They disbelieved and wronged. They combined disbelief and sins. [Mawood said: "They combined disbelief and sins ... etc."] Ahmad said: It is a correction of the apparent meaning. Perhaps he intends to spread a part of the corrupt belief in the necessity of threatening the sinners, and that they are eternally punished like the disbelievers. This has been repeated from him. And this verse contradicts this belief, for it made both actions, namely disbelief and wrongdoing, a connection to the combined relative, thus necessitating the occurrence of both actions from each of its individuals. Do you not see that if you say: 'The Zaydun stood up,' you have attributed standing to each individual of the group? Similarly, if you add another action to it, it necessarily follows. And Allah is the Grantor of success. Some of them were disbelievers, and some of them were wrongdoers, the people of major sins, because there is no difference between the two groups in that neither of them is forgiven. [The saying: 'in that neither of them is forgiven except by repentance' is according to the Mu'tazila. As for the Ahl al-Sunnah, the major sin may be forgiven by intercession or merely by grace.] Except by repentance. And He does not guide them to a path that is gentle with them, so they may take the path leading to Hell. Or He does not guide them on the Day of Resurrection to any path except its easy path, meaning there is no diversion from it.