His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: ﴿And they thought that there would be no trial for them; so they became blind and deaf. Then Allah turned to them; then they became blind and deaf again, many of them. And Allah is All-Seer of what they do.﴾ ﴿Certainly, those who said, "Indeed, Allah is the Messiah, the son of Maryam," have certainly disbelieved. And the Messiah said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Indeed, whoever associates partners with Allah, Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And for the wrongdoers, there are no helpers.﴾ The meaning in this verse: And these disbelievers and sinners from the Children of Israel thought that there would be no trial from Allah for them; and no punishment in this world; and no purification. So they indulged in their desires; and became blind in it; as they did not discern the truth; they were likened to the blind; and they became deaf as they did not hear it; they were likened to the deaf. This is similar to the saying of the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him -: "Your love for something blinds and deafens you." And His saying - the Exalted -: ﴿Then Allah turned to them﴾; a group of the interpreters said: This repentance is their return to Bayt al-Maqdis after the first exile; and the restoration of their kingdom; and their state. Then they became blind and deaf again after that; until they were expelled in the second exile; and they were never compelled. And a group said: Then Allah turned to them by sending 'Isa - peace be upon him - to them; and a group said: His repentance - the Exalted - to them is the sending of Muhammad - blessings and peace be upon him -; and He specified this meaning for many of them because only a few of them believed; then He warned them with His saying - the Exalted -: ﴿And Allah is All-Seer of what they do.﴾ And Ibn Kathir; and Nafi'; and Asim; and Ibn 'Amir read: "that there would be no" with the nun in the accusative; and Abu 'Amr; and Hamzah; and al-Kisai read: "that there would not be" with the nun in the nominative; and they did not differ in the nominative of "trial" because "there was" here is complete. The reason for the reading in the accusative is that "that" is the light accusative; and the reason for the reading in the nominative is that it is the lightened form of the heavy. And it is appropriate for it to enter because "no" has prepared for it the verb; and it has taken the place of the omitted pronoun; and there must be a substitute in such cases; like your saying: "I knew that Zayd might stand"; and His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: ﴿He knew that there would be among you the sick﴾ [Al-Muzzammil: 20]; and your saying: "I knew that Zayd would stand"; and "that there would not be a trial."

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And that man has nothing except what he strives for﴾ [An-Najm: 39]; it is good in it that there is no compensation; because "there is not" is not a true action. Actions are of three types: one type is like "I am certain"; such as "I knew" and "I was aware"; this type is followed by "that"; the heavy one that is suitable for it in permanence and occurrence. And a type opposite to that; such as "I was greedy" and "I hoped" and "I feared"; it is explicitly stated that it did not occur; this type is followed by "that"; the light one; as it is suitable for it; like His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And I hope that He will forgive me﴾ [Ash-Shu'ara: 82]; and "And you fear that people will snatch you away"; ﴿So if you fear that they will not maintain the limits of Allah﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 229]; and ﴿And we feared that they would overwhelm them with tyranny and disbelief﴾ [Al-Kahf: 80]; and ﴿Do you fear that you will present﴾ [Al-Mujadila: 13]; and similar to this. And a third type that is attracted to the first at times and to the second at times; such as "I thought" and "I assumed" and "I claimed"; it is treated like "I hope" and "I am greedy"; in terms of assumption, claim, and estimation are matters that are not fixed and not stable; and it may be placed in the position of knowledge; in terms of being used as its usage; like His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Those who think that they will meet their Lord﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 46]; and His saying: ﴿Indeed, I thought that I would meet my reckoning﴾ [Al-Haaqqa: 20].

And the majority of the people read: "They were blind and deaf"; with the opening of the 'ain and the sad; and Ibn Wathab and An-Nakha'i read: "They were blind and deaf"; with the 'ain and the mim being softened; and with the sad being pronounced with a damma; and this is in accordance with being treated like: "The man was afflicted with a cold"; and "May Allah afflict him with a cold"; and "The man was fevered"; and "May Allah fever him"; and it is not said: "May Allah afflict him with a cold"; nor "May Allah fever him"; so likewise this comes: "The man was made blind"; and "Another made him blind"; and "He was deaf"; and "Another made him deaf"; and it is not said: "I made him blind"; nor "I made him deaf".

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Then Allah turned to them﴾; means: He brought them back to obedience and truth; and from the eloquence of the expression is the attribution of this noble action to Allah, exalted is He; and the attribution of blindness and deafness which are expressions of misguidance to them.

And His saying, exalted is He: "Many"; it rises from one of three directions; either as a substitute for the waw in His saying: ﴿ "They were blind and deaf";﴾ or as a plural of the action; even if it precedes; according to the language of the one who said: "The locusts ate me"; or it may be that "many" is a news of an implied subject.

Then He informed, exalted is He, with a confirmed statement by the lam of oath about the disbelief of those who say: ﴿Indeed, Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary﴾; and this is the saying of the Jacobites among the Christians; then He informed, exalted is He, about the saying of the Messiah to them and his conveying how it was; and he said: ﴿And the Messiah said, O Children of Israel﴾; and these meanings are the words of the Messiah in the language of his tongue; and they are exactly present in the conveying of Muhammad - blessings and peace be upon him - in His saying: ﴿Indeed, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him﴾ [An-Nisa: 48]; and other than that from the verses; and He informed them that 'Isa - peace be upon him - that Allah, exalted is He, is his Lord and their Lord; they preferred themselves; and disbelieved because of what they saw at his hands of the signs.

And the abode is the place where a person resides; and he returns to it. And His saying, the Exalted, ﴿And for the wrongdoers there are no supporters﴾; it is possible that this is from the words of Jesus - blessings and peace be upon him - to the Children of Israel; and it is possible that it is a statement that is newly reported for Muhammad - blessings and peace be upon him -; and the explanation of the term 'the Messiah' has been mentioned earlier in the interpretation of Surah 'Al-Imran'.