His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Indeed, the criminals are in the punishment of Hell, abiding therein. They will not be alleviated from it, while they are in despair. And We did not wrong them, but they were the wrongdoers. And they called out, 'O Malik, let your Lord put an end to us.' He said, 'Indeed, you will remain.' Certainly, We have brought you the truth, but most of you were averse to the truth. Or have they devised a matter? Then, We are also devising. Or do they think that We do not hear their secrets and their private counsel? Yes, and Our messengers are with them writing. Say, 'If the Most Merciful has a son, then I am the first of the worshippers.'

Regarding what Allah, the Most High, mentioned about the state of the people of Paradise and what is said to them, He followed that with mentioning the state of the disbelievers regarding their eternal punishment in the Fire and their despair, to clarify the difference and to make clear the matters of warning. And "the criminals" in this verse refers to the disbelievers, as indicated by their eternal punishment and what the words of the verse imply regarding the address to Malik and others. And "the despairing" refers to the one who is distanced and hopeless of good, as said by Qatadah and others. Ibn Mas'ud read: "and they are in it despairing," meaning in Hell.

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And We did not wrong them" means: We did not impose punishment on one who does not deserve it, but they wronged themselves by placing worship on one who does not deserve it, and they placed disbelief and negligence in regard to Allah, the Most High. The majority read: "they were the wrongdoers" in a separative manner, while Ibn Mas'ud read: "they were the wrongdoers" in an introductory manner, and that the sentence is the news of "was." Then He mentioned, exalted is He, that the people of the Fire call out to Malik, the keeper of the Fire, and they say - in the sense of desire which is in the form of a command -: "Let your Lord put an end to us," meaning: let Him cause us to die for a period so that our punishment does not recur. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, read on the pulpit: "O Malik" with the 'kaf,' which is the reading of the majority. Ibn Mas'ud, Yahya, and Al-Amash read: "O Mal" with the abbreviation, and it was narrated from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and it was narrated by Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. And "the putting to an end" - in this verse - means death, like His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "So he struck him, and he was put to an end." It was narrated in its interpretation from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that Malik will remain after their request for a thousand years, and it was said: eighty years. Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: forty years. Then he will say to them: "Indeed, you will remain."

And His saying, exalted is He: "Indeed, We have come to you" (the verse), it is possible that it is from the words of Malik to the people of the Fire. His saying: "We have come to you" is like what one says when a leader has entrusted him with a task. He would say: We have overcome you and acted against you, and similar to this. Then Malik's speech is cut off in his saying: "hating". It is also possible that His saying, exalted is He: "Indeed, We have come to you" is from the words of Allah, exalted is He, to Quraysh following the narration of the matter of the disbelievers with Malik. In this, there is a clear threat and warning, meaning: Look at how your state will be. Then the verse connects - on this - to what follows it regarding the matter of Quraysh. And His saying, exalted is He: "Or have they determined an affair" means: Have they firmly decided on a matter from their plotting and planning against Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, as they did in their gathering against him in the House of al-Nadwah and other than that. And "Or" in this verse is the disjunctive. And His saying, exalted is He: "Then indeed, we are determined" means: Then indeed, we are firmly establishing his victory and protection. And 'Ibram' means to gather two threads and then twist them together tightly. And 'Barim' is a thread that has two colors.

And His saying, exalted is He: "Or do they think" (the verse), Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi said: It was revealed because many of the Arabs believed that Allah, exalted is He, does not hear secret conversations. Among them is the story of al-Thaqafi and the Quraysh who Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, heard saying near the Ka'bah: Do you think Allah hears us? One of them said: He hears when we speak aloud but does not hear when we keep it hidden... the narration. So Allah, exalted is He, informed in this verse that He hears - meaning He perceives - the secret and the whispering, and that His protecting angels write down the deeds of mankind along with that, preparing for the recompense on the Day of Resurrection.

And the interpreters differed regarding His saying, exalted is He: "Say, if the Most Merciful has a son, then I am the first of the worshippers". A group said: The worshippers are from worship. Then they differed in the meaning of the verse thereafter. Qatadah, al-Suddi, and al-Tabari said: The meaning is: Say to them, O Muhammad: If the Most Merciful has a son - as you claim - then I am the first to worship on that basis. But He has nothing of that, exalted and glorified is He. Al-Tabari said: This is a gentle way of addressing them, and similar is His saying, exalted is He: "And indeed, we or you are upon guidance or in clear error" (Saba: 24).

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And His saying, exalted is He, in addressing the disbelievers: "Where are My partners?"

And Mujahid said: The meaning is: If Allah, exalted is He, has a son in your saying, then I am the first to worship Allah alone and I have denied you. Qatadah also said, and Zuhair ibn Muhammad, and Ibn Zayd: "If" is negating, meaning: "There is no". So it is as if He, exalted is He, said: Say, there is no son for the Most Merciful. And here is the stop on this interpretation, then it begins: "Then I am the first of the worshippers". Abu Hatim said it. And a group said: The worshippers are those who worship the man when he is angry and denies the matter. And the poet said:

When the one who is affectionate wishes to sever his friend, He will surely worship him unjustly.

Among them is the narration of Uthman and Ali, may Allah be pleased with them, regarding the stoned one when Ali said: 'And his carrying and weaning is thirty months.' He said: 'Uthman did not worship that a child be sent to her to be returned.' The meaning is: 'If you make for the Most Merciful a child, and that was in your saying, then I am the first of the deniers of that.'

The majority read: 'child' with a fatḥah on the waw and lam. Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn Wathab, Talhah, and Al-A'mash read: 'offspring' with a ḍammah on the waw and a sukoon on the lam. Abu Abd al-Rahman read: 'the first of the two servants,' and it is on this meaning. Abu Hatim said: 'the servant' - with a kasrah on the ba' - means: 'the one who is greatly angry.' Abu Ubaidah said: 'Its meaning is: the first of the deniers.' The Arabs say: 'He denied my right,' meaning he rejected me.