Commentary
He prohibited the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, meaning: do not pay attention to their words and do not allow them to dispute with you. Or it is a warning to them against confronting the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, with disputes in religion while they are ignorant and have no knowledge, and they are the disbelievers of Khuzā'ah. It has been narrated that Badīl ibn Warqā' and Bishr ibn Sufyān al-Khuzā'ī and others said to the Muslims: why do you eat what you have killed, and do not eat what Allah has killed! They mean carrion. And al-Zajjāj said: it is a prohibition for him, blessings and peace be upon him, from disputing with them, as you say: do not be harmed by so-and-so, meaning: do not dispute with him. This is permissible in an action that can only occur between two in a matter of religion. It was said: in the matter of your women. And it was read: so let them not pull you away, meaning: remain steadfast in your religion with a steadfastness that they do not hope to pull you away from it. The intended meaning is to increase the steadfastness of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, in a way that stirs his zeal and ignites his anger for Allah and for His religion. Among it is His saying: and let them not turn you away from the verses of Allah, and do not be among the polytheists, and do not be a supporter of the disbelievers. It is unlikely that the resolve of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, would waver around that boundary, but it is related to what I told you about the intention to stir and ignite. Al-Zajjāj said: it is from the word نازعته (nāza'tuhu) meaning: I overcame him, meaning: do not let them overcome you in the dispute. If you say: why does this verse have a counterpart that is connected with a conjunction and this one does not? I say: because that one occurred with what is similar and related to it from the verses concerning the matter of women, so it was connected to its sisters. As for this one, it is related to something distant from its meaning, so it did not find a connection.
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