The believers were saddened for the souls of the arrogant and obstinate among the disbelievers. They wished for their entry into Islam. It was said to them: 'You are responsible for your own selves and for what you are commanded to rectify and to walk in the paths of guidance. The misguidance of others will not harm you if you are rightly guided.' As Allah, the Exalted, said to His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: 'So let not your soul go to waste over them in regret.' Likewise, whoever laments over the transgressions and sins of the wicked, and continues to mention their faults and misdeeds, is addressed by this. It is not intended to abandon enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. For whoever abandons them while being able to do so is not rightly guided, but is among those who are somewhat misguided, as the verse distinguishes between them and him. Ibn Mas'ud reported that it was recited in his presence, and he said: 'This is not its time.' It is said that this pronoun refers to the advice understood from the context. He said: 'Today it is accepted. However, soon a time will come when you will command, and it will not be accepted from you. At that time, you are responsible for your own selves.' Thus, it serves as consolation for those who enjoin and forbid, yet are not accepted, and it expands upon their excuse. He also said: 'This is not the time for its interpretation.' It was asked: 'When is it?' He said: 'When the sword, whip, and prison are placed before it.' Abu Thalabah al-Khushani was asked about this, and he said to the questioner: 'You asked about it from an expert. I asked the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, about it, and he said: 'Enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, until you see greed being obeyed, desires being followed, the world being preferred, and every person being impressed by his own opinion. At that point, you are responsible for your own self and leave the affairs of the common people.' Indeed, there will come days for you in which patience will be like holding onto hot coals. For the one who acts among them will have the reward of fifty men who act like him.' This was narrated by the authors of the Sunan except for al-Nasa'i from the narration of Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak from 'Utbah ibn Abi Hakim from Amr ibn Harithah al-Lakhmi from Abu Umayyah al-San'ani, who said: 'I came to Abu Thalabah al-Khushani and said to him: How do you act regarding this verse? He said: Which verse? I said: The saying of Allah, the Exalted: 'O you who have believed, you are responsible for your own selves.' He said: By Allah, I indeed asked about it from an expert. I asked the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and he said: 'Rather, enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.' He mentioned it and said: 'You are responsible for your own self and leave the common people.' He concluded: 'The reward of your actions.' Ibn al-Mubarak said: 'And another narrator added to me, other than 'Utbah: It was said: 'O Messenger of Allah, is it the reward of fifty of us or of them?' He said: 'No, rather of you.' This was narrated by Ibn Hibban, al-Hakim, Ishaq, Abu Ya'la, and al-Tabarani. It was said that when a man would embrace Islam, they would say to him: 'You have disrespected your forefathers,' and they would blame him. Then the verse was revealed: 'You are responsible for your own selves.' 'Upon you' is one of the names of the action, meaning: 'Adhere to rectifying yourselves.' Therefore, its response is decisive. According to Nafi', 'You are responsible for your own selves' is in the nominative case. And it was recited: 'It will not harm you,' and there are two aspects to it. One is that it is a raised statement, supported by the reading of Abu Haywah: 'It will not harm you.' The other is that it is a response to the command, being in the jussive form. The letter 'ra' was rounded to follow the rounded 'dad' transferred to it from the assimilated 'ra.' The original form is: 'It will not harm you.' It is also possible that it is a prohibition: 'It will not harm you,' with the 'dad' being pronounced either with a kasrah or a dammah, from 'darrah' which means to harm.