It was recited: 'And do not incline,' with the opening of the kaf and the closing of it, along with the opening of the ta. And from Abu Amr: with the breaking of the ta and the opening of the kaf, according to the dialect of Tamim in their breaking of the letters of the present tense except for the ya in everything that is from the category of knowledge. And similarly is the reading of one who recited 'Then the Fire will touch you' with the breaking of the ta. And Ibn Abu Abla recited: 'And do not incline,' in the passive form, from 'arkanahu' if he inclined it. And the prohibition encompasses the lowering into their desires, and the turning towards them, and accompanying them, and sitting with them, and visiting them, and being lenient with them, and being pleased with their deeds, and resembling them, and dressing in their attire, and extending the eye towards their adornment. And mentioning them with that which is glorification for them. And contemplate His saying 'And do not incline,' for inclination is a slight leaning.

And His saying 'to those who have wronged' means to those from whom injustice was found, and He did not say 'to the wrongdoers.' It is narrated that Al-Muwafiq prayed behind the imam and recited this verse, and he fainted. When he regained consciousness, it was said to him, and he said: 'This is for one who inclines to one who has wronged, so how about the wrongdoer?' And from Al-Hasan, may Allah have mercy on him: Allah made the religion between two prohibitions: 'And do not transgress,' and 'And do not incline.' And when Al-Zuhri mixed with the rulers, a brother of his in religion wrote to him: 'May Allah protect us and you, Abu Bakr, from trials. You have become in a state that one who knows you should pray for you and have mercy on you: you have become an old man, and the blessings of Allah have weighed upon you with what He has made you understand from His Book and taught you from the Sunnah of His Prophet. And is it not so that Allah took the covenant from the scholars? Allah, glorified and exalted is He, said: 'You must clarify it to the people and not conceal it.' And know that the easiest thing you have committed and the lightest thing you have borne is that you have comforted the loneliness of the oppressor, and you have made the path of misguidance easy by your closeness to one who has not fulfilled a right and has not left a falsehood. When you drew near to him, they took you as a pivot around which their falsehood revolves, and a bridge they cross over to their calamity, and a means by which they ascend into their misguidance. They introduce doubt to the scholars through you, and they lead the ignorant by you. How easy it is what they have built for you in comparison to what they have destroyed for you, and how much they have taken from you in comparison to what they have corrupted for you of your religion. What makes you secure that you are not among those whom Allah mentioned: 'Then there came after them a generation who wasted the prayer and followed their desires, so they will meet a great loss.' For you are dealing with one who does not ignore, and is preserving upon you one who does not forget. So treat your religion, for it has entered into illness, and prepare your provisions, for the long journey has approached. And nothing is hidden from Allah, neither in the earth nor in the heavens. And peace be upon you. And Sufyan said: 'In Hell there is a valley that is inhabited only by the reciters who visit the kings.' And from Al-Awza'i: 'There is nothing more hated by Allah than a scholar who visits a ruler.' And from Muhammad ibn Muslima: 'The fly on the dung is better than a reciter at the door of these.' And the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'Whoever prays for a tyrant to remain has loved that Allah be disobeyed on His earth.' And Sufyan was asked about a tyrant who was close to destruction in the wilderness, should he be given a sip of water? He said: 'No.' It was said to him: 'Will he die?' He said: 'Let him die.'

And what do you have besides Allah from allies? This is a state from His saying 'Then the Fire will touch you' while you are in this state. And its meaning is: And what do you have besides Allah from supporters who can prevent you from His punishment? No one can prevent you from it other than Him. Then you will not be supported by Him, for it has become obligatory in His wisdom to punish you and to leave you without preservation. If you say: 'What is the meaning of then?' I say: Its meaning is improbability, for support from Allah is improbable with their deserving punishment and the requirement of His wisdom for it.