Moses, Jesus, and Abraham, blessings and peace be upon them. Then He informed them, addressing them - and it is permissible that the interpretation is: Say to them, O Muhammad -: 'Indeed, you will taste the painful punishment.' And a group read (the punishment) in the accusative, and its meaning is that he intended: 'You will taste,' so he omitted the noon for ease, and this is a reading that has been mispronounced. Abu al-Sammal read: [You will taste] with tanween, [the punishment] in the accusative. And 'the painful' is the one that causes pain. Then He informed them that this is a recompense for them due to their deeds and what they have earned. Then He excluded the servants of Allah with an absolute exclusion, and they are the believers whom Allah, exalted is He, has purified for Himself. The majority read with the opening of the lam in 'the chosen ones,' while Hasan, Qatadah, Abu Rajaa, and Abu Amr read with the breaking of the lam. This has also been narrated in As-Saffat from Hasan with the opening of the lam.