'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "And the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement, and the abode of the Hereafter is better for those who fear Allah. Will you not then understand?" "Indeed, We know that what they say grieves you. But they do not deny you; rather, the wrongdoers deny the signs of Allah." This is the beginning of a report about the state of the world; and the meaning is: "If it is transient, fleeting, and has no benefit, it resembles play and amusement, which have no benefit when they come to an end." Six of the reciters read: "And the abode of the Hereafter" with two ل’s; and "the Hereafter" is an attribute of the abode. Ibn 'Amir alone read: "And the abode" with one ل; and likewise it appears in the Mushafs of Sham, adding "the abode" to "the Hereafter." This is similar to: "the mosque of the congregation," meaning: "the mosque of the day of congregation." So likewise this: "And the abode of the Hereafter." Ibn Kathir, Abu 'Amr, Hamzah, al-Kisai, and Abu Bakr read: "Will you not understand?" with the intention of the absent; and Nafi', Ibn 'Amir, and Hafs read: "Will you not understand?" with the intention of the addressed; and likewise in "Al-A'raf" and at the end of "Yusuf." Abu Bakr agreed with them at the end of "Yusuf." As for "Will they not understand?" in "Ya-Sin," Nafi' and Ibn Dhakwan read it with a ت; while the others read it with a ي. This verse contains a response to their saying: "There is nothing but our worldly life" [Al-An'am: 29]; and this is what is intended by it. It is correct that his saying: "Will you not understand?" can mean: "So say to them, O Muhammad, since the situation is as described: Will you not understand?" And His saying, glorified and exalted is He, "Indeed, We know"; the verse; "Indeed" is a particle that comes with expectation, either at the speaker's side, or at the listener's side, or implied at his side. If the action is purely for the future, the expectation is from the speaker, as in your saying: "Zayd may stand up"; and "It may rain in the month of such and such." If the action is past, or an action of the present with the meaning of the past, like our verse, then the expectation is not from the speaker; rather, the speaker affirms what he has informed about; and the expectation is at the listener's side, so the speaker informs him of one of the expected outcomes. And "We know" implies - if it is from Allah, glorified and exalted is He - the continuity of knowledge and its antiquity; it encompasses the past, the present, and the future; and "that" has entered for emphasis in confirmation.

And Nafi' read alone: "Let it sadden you"; from "saddened"; and the others read: "Let it sadden you"; from "the man was sad"; and Abu Rajaa' read: "Let it sadden you" with a kasra on the lam and the zay; and with the nun being in the jasm form; and Al-A'mash read: "that he" with a fatha on the hamza; "saddens you"; without a lam; Abu Ali Al-Farisi said: The Arabs say: "the man was sad"; with a kasra on the zay; "he saddens; sadness and sorrow"; and "I made him sad"; and it was reported from Al-Khalil that their saying: "I made him sad"; is not a change of "was sad"; in the manner of "entered"; and "I made him enter"; but it means: "I made in him sadness"; as you say: "I made him kohl"; and "I anointed him"; Al-Khalil said: And if you intended to change "was sad"; you would say: "I made him sad"; and Abu Zayd Al-Ansari narrated - in the book of "Khaba'"; from the Arabs: "I made the man sad"; Abu Ali said: And "I made the man sad"; is more commonly used among them than "I made him sad"; so whoever read: "Let it sadden you"; with a damma on the ya; is based on the analogy in the change; and whoever read: "Let it sadden you"; with a fatha on the ya; and a damma on the zay; is based on the abundance of usage.

And "those who say"; is a term that encompasses all their sayings which include the refutation against the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him -; and the denial at the core of his prophethood; like the saying of some of them: "Indeed, he is a liar; a fabricator; a magician"; and the saying of some of them: "Indeed, he is insane; bewitched"; and the saying of some of them: "He has a vision from the jinn"; and similar to this.

Ibn Kathir, Ibn Amir, Abu Amr, Asim, and Hamzah read: "They do not deny you"; with a strong emphasis on the dhāl and an open kāf. Ibn Abbas read it and responded to a reader who said: "They deny you"; with a damm on the yā. He said: They used to call him the trustworthy. Nafi and Al-Kisai read it with a silent kāf and a softened dhāl. Ali ibn Abi Talib - may Allah be pleased with him - read it; and these are two well-known, authentic readings. The interpreters have differed in their meanings. One group said: They have the same meaning; as you say: "I watered" and "I gave water"; and "I reduced" and "I made less"; and "I increased" and "I made more". Al-Kisai reported that the Arabs say: "I denied the man"; if they found him to be a liar; just as they say: "I praised him"; if they found him to be praiseworthy. The meaning according to the reading of those who read: "They deny you"; with a strong emphasis on the dhāl; is: "Do not be saddened; for they do not deny you in a way that harms you; as you are not a liar in your essence; so their denial is not a denial." It is possible that he means: "Indeed, they do not deny you"; in the sense of informing that they do not deny; and that they know his truthfulness and his prophethood - blessings and peace be upon him -; but they deny out of stubbornness from them; and injustice. The verse does not encompass all disbelievers; rather, it specifically refers to the group that he mentioned, who used to say: "We certainly know that Muhammad is truthful; but if we believe in him, the Banu Hashim will surpass us in prophethood; so we will never believe in him." This statement was narrated from Abu Jahl and those who followed him. Al-Naqqash reported that the verse was revealed concerning Al-Harith ibn Amr ibn Nawfal ibn Abd Manaf; for he used to deny in public and affirm in secret; and he would say: "We fear that the Arabs will seize us; while we are the eaters of the head." The meaning - according to the reading of those who read: "They deny you"; with a softened dhāl - can be what we mentioned earlier in "They do not deny you"; meaning: "They do not find you to be a liar in your essence"; and these two interpretations that I mentioned in "They deny you"; with a strong emphasis on the dhāl are possible.

And the signs of Allah are His signs; and the witnesses of His Prophet Muhammad - blessings and peace be upon him -; and "they deny"; its reality in the words of the Arabs means: denial after knowledge; and it is the opposite of acknowledgment. Its meaning - according to the interpretation of those who see the verse as referring to the stubborn ones - is based on its reality; and this is the saying of Qatadah, Al-Suddi, and others. And according to the saying of those who see the verse as referring to all disbelievers, without specifying the people of stubbornness; there would be a figurative expression in the wording; and that is because when they denied his prophethood; and attempted to disprove him with a claim that is not supported by evidence; they expressed their denial in the ugliest forms of denial; which is jhād; as a severity against them; and a condemnation of their actions; as his miracles and signs are clear; and every created being must know them; and acknowledge them.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said:

And all that is in these interpretations; regarding the denial of the truth; is only about their belief; as for their sayings, all of them; are deniers; either of it; or of that which was brought by it.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And the disbelief of obstinacy is permissible to occur; by the necessity of reasoning; and the apparent meanings of the Qur'an support it; like His saying: ﴿And they denied it while their souls were certain of it﴾ [An-Naml: 14]; and others; and some of the theologians went to the prohibition of its permissibility; and they argued that knowledge necessitates faith; and denial necessitates disbelief; and there is no way for both to coexist; and they interpreted the apparent meanings of the Qur'an; and they said - regarding His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And they denied it﴾ [An-Naml: 14] -: "It is in the rulings of the Torah which they altered; like the verse of stoning; and others."

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: (p-352) And refuting what can be conceived and understood of the permissibility of the disbelief of obstinacy on this path is difficult; however, the disbelief of obstinacy from one who knows Allah, the Exalted, and the Prophethood is far-fetched; because there is no reason for the disbelief of obstinacy except envy; and whoever knows Allah, the Exalted, and the Prophethood; and that Muhammad - blessings and peace be upon him - is visited by an angel from the heavens; there is no way for envy to remain with that; however, it is permissible; for Abu Jahl saw a great male camel on the head of the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - and he was about to attack Abu Jahl; but he disbelieved with that; and Al-Tabari narrated that "Gabriel - peace be upon him - found the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - sad; so he asked him; and he said: 'These people have denied me'; so he said: 'Indeed, they do not deny you; rather, they know that you are truthful; but the wrongdoers deny the signs of Allah.'"

And what I hold regarding the disbelief of Huyayy ibn Akhtab; and those who followed his path; is that they saw the attributes of the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him -; and they recognized them; or most of them; then they saw from his signs more than what they had; so they cling to deceiving themselves with every doubt; with the weakest of reasons; and their suspicions intermingle; so they say at one time: 'It is him'; and at another time: 'Perhaps it is not him'; then their envy is added to this; and their loss of leadership; so it increases; and their aversion and disbelief become entrenched; they are upon this; and even if they knew some things and were obstinate in them; they have cut themselves off from reaching the ultimate knowledge; and they remained in the darkness of ignorance; they are ignorant of some things; obstinate in others; and I exclude obstinacy with complete knowledge.