Tafsir of Az-Zumar 39:59

(Nay, My verses had already come to you, but you gave them the lie, acted arrogantly, and were among the disbelievers.)

This is an answer from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, to the implication contained in the speaker’s statement, "If Allah had guided me," which denies that Allah the Exalted had guided him. It is not a condition for the response "Nay" (Bala) that the negation must be explicitly stated beforehand. It has been placed in its appropriate position; had it been placed before the final contextual clause—namely, "or [lest] he should say when he sees the punishment..."—and had it followed thereafter without being separated by it, it would not have been fitting, for it would have severed the majestic arrangement. The three contextual clauses are proportional, consistent, and contiguous, and the proportionality between them is more complete than the proportionality between the second clause and its response. Even if the second clause were delayed and the third made the second, it would still not be fitting, because the observance of the logical order—which is the most important aspect—would be lost.

This is because regretting negligence at the time of the unfurling of the records—as indicated by several places in the Great Quran—and making excuses by citing a lack of guidance, only occurs after witnessing the state of the God-fearing and their envious joy. Furthermore, because it serves as a consolation for some of that regret, or as the desperate grasping of a drowning man, it is therefore subsequent. The desire to return after tasting the Fire—do you not see the saying of the Exalted: "If only you could see when they are made to stand before the Fire and say: 'Oh, would that we could return and not deny...'"—is likewise [the case] if "standing" is interpreted as being detained at its brink or witnessing it. All of this is after witnessing the state of the God-fearing and what they encountered in terms of the lightness of their reckoning and the honoring they received at the Station. [It is also] because resorting to wishful thinking occurs only after there is no utility in providing excuses.

Al-Tayyibi said: "When the soul sees the terrors of the Day of Resurrection and sees people being recompensed for their deeds, it regrets having missed out on deeds. Then, it might offer excuses, claiming the negligence was not its own. When it observes and realizes that the negligence was indeed its own, it wishes to return."

The manifest implication of the context is that the souls have combined these three statements; [the use of the conjunction 'or'] is to prevent [the omission of any], and they are brought forth to alert [the listener] that each one [of these factors] is sufficient as a deterrent against preferring disbelief and as an impetus toward repentance and following the best of what has been sent down. The masculine pronoun in "come to you" (ja'ataka)—and the following—is based on the meaning, for the intent behind "the soul" (al-nafs) is the individual/person, even if the word itself is feminine by convention.

Ibn Ya'mur, al-Jahdari, Abu Haywah, al-Za'farani, Ibn Miqsam, Mas'ud ibn Salih, al-Shafi'i (on the authority of Ibn Kathir), Muhammad ibn 'Isa (in his selection), and al-'Absi read "ja'atika" [with a kasra on the kaf and ta], which is the reading of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and his daughter 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with them both), and Umm Salamah reported it from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).

Al-Hasan, al-A'mash, and al-A'raj read it as "ja'taka" (جئتك) with a hamza, without a madd, patterned as 'fa'tuka'. According to Abu Hayyan, this is a metathesis of ja'taka; the lam al-kalimah was advanced and the 'ayn was delayed, resulting in the dropping of the alif.

The Mu'tazilah used this verse as evidence that the servant is the creator of his own actions. The Ash'aris responded that the attribution of actions to the servant is in consideration of his acquired power (qudra kasiba). Al-Kurani verified that it is in consideration of his effective power by the permission of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, not as the Mu'tazilah claimed, which is that it is by his effective power whether Allah permits it or not.