'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, the Exalted and Majestic: "O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and do not invalidate your deeds." "Indeed, those who disbelieved and obstructed [others] from the way of Allah, then died while they were disbelievers, Allah will not forgive them." "So do not weaken and call for peace while you are the uppermost; and Allah is with you, and He will not deprive you of your deeds." It has been narrated that this verse was revealed concerning Banu Asad from the Arabs; that is, "They embraced Islam and said to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him: 'We have preferred you over everything and we have come to you with our souls and our families,' as if they were conferring a favor by that. So the verse was revealed concerning them: 'They are conferring a favor upon you that they have embraced Islam.'" [Qur'an 49:17] The verse was revealed concerning them. If this is the case, then the invalidation that they were prohibited from is not meant to be complete corruption; for complete corruption can only be through disbelief. Otherwise, good deeds are not invalidated by sins, even if the verse is general in its apparent prohibition of people from invalidating their deeds, for invalidation is complete corruption. And His saying, the Exalted and Majestic: "Indeed, those who disbelieved and obstructed [others] from the way of Allah, then died while they were disbelievers," it has been narrated that it was revealed because "Adi ibn Hatim said: 'O Messenger of Allah, Hatim had deeds of goodness, so what is his state?' The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'He is in the Fire.' So Adi wept, may Allah be pleased with him, and turned away. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, called him back and said to him: 'My father and your father and the father of Ibrahim, the friend of the Most Merciful, are in the Fire.' This verse was revealed concerning that." The apparent meaning of the verse is general in all that it encompasses. And His saying, the Exalted and Majestic: "So do not weaken," its meaning is: do not be weak, and it is from "the man weakened" if he became weak. The majority of people read: "and call for peace," and Abu Abdur-Rahman as-Sulami read: "and call for peace" with emphasis on the د (dal). The majority of the reciters read: "peace" with a فتح (fath) on the س (seen). Hamzah and Abu Bakr from Asim read: "peace" with a كسر (kasr) on the س (seen), which is the reading of Al-Hasan, Abu Rajaa, Al-Amash, Isa, and Talhah. It means reconciliation. Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan and a group from those who read with a كسر (kasr) on the س (seen) said: it means Islam, that is: do not weaken and be callers to Islam only without fighting because of it. And Qatadah said: the meaning of the verse is: do not be the first of the two groups to submit to the other. This is a good interpretation that aligns with His saying, the Exalted and Majestic: "And if they incline to peace, then incline to it." [Qur'an 8:61]

And His saying, exalted is He: "And you are the uppermost" has two possible meanings. One of them is that it could be in the context of the current situation, and the meaning is: do not weaken while you are in this state. The second meaning is that it could be a definitive statement, informing them of a future outcome that existence will reveal afterward. And [the uppermost] means: the victorious and the apparent. It is derived from His saying, blessings and peace be upon him: "Whoever neglects the 'Asr prayer, it is as if he has lost his family and wealth," meaning: he has lost all of that in terms of dominance and subjugation. The meaning is: He will not deprive you of the reward of your deeds or its recompense. The term is taken from the 'witr' which is the odd number, and some people have said that it is from the 'witr' which is the singular. The meaning is: He will not make you singular in the reward of your deeds. The first interpretation is more correct. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and his companions interpreted it as: He will oppress you.