Allah, exalted is He, likens the condition of the disbelievers in that they are punished for their disbelief and enmity towards the believers, with a punishment like theirs. His saying "the condition of the disbelievers in that they are punished for their disbelief" refers to those who have a relationship with the believers. His saying "like them" refers to those who have no relationship with the believers. There is no favor or partiality, and what was between them and the believers of kinship or marital ties will not benefit them due to their enmity towards them and their disbelief in Allah and His Messenger, which has severed the ties and ended the connections. It has made them farther than strangers, even if the believer connected to the disbeliever is a prophet from the prophets of Allah, as in the case of the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot: when they were hypocritical and betrayed the two messengers, the messengers could not save them from the punishment of Allah due to the marital connection they had. It was said to them at their death or on the Day of Resurrection: "Enter the Fire with the others entering." Or with those entering from among your brothers from the people of Noah and the people of Lot. The condition of the believers is that the connection of the disbelievers does not harm them nor diminish anything from their reward and closeness to Allah, like the case of the wife of Pharaoh and her status with Allah, despite being the wife of the most hostile enemy of Allah who spoke the greatest word, and Maryam, daughter of 'Imran, and what she was given of honor in this world and the Hereafter and being chosen above the women of the worlds, even though her people were disbelievers. Within these two examples is an implication regarding the Mothers of the Believers mentioned at the beginning of the Surah and what they have done in opposing the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, with what he disliked, and a warning to them in the most severe and harsh manner, due to the mention of disbelief in the example. Similar in severity is His saying: "And whoever disbelieves, then indeed, Allah is Free of the worlds," indicating that it is their right to be in sincerity and perfection like these two believing women, and that they should not rely on the fact that they are the wives of the Messenger of Allah, for that virtue does not benefit them except with their sincerity. The implication regarding Hafsah is stronger, for the wife of Lot betrayed him just as Hafsah betrayed the Messenger of Allah, and the secrets of revelation and its symbols in every chapter reach a level of subtlety and concealment that is beyond the perception of the learned and slips from their insight. If you say, what is the benefit of His saying: "from Our servants?" I say: since the basis of the example is the existence of righteousness in a person, whoever he may be, and that it is solely what leads to success and attaining what is with Allah: He said, "two righteous servants of Our servants," mentioning the well-known prophets, indicating that they were servants who were no different from other servants except in righteousness alone, as a demonstration and clarification, because a servant among the servants is not preferred except for righteousness alone, and that what other people may use to gain preference among people is not a reason for preference with Him. If you say, what was their betrayal? I say: their hypocrisy and their concealment of disbelief, and their opposition to the two messengers. The wife of Noah said to her people: "Indeed, he is insane," and the wife of Lot indicated to his guests. It is not permissible to intend by betrayal immorality, for it is repugnant in nature and a deficiency in the eyes of everyone, unlike disbelief, for the disbelievers do not find it repugnant but rather commend it and call it truth. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "A woman of a prophet never committed betrayal."