His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "Say, 'Have you seen? If it is from Allah and you disbelieve in it, and a witness from the Children of Israel testifies to something similar, and he believes while you are arrogant, indeed Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.'" And those who disbelieved said to those who believed, 'If it had been good, they would not have preceded us to it. And since they have not been guided by it, they will say, 'This is an old falsehood.'"

This verse is a pause on the great danger they are on the verge of, in that they deny a beneficial matter for them that saves them from punishment without any proof or evidence for them regarding the denial. The meaning is: What is your situation with Allah, the Exalted? And what do you expect from Him while you have disbelieved in what has come from Him? The answer to this pause is omitted, and its estimation is: Did you not wrong yourselves? And His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "Indeed, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people" indicates this estimation.

And "Have you seen?" in this verse may be a warning. It is a phrase intended for questioning that does not necessitate an object. It may be that the sentence "it was" and what it worked on serves as a substitute for its two objects.

People have differed regarding the intended meaning of "the witness." Al-Hasan, Mujahid, and Ibn Sirin said: This verse is Medinan, and the witness is Abdullah ibn Salam. And Allah's saying, exalted and glorified is He: "to something similar" refers back to the words of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, in the Qur'an: 'Indeed, it is from Allah.' And Al-Shabi said: The witness is a man from the Children of Israel other than Abdullah ibn Salam who was in Mecca, and the verse is Meccan. And Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid, and a group said: The verse is Meccan, and the witness is Abdullah ibn Salam, and it is among the verses that contain the unseen which existence has highlighted. It has been narrated from Abdullah ibn Salam that he said: 'It was revealed about me.' And Masruq ibn Al-Ajda' and the majority said: The witness is Musa ibn Imran, peace be upon him, and the verse is Meccan. Al-Tabari preferred this, and His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "to something similar" means by 'the similar': the Torah, and the pronoun refers back - according to this interpretation - to the Qur'an, meaning: A witness from the Children of Israel came with something similar and testified that it is from Allah, the Exalted. And His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "Say, 'Have you seen?'" - according to this interpretation - means the affirmation of Musa regarding the matter of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, and his giving glad tidings of it. Thus, that is belief in him. As for the one who said: The witness is Abdullah ibn Salam, his belief is clear, and likewise the Israelite who was in Mecca according to the saying of those who said it. Some of them have narrated that the one acting with "believed" is Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. This is from those who say that the witness is Musa ibn Imran, peace be upon him. Then Allah, the Exalted, associated their arrogance and disbelief with the belief of this mentioned one, thus their sin and error became evident.

His saying, exalted is He: "And those who disbelieved said to those who believed, 'If it had been good, they would not have preceded us to it.'" Qatadah said: This is the statement of the leaders of Quraysh. They mean Ammar, Suhayb, Bilal, and others like them who have embraced Islam and believed in the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. Al-Zajjaj, al-Kalbi, and others said: This is the statement of Kinana, Amir, and the other tribes of the Arabs who are neighboring. They said this when Ghifar, Muzayna, and Juhayna embraced Islam. Al-Tha'labi said: This is the statement of the Jews when Abdullah ibn Salam and others among them embraced Islam.

And "al-ifk": is the lie, and they described it as ancient, meaning that it is about matters that are old. This is like saying to a man who has told you about the news of Kisra and Qaysar, 'This is an old story.' It is possible that they mean that it is a lie that was said a long time ago.