His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "Or is one who was dead, then We gave him life and made for him a light by which he walks among the people, like one whose example is in darkness from which he cannot emerge? Thus, the deeds of the disbelievers have been made alluring to them." And "Thus, We have made in every town the great criminals of it, so they may conspire therein, and they do not conspire except against themselves, but they do not perceive."

It has been mentioned in this previous verse about a people of believers who were commanded to abandon the apparent sin and its hidden aspects; and others; and the mention of a people of disbelievers who are led astray by their desires; and others; so Allah - glorified and exalted is He - likened the two groups; by comparing those who believed after their disbelief to dead ones who were brought to life; this is the meaning of the words of Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with him and his father -; and Mujahid; and others; and He likened the disbelievers and the confusion of their ignorance to a people in darkness who are wandering in it and cannot escape from it; to clarify - glorified and exalted is He - the difference between the two groups; and the gap between the two states.

The majority of the people read: "Or is one"; with the 'waw' opened; for it is the 'alif' of inquiry; which has entered upon the 'waw' of conjunction of one sentence to another; and "who"; means "the one who"; and Talhah ibn Musarif read: "Or is one"; with the 'fa'; and the meaning is close to that of the 'waw'; and the 'fa' in His saying: "Then We gave him life"; is a conjunction; and "a light"; what is meant by it is: faith; and "by which he walks"; is intended by it all actions and sayings; Abu Ali said: It is possible that the light that is given to the believers on the Day of Resurrection is meant; and "among the people"; is related to "he walks"; and it is correct that it relates to "was dead"; and His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "like one whose example is"; is equivalent to: "like one who is"; and the 'kaf' in His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "Thus, the deeds of the disbelievers have been made alluring to them"; is related to something omitted; the apparent meaning of the words indicates it; its estimation is: "And as We gave life to the believers and made for them a light; thus, the deeds of the disbelievers have been made alluring to them..."; and it is possible that it relates to His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "like one whose example is"; meaning: "like this condition is the alluring."

Nafi alone read: "dead"; with the 'ya' broken; and stressed; and the others read: "dead"; with the 'ya' silent; Abu Ali said: The lightening is like the stressing; and the omitted 'ya' is the second one that has changed from a 'waw'; it was affected by omission; just as it was affected by conversion.

A group said: These words that were exemplified; even if they encompass every believer and every disbeliever; they were revealed about specific individuals; so Al-Dhahhak said: The believer who was dead and was brought to life is Umar ibn Al-Khattab - may Allah be pleased with him -; and Al-Mahdawi narrated from some of them that it is Hamzah ibn Abd Al-Muttalib - may Allah be pleased with him -; and Ikrimah said: Ammar ibn Yasir - may Allah be pleased with him -; and Al-Zajjaj said: It has come in the tafsir that he means the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: They agreed that the one in darkness is Abu Jahl ibn Hisham; and the reference is to his condition and the condition of those like him; and the analogy is in His saying, "And thus We have made in every village"; and this verse contains a warning about the corruption of the condition of the disbelievers, previously mentioned; because it is the consequence of the condition of those who preceded them from their like. And Ikrimah said: This verse was revealed concerning the mockers.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: This means that the representation for them; and "We have made"; in this verse; means "We have turned into"; so it takes two objects; the first object is "its criminals"; and the second is "the great ones"; and in the speech - on this - there is precedence and delay; its estimation is: "And thus We have made in every village its criminals the great ones"; and he has given precedence to the more important; because due to their greatness they committed crimes; and it is correct that the first object is "the great ones"; and "its criminals"; is added; and the second object is His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "in every village"; and "to plot"; is in the accusative due to the lam of becoming.

And the great ones is the plural of "greater"; just as "the virtuous" is the plural of "more virtuous"; and it is said: "great ones"; just as it is said: "red"; and "reddish"; and from it is the saying of the poet:

Indeed, the three reddish ones have destroyed my wealth, and I was once fond of them.

He means: the wine; and the meat; and the saffron; and "the plotting": is the deception with falsehood; and the trickery; and similar to them; and His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "And they do not plot except against themselves"; means: for the return of the consequence of that upon them; "and they do not perceive"; meaning: they do not know; and it is a term taken from the clothing; which is the thing that is close to the body; so it is as if the one who does not perceive has been denied the knowledge of sensory knowledge; and in that is an exaggeration in the description of his ignorance; for the animals know the sciences of the senses; and as for this verse, it is only the perception that has been denied in a specific instance.