Those who purify themselves are the Jews and the Christians. They said: We are the children of Allah and His beloved ones. They said: No one will enter Paradise except he who is a Jew or a Christian. It was said: Some men from the Jews came to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, with their children and said: Is there any sin upon these? He said: No. They said: By Allah, we are just like them. What we do by day is atoned for by what we do by night, and what we do by night is atoned for by what we do by day. [It was mentioned by Al-Thalabi from Al-Kalbi, who said: This verse was revealed concerning some men from the Jews who came with their children - and he mentioned it. His chain goes back to Al-Kalbi at the beginning of the book.] So it was revealed. And it includes everyone who purifies himself and describes himself with the purity of deeds, the increase of obedience, piety, and closeness to Allah. If you say: Did not the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, say: 'By Allah, I am indeed trustworthy in the heavens and trustworthy on earth'? [I did not find it.] I say: He only said that when the hypocrites said to him: Be just in the distribution, as a denial to them since they described him contrary to what his Lord described him. There is a great difference between one whom Allah has testified to his purity and one who testifies for himself or is testified for by one who does not know. Rather, Allah purifies whom He wills, indicating that the purification of Allah is what is accepted, not the purification of others, for He is the All-Knowing of who is worthy of purification. And the meaning of 'He purifies whom He wills' is that He purifies the chosen ones among His servants who are known for their purity and describes them with it, and they are not wronged a thread's weight. That is, those who purify themselves will be punished for their self-purification with their true recompense. Or, whomever He wills will be rewarded for their purification, and their reward will not be diminished. And similarly (So do not purify yourselves; He knows best who fears.) How do they fabricate lies against Allah in their claim that they are purer in the sight of Allah? And this claim of theirs is enough as a clear sin among all their other sins.