His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Or do they say, 'He has invented a lie against Allah'? If Allah wills, He could seal your heart, and Allah erases falsehood and establishes the truth by His words. Indeed, He is Knowing of what is in the breasts." "And He is the One who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons the evil deeds and knows what you do." "And He responds to those who have believed and done righteous deeds and increases them from His bounty. And for the disbelievers, there is a severe punishment." "And if Allah were to extend provision for His servants, they would have certainly exceeded in the land. But He sends down in measure what He wills. Indeed, He is All-Aware and All-Seer of His servants."

"Or" this is also an interruption implying a pause from the previous speech, and a confirmation of this statement from them.

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "If Allah wills, He could seal" means, according to the saying of Qatadah and a group of the interpreters: He could make you forget the Qur'an. The intended meaning is a response to the statement of the disbelievers and a clarification of its invalidity. This is as if He is saying: How can it be correct for you to be an inventor of lies while you are in the sight of Allah, exalted is He, and He is capable, if He wills, of sealing your heart so that you do not comprehend or speak, and your fabrication does not continue? The purpose of this wording is this meaning, and what indicates it has been omitted for brevity and conciseness. Mujahid said in the book of Al-Tha'labi and others: The meaning is: If Allah wills, He could seal your heart with patience against the harm of the disbelievers and strengthen it with endurance. This interpretation does not include a response to their statement.

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And Allah erases falsehood" is a future action, a news from Allah, exalted is He, that He will certainly erase falsehood, whether in this world or in the Hereafter, and this is according to the context of the revelation. It is written "erases" in the mushaf with an unconnected ح as they wrote: "And man calls to other than that which they have gone into regarding omission and brevity.

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "by His words" means: by what has preceded in His ancient knowledge and will regarding the existence of things. The words are the eternal meanings.

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Indeed, He is Knowing of what is in the breasts" is a news that implies a warning.

Then He, the Exalted, mentioned the blessing in His favor of accepting the repentance of His servants. The acceptance of repentance in what the servant begins from his time and deeds is affirmed by this verse. As for what has passed of his deeds, it is divided: as for the repentance from disbelief, it erases all that preceded it from the injustices of the transient servants. And other than that, as for the repentance from sins, the people of the Sunnah have two sayings: Do the past sins of the servant between him and his Creator, glorified and exalted is He, go away? One group said: They are erased for him. Another group said: It is in the will of Allah, the Exalted. They all agreed that it does not erase the injustices of the servants. The essence of repentance is to cease from sins, to turn towards and return to acts of obedience. It requires remorse for what has passed and determination to persist in good deeds. And Sirri al-Saqti said: Repentance is the determination to leave sins and to turn the heart towards the Knower of the Unseen, glorified and exalted is He. And Yahya ibn Mu'adh said: The repentant is one who has broken his youth over his head and has broken the world over the head of Satan, and he must be weaned until death comes to him.

And His saying, the Exalted: "from His servants" means: from His servants. It is as if He, the Exalted, said: The repentance that comes from His servants. The majority of the reciters, Al-A'raj, Abu Ja'far, Al-Jahdari, and Qatadah read: "they do" with a ya to refer to an absent one. Hamzah, Al-Kisai, Hafs from Asim, Ibn Mas'ud, and Alqamah read: "you do" with a ta to address the listener. And in the verse, there is a warning.

And His saying, the Exalted: "And He responds" means: He answers. The Arabs say: He answered and He responded with the same meaning, and from this is the saying of the poet:

A caller called, O You who answers the plea, Yet no one responded to him at that time.

And "those" - according to this saying - is the object of "He responds." This meaning has been narrated from Mu'adh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, and similarly from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them. A group said: The meaning is: And He calls upon those who believe to respond from their Lord with good deeds. His saying, the Exalted: "And He increases them from His bounty" indicates that the meaning is: "So He responds to them." This group interpreted "responded" in the known sense of "to seek something." And "those" - according to this saying - is the subject of "He responds." Another group said: The meaning is: And the believers respond to their Lord. Thus, "those" is the subject meaning: They respond to the call of His legislation and His message. And the increase from His bounty is the multiplication of good deeds. It has been narrated from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, that he said: "It is the acceptance of intercessions for the sinners and the pleasure."

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "And if Allah had extended provision for His servants, they would have certainly transgressed in the earth." Amr ibn Hurayth and others said: "This was revealed because a group from the people of the Suffa asked the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, to make Allah, glorified and exalted is He, enrich them and extend for them provisions and wealth." So He informed them, glorified and exalted is He, that if provision came according to the choice and requests of humans, it would be a cause for their transgression and corruption. However, He, the Mighty and Majestic, knows best what is beneficial for everyone. He has knowledge and insight regarding their morals and interests. So He sends down to them the provision that is sufficient for their righteousness. Perhaps there is a person who is not righteous except through poverty, and another through wealth. Anas ibn Malik narrated in this regard and concerning the division a hadith from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. Then Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "O Allah, I am among Your servants whom only wealth will rectify, so do not make me poor." And Khabbab ibn al-Aratt said: "It was revealed about us because we looked at the conditions of Banu Qurayza, Banu al-Nadir, and Banu Qaynuqa and we wished for it."