His saying, exalted is He: "Those who wait for you, if there is a victory for you from Allah, they say, 'Were we not with you?' And if there is a share for the disbelievers, they say, 'Did we not gain the upper hand over you and prevent you from the believers?' Allah will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection, and Allah will never give the disbelievers a way over the believers." "Indeed, the hypocrites deceive Allah, and He deceives them. When they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing off to the people, and they remember Allah only a little." "They are wavering between that, neither to these nor to those. And whoever Allah misguides, you will never find for him a way."

"Those"; is an attribute of the hypocrites; and "they wait"; its meaning is: "they are waiting for the turn of events against you; if there is a victory for the believers, they claim a share in it by virtue of what they show of faith; and if there is a gain for the disbelievers against the believers, they claim a share in it by virtue of what they conceal of allegiance to the disbelievers; and this is the state of the hypocrites."

And "we gain the upper hand"; its meaning is: (we dominate over your affairs; we surround you; and we protect your matter); and from it is the saying of al-Ajjaj regarding the description of a bull and cows:

"He dominates them, and he has dominion over them."

That is: he overcomes them in their affairs; and he overpowers the bulls over them; and it is narrated: "he gains them" with a zay; and from the word is the saying of Labid regarding the description of a caravan and she-donkeys:

"When they gather and dominate both sides of it, and bring it to long crooked paths."

"He dominates both sides of it"; means he overcomes it; and his saying, exalted is He: "The devil has gained the upper hand over them" [al-Mujadila: 19]; its meaning is: he has dominated over them; and this verb is unusual in that its waw is not pronounced; rather, it is used in its original form.

And Ubayy ibn Ka'b read: "and we prevented you from the believers"; and Ibn Abi Abla read: "and we prevent you"; with a fatha on the 'ain; in the accusative form.

Then he comforted and reassured the believers with what he promised them; in His saying: "So Allah will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection"; that is: and between them; and He will give you justice against all of them; and in His saying: "And Allah will never give the disbelievers a way over the believers"; and Yusay' al-Hadrami said: I was with Ali ibn Abi Talib - may Allah be pleased with him -; and a man said to him: O Commander of the Believers; what do you think of the saying of Allah, exalted is He: "And Allah will never give the disbelievers a way over the believers"; how is that, while they fight us and sometimes prevail over us? Ali - may Allah be pleased with him - said: The meaning of that is: On the Day of Resurrection, the judgment will be; and with this all the people of interpretation have said.

And "the way"; is the proof; and the dominance.

And the deception of the hypocrites is towards the allies of Allah, exalted is He; for they think of them as not being allies; so in the speech there is an omission of what is added; and a binding of a sin necessitated by their actions; even if their intentions did not necessitate it; for no one among the people intends to deceive Allah, exalted is He.

(p-50) And His saying: ﴿And He is deceiving them﴾; that is: He is causing deception upon them; and this is a phrase indicating a punishment that He has named by the name of the sin; so their punishment in this world is their humiliation; and their fear; and the anguish of their hearts; and in the Hereafter, the punishment of Hellfire. And Al-Suddi, and Ibn Jurayj, and Al-Hasan, and others from the interpreters said: This deception is that Allah, glorified and exalted is He, will give to this nation on the Day of Resurrection light for every believer; or hypocrite; so the hypocrites will rejoice; and they will think that they have escaped; but when they come to the bridge, the light of every hypocrite will be extinguished; and the believers will rise with that; so that is the saying of the hypocrites: ﴿Wait for us, that we may obtain some of your light﴾ [Al-Hadid: 13]; and that is the deception that occurs upon the hypocrites. And Muslima ibn Abd Allah Al-Nahwi read: