His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "We are your allies in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. And for you therein is what your souls desire, and for you therein is what you invoke." "A provision from the Forgiving, the Merciful." "And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteous deeds and says, 'Indeed, I am of the Muslims'?" "And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel by that which is best. Then indeed, the one between you and him is an enemy will become as though he was a devoted friend." "And none is granted it except those who are patient, and none is granted it except one having a great portion." The speaker of "We are your allies" are the angels who say: "Do not fear and do not grieve," meaning they say to the believers at the time of death and when witnessing the truth: "We were your allies in the worldly life, and we are so in the Hereafter." Al-Suddi said: The meaning is: "We were your guardians in the worldly life and your allies in the Hereafter." The pronoun in their saying: "therein" refers back to the Hereafter, and "invoke" means: you request. And "a provision" is in the accusative as a source, and the reading of the majority is with the zay being pronounced, while Abu Haywah read it with it being silent. And His saying, exalted is He: "And who is better in speech" is the beginning of a recommendation for Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. It is a term that encompasses all who have invited, both in the past and present, to Allah, exalted and majestic is He, and to His obedience from the prophets, peace be upon them, and from the believers. The meaning is: No one is better in speech than one in this condition. Al-Hasan, Muqatil, and a group have gone to the generality, and it has been clarified that the condition of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, was likewise evident. To specify him with the verse, Al-Suddi, Ibn Zayd, and Ibn Sirin have gone. Qais ibn Abi Hazim and Aisha, the Mother of the Believers, may Allah be pleased with her, and Ikrimah said: This verse was revealed concerning the callers to prayer. Qais said: "And he did righteous deeds" refers to the prayer between the call to prayer and the establishment of prayer. Al-Niqash mentioned this from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The meaning of the saying that it is about the callers to prayer is that they are included in it. As for its revelation, it was in Mecca without disagreement, and there was no call to prayer in Mecca. Rather, it was established in Medina. And the call to prayer is part of the invitation to Allah, exalted and majestic is He, but it is a part of it. The invitation to Allah with strength, like the jihad against the disbelievers and the repulsion of tyrants and stopping the oppressors, is of greater importance than the act of calling to prayer, as there is no difficulty in it. And it is more correct to believe that the verse was revealed generally. Zayd ibn Ali said: The meaning is: from those who invited to Allah, exalted and majestic is He, with the sword. And the majority read: "Indeed, I am of the Muslims" with two nuns, while Ibn Abi Abla read: [Indeed, I am of the Muslims] with one nun. And Al-Fudail ibn Rufaydah said: I was a caller to prayer among the companions of Ibn Mas'ud, and Al-Hasan ibn Hubayrah said to me: When you complete the call to prayer, say: Indeed, I am of the Muslims, then he recited this verse.

Then Allah, the Most High, admonished His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and alerted him to the best way of addressing. He established that the good deed and the bad deed are not equal, meaning: the good deed is better. He repeated "no" in His saying: ﴿and the bad deed﴾ as an affirmation to indicate that the intended meaning is: "and the good deed is not equal to the bad deed, nor is the bad deed equal to the good deed." Thus, He omitted for brevity, and the word [no] indicates this omission. And His saying: ﴿Repel by that which is best﴾ is a verse that encompasses the noble traits of character and types of forbearance. The meaning is: repel your matters and what is presented to you with people and your interaction with them by the action or the conduct that is the best of actions and conduct. Among this is offering peace, good manners, suppressing anger, and generosity in judgment and retribution, and others. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When a believer performs these virtues, Allah, the Most High, protects him from the devil, and his enemy submits to him. Mujahid and Ata interpreted this verse as peace upon meeting.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: There is no doubt that peace is the basis of repelling by that which is best, and it is part of it.

Then He, the Most High, said: ﴿As if he were a close friend﴾, so the letter of comparison was included; because one who has enmity does not return as a close friend. Rather, his outward appearance is good, so he is compared to the close friend. And "close friend" is the one who is dear to a person. The pronoun in His saying: ﴿It will be met﴾ refers back to this character, which is included in His saying: ﴿Repel by that which is best﴾. A group said: The intended meaning is: and what is met is none other than Allah. This interpretation is not necessitated by the wording. And His saying: ﴿Except those who are patient﴾ is a profound praise of patience, and that is clear to the one who reflects; because patience is for acts of obedience and against desires, encompassing all good traits. The "great fortune" may be intended as: from intellect and virtue, so the verse would be a praise. It has been narrated that a man insulted Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, in the presence of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. Abu Bakr remained silent for a moment, then anger surged within him, and he responded to the man. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, stood up, and Abu Bakr followed him and said: O Messenger of Allah, did you stand when I defended myself? He said: Indeed, there was an angel repelling for you, but when you got close to defending yourself, the angel left and the devil came, so I would not sit with him. And it may be intended: one who has a great fortune from Paradise and the reward of the Hereafter, so the verse would be a promise. And regarding Paradise, Qatada interpreted "fortune" here.