You have been affected by the saying of those who speak, otherwise it is nonsense. The meaning is: we say nothing except that some of our gods have afflicted you with harm, meaning they have confused you and seized you with madness for your abuse of them and your turning away from them and your enmity towards them. This is a reward for you from them for your evil deeds with an evil recompense. Therefore, you speak with the words of the insane and babble with the babbling of the mad. The term 'the mad' in the authentic texts refers to a known condition. It is not surprising for those to call repentance and seeking forgiveness madness and folly, as they are indeed the leaders of disbelief and the pillars of polytheism. What is surprising is that a group of those who pretend to be Muslims, we have heard them call the repentant from his sins insane and the one turning back to his Lord a fool. We did not find them with him on a tenth of what they were upon in the days of their ignorance in terms of affection. This is only due to a vein of heresy that refused to cease, and a bitterness of heresy. The term 'bitterness of heresy' in the authentic texts refers to hatred. The bitterness refers to one of the dates of the palm tree, which is its sprout. Their previous responses indicated that the people were rough and hard-hearted, not caring about false accusations and not heeding advice. Their stubbornness does not soften towards guidance. This latter point indicates extreme ignorance and utter foolishness, as they believed in stones that they think can triumph and take revenge. Perhaps when they allowed punishment, they also allowed reward. One of the greatest signs is that a single man faces this speech from a nation thirsty for spilling his blood. They shoot at him from a single bow, and that is due to his trust in his Lord and that He will protect him from them, so their claws do not sink into him. And similarly, Noah, peace be upon him, said to his people: 'Then decide against me and do not delay.' He affirmed his innocence from their gods and their polytheism and confirmed it with what people usually confirm matters with, by the testimony of Allah and the testimony of the servants. The man says: 'Allah is a witness that I do not do such and such,' and he says to his people: 'Be witnesses that I do not do it.' If you say: 'Why was it not said: I bear witness to Allah and I bear witness to you?' It was said by Mahmoud: 'If you say, why was it not said, I bear witness to Allah and I bear witness to you... etc.' Ahmad said: 'The summary of what he said is that the form of the statement does not allow for anything other than reporting the occurrence of the witnessing from him. When his witnessing to Allah is a real occurrence, he expressed it in the form of a statement, because it is a true and established testimony. He expressed their side in the form of a command, which implies disdain for their religion and a lack of concern for it, which is his intention in this context with them. It is possible that his witnessing to them is indeed true, and the purpose is to establish the proof against them. He shifted to the form of command from the form of statement to distinguish between his speech to Allah, the Exalted, and his speech to them, by expressing Allah's speech in the form of a statement, which is more noble and serious for the addressee than the form of command. And Allah is the Grantor of success to what is correct.' I say: Because witnessing to Allah regarding innocence from polytheism is a true and established testimony in the meaning of affirming monotheism and strengthening its bonds. As for witnessing to them, it is nothing but a trivialization of their religion and an indication of a lack of concern for them. Thus, he shifted from the wording of the first to the second due to the difference between them, and it was brought in the wording of the command for testimony, as a man says to someone who is dry between him and him: 'Bear witness that I do not love you,' mocking him and belittling his state. 'Of what you associate with Him,' meaning your associating partners with Him, or of what you associate with Him from gods other than Him, meaning you make them partners for Him, while He did not make them partners. And He did not send down with that any authority. 'So plot against me all of you and your gods, do it quickly, without delay, for I do not care about you and your plotting, nor do I fear your disgrace even if you cooperate against me, you who are the strong and the fierce. How can your gods harm me, when they are nothing but lifeless objects that do not harm or benefit? How can they take revenge on me if I harm them and turn away from worshiping them, by confusing me and taking away my mind?