'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "And do not drive away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His face. You are not accountable for anything of their account, and they are not accountable for anything of your account. So if you drive them away, you will be among the wrongdoers." "And thus We tested some of them by others, so that they would say, 'Are these the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor from among us?' Is not Allah most knowing of the grateful?" The intended meaning of "those" refers to the weak believers at that time, in worldly matters: Bilal, Ammar, the son of Umm Abd, Marthad al-Ghanawi, Khabbab, Suhaib, Subaih, Dhul-Shimalayn, and Miqdad, and others like them. The reason for the verse is that some of the disbelievers said to the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him -: "We cannot mix with these due to our honor and status; if you drive them away, we will follow you and sit with you." A narration regarding this is from Ibn Mas'ud; it is said that Abu Talib said this as advice to the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him -; he said to him: "If you remove these, the nobles of your people will follow you." It has been narrated that a group of Quraysh gathered to Abu Talib regarding this; the apparent matter is that they intended this as a deception. Umar ibn al-Khattab - may Allah be pleased with him - and others among the believers supported this opinion from Abu Talib; thus the verse was revealed. Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with them - said that some of the disbelievers sought to have these delayed from the first row in prayer, and for them to be in their place, and they would believe if these were driven away from the first row; thus the verse was revealed. Al-Tabari narrated from Khabbab ibn al-Aratt that "Al-Aqra' ibn Habis and those like him from the nobles of the Arabs said to the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him -: 'Make for us a place where the slaves and the commoners do not mix with us; and write for us a letter.' The Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - intended this, so this verse was revealed." The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: This is a distant interpretation regarding the revelation of the verse; because the verse is Meccan, and these nobles did not come until Medina; and it may be that this statement occurred from them, but if it did, it was after the revelation of the verse by a period of time; unless the verse is Medinan. Khabbab - may Allah be pleased with him - said: Then it was revealed: "And when those come to you who believe in Our verses, say, 'Peace be upon you.'" [Al-An'am: 54]; the verse. So we would come, and he - blessings and peace be upon him - would say to us: "Peace be upon you," and we would sit with him - blessings and peace be upon him -; and when he intended to stand, he would stand - blessings and peace be upon him - and leave us; then Allah, the Exalted, revealed: "And keep yourself patient with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening." [Al-Kahf: 28]; the verse. So he - blessings and peace be upon him - would sit with us; and when the time came for him to stand - blessings and peace be upon him - we would stand and leave him until he would stand - blessings and peace be upon him.

And ﴿They call upon their Lord in the morning and in the evening﴾; Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan said: The intended meaning is the prayer of Mecca; which was performed twice a day; in the morning and in the evening; and it was said: Rather, His saying: ﴿in the morning and in the evening﴾; is an expression of the continuity of the action; and that the time is filled with it; as you say: "Praise be to Allah in the morning and in the evening"; for you mean: "Praise be to Allah, the Most High, at all times"; and the intended meaning - according to this interpretation - it was said: is the five prayers; this was said by Ibn Abbas and Ibrahim; and it was said: it is the supplication; and the remembrance of Allah, the Most High; and the wording is on its face; and some of the storytellers said: It is the gathering to them in the morning and in the evening; so Ibn Al-Musayyib and Abdul Rahman ibn Abi Amrah and others denied that; and they said: The verse is about the prayers in congregation; and it was said: the recitation of the Qur'an; and learning it; Abu Ja'far said: Al-Tabari mentioned it; and it was said: the worship; this was said by Al-Dahhak.

And Abu Abdur-Rahman; and Malik ibn Dinar; and Al-Hasan; and Nasr ibn Asim; and Ibn Amer read: "in the morning and in the evening"; and it was narrated from Abu Abdur-Rahman: "in the morning"; without a تاء; and Ibn Abi Abla read: "in the mornings and in the evenings"; with an alif in both; in the plural; and "morning" is a term; for it has been made a name for a specific time of that day; and it is permissible to add the alif and lam to it; as Abu Zayd narrated: "I met him in the morning"; without being declined; and "the morning after the morning"; so they attached the lam of the definite to what was used as definite; and it is based on what Al-Khalil said that it is said: "I met him today in the morning"; with tanween; and because in it, with the specification of the day, there is the possibility of estimating the meaning of commonness; this was mentioned by Abu Ali Al-Farisi.

And "its direction"; in this context; means: the direction of approaching Him; as you say: "So-and-so went in this direction"; meaning: "in a purpose; in a direction".

And ﴿You are not responsible for their account of anything﴾; its meaning is: You have not been tasked with anything other than their supplication; so you may advance or delay; and it appears that the pronoun in "their account"; and "upon them"; refers to the disbelievers who intended to expel the believers; meaning: "You are not responsible for them; whether they believe or disbelieve; so that you expel these in consideration of that"; and the pronoun in "so you expel them"; refers back to the weak among the believers; and this interpretation is supported by the fact that what comes after the فاء - always - is the cause of what came before it; and that does not become clear if all the pronouns are for the believers; and Al-Tabari narrated that the account; here; is indeed about the provision of this world; meaning: "Do not provide for them; nor do they provide for you."

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: Based on this, all the pronouns come for the believers; and Al-Mahdawi mentioned it; and he reported from Al-Hasan that it is from the reckoning of their deeds; as the majority said; and "from"; the first is for partitive; and the second is additional; confirming; and His saying: ﴿ "So you expel them";﴾ is the answer to the negation in His saying: ﴿ "What is upon you";﴾ and His saying: ﴿ "So you will be";﴾ is the answer to the prohibition in His saying: ﴿ "And do not expel";﴾ and ﴿ "from the wrongdoers";﴾ its meaning is: "those who place things in other than their proper places."

And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And thus We tested some of them by means of others﴾; the verse: "We tested"; in this verse; its meaning is: We tried; so the trial of the believers by the polytheists is what they encounter from them of harm; and the trial of the polytheists by the believers is that a noble man among the polytheists sees a people who have no nobility, whom this religion has honored; and He has made for them with His Prophet a status and rank; and the reference with "that"; is to what was mentioned of their request that he expel the weak; and "so that they say"; its meaning is: "so that by the decree of destiny their matter becomes such that they say..."; so it is the lam of becoming; as He, the Exalted, said: ﴿And the family of Pharaoh picked him up to be for them an enemy and a source of grief﴾ [Al-Qasas: 8]; meaning: so that his example becomes to be for them an enemy; and the saying of the polytheists - based on this interpretation -: ﴿Are these the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor from among us﴾; is in the context of belittlement and mockery; and the speech may have another meaning; which is that the lam in "so that they say"; is in its original sense in the lam of "so that"; and their statement is an inquiry for themselves; and a discussion about it; and it may be a reason for the faith of those among them who had previously believed; so the meaning of the verse - based on this interpretation - is: "And thus We tested the nobles of the disbelievers by the weak of the believers; so that they may marvel within themselves from that; and it may be a reason for reflection for those who have been guided."

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: The first interpretation is more prior; and the second can be derived; and "bestowed"; in both interpretations is based on the belief of the believers; meaning: "These are the ones whom Allah has bestowed favor upon; according to their claim that their religion is a favor."

And His saying: ﴿Is not Allah most knowing of the grateful?﴾; meaning: "O you who belittle - or are astonished; based on the other interpretation - the matter is not a matter of belittlement; nor astonishment; for Allah, the Exalted, knows best who gives thanks for His favor; and the places where it should be placed; so their informing them of that is in the wording of estimation; for that is clear; and they cannot oppose it."