How can Allah guide a people who are not of the people of kindness, when Allah knows of their determination upon their disbelief? This is indicated by their disbelief after their faith, after they witnessed that the Messenger is true, and after the signs came to them from the Qur'an and other miracles that confirm prophethood, and they are the Jews. They disbelieved in the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, after they had been believers in him, at the time when they saw what should have strengthened their faith through the clear signs. It is said that this was revealed about a group who had embraced Islam and then reverted to disbelief and joined the people of Mecca, among them were Ta'ama ibn Ubayriq, Wahwah ibn al-Aslat, and al-Harith ibn Suwayd ibn al-Samit. If you say: What is the reason for the conjunction of the saying 'and they witnessed'? I say: There are two interpretations: that it is connected to what is implied in their faith, because its meaning is after they believed, like the saying of Allah, the Most High: (So he believed and I am one of). And the poet said: ... they are not reformers of their tribe ... nor a crier... [[The ominous are not reformers of their tribe... nor is there a crier except that it indicates their misfortune.]] Abu al-Mahdi recited it. And 'ominous' is the opposite of 'fortunate'. And 'the crier' is the one who calls out, from the same pattern as 'to strike' and 'to benefit'. And 'the clear' is a noun meaning separation and distance. The term 'the crier' is grammatically considered to imply: they are neither reformers nor criers, and this is accepted by the majority of grammarians, while some have denied it. And it is narrated 'except by misfortune', and the sound of the raven is often seen as an omen of misfortune by the Arabs. It is a metaphor for the scattering of those ominous ones and the lack of agreement among them. It may also be that the 'and' indicates a condition by implying 'indeed' meaning they disbelieved and they witnessed that the Messenger is true. And Allah does not guide nor show kindness to the oppressive, defiant people whom He knows that kindness will not benefit them, except for those who repented after that great disbelief and apostasy and corrected what they corrupted, or entered into reform. It is said: This was revealed about al-Harith ibn Suwayd after he regretted his apostasy and sent to his people asking: Is there for me repentance? His brother al-Jallas sent him the verse, so he came to Medina and repented, and the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, accepted his repentance.