Muhammad: (14) Is he, then, who is upon...

(Is he, then, who is upon a clear proof from his Lord) is an affirmation of the disparity between the states of the two parties: the believers and the disbelievers; that the former are in the highest of heights and the latter in the lowest of depths, and an elucidation of the cause for each of their states. The interrogative particle (hamza) is for the denial of their equality, or for the denial that the matter is other than what has been mentioned. The conjunction (fa) is for connection to an implied preceding phrase necessitated by the context; it has also been recited without it. "He who" (man) refers to the believers who hold fast to the evidences of the religion, just as in His saying—the Exalted—"(Like him to whom the evil of his deed has been made attractive)," it refers to their opposites, the polytheists.

A group has reported from Ibn Abbas that "he who is upon a clear proof from his Lord" is the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and "those to whom the evil of their deed has been made attractive" are the polytheists. A similar view has been narrated from Qatadah, and Zamakhshari adopted this view. It was objected that the arrangement of the noble text does not support such specification, nor is there a necessity for it. It has been said: Likewise, the first "he who" refers to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and the believers. The meaning is: Are the two parties equal? Or is the matter not as mentioned? Is he who is steadfast upon a manifest argument and a brilliant demonstration from the Owner of his affair and his Sustainer—which is the Great Qur'an and the rest of the miracles and rational proofs—like he to whom Satan has made his deed attractive, [that] thing being polytheism and all other acts of disobedience, such as your expulsion from your town, while that is in itself the most heinous of evils, "(and they followed)" in that evil deed—or it is said: because of that attraction—"(their own desires)"

(That deviate, without them having any doubt that suggests the correctness of what they are upon, let alone an argument that indicates it. The pluralization of the latter two pronouns is in consideration of the meaning of "he who" (man), just as the singularization of the first two is in consideration of its wording.)