Tafsir of Muhammad 47:16

"And among them are those who listen to you..."

These are the hypocrites. The singular form of the pronoun is used in consideration of the word [the collective noun "among them" (minhum)], just as the plural is used afterward in consideration of the meaning. Ibn Jurayj said: They would attend the assembly of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah, the Exalted, grant him peace and blessings) and listen to his speech, but they would neither pay attention to it nor observe it with its due observance, out of disdain on their part.

"Until, when they depart from you, they say to those who have been given knowledge..."

That is, to the people of knowledge among the Companions (may Allah, the Exalted, be pleased with them). It is also said: They are those who were attentive to his speech (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), observing it with its due observance, from among the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).

"...'What was it that he said just now?'"

Meaning: What is it that he said shortly before this moment? Their intent in this was mockery, even if it took the form of an inquiry. It is permitted that their intent was a literal inquiry, as they did not lend their ears to him out of disdain for him, and that is why they were condemned; however, the former is more appropriate. It is said: They said this to Ibn Mas'ud. Ibn Abbas narrated: "I am among them, and I have been named among those who were asked," implying (may Allah be pleased with him) that he is among those who have been given knowledge by the text of the Quran. How excellent is the way he expressed that!

Anifan (just now) is an active participle used in a non-standard way, or by stripping its verb of extra letters, for no triliteral verb has been heard for it; rather, one says ista'nafa or it'anafa. Al-Zajjaj mentioned that it is from "I initiated the thing" (ista'naftu al-shay’) when you begin it; the root meaning of this was "I took its nose," meaning its beginning. The root "nose" (anf) is the well-known facial feature, then it is used to name the edge of a thing, its front, and its most noble part. More than one scholar mentioned that anifan is derived from this. They said: It refers to the hour that precedes the hour you are currently in, from anf in the sense of "that which is ahead." It has been borrowed from the facial feature due to its forward position relative to the present time.

It is also said: It is in the sense of the current time. According to what Al-Zamakhshari favored, it is in the accusative case as an adverb of time (zarf). This does not contradict its being an active participle, as is the case with badi'an (initially), for it is an active participle that has come to prevail in the meaning of an adverb in usage. Abu Hayyan said: The correct view is that it is not an adverb, and we do not know any grammarian who counted it among the adverbs; he necessitated its accusative status as a state (hal) from the subject of "said," meaning: "What did he say while initiating?"—that is, what is the speech he just started now before we departed from him? The words of Al-Raghib point to this.

Ibn Kathir recited it as anafan on the pattern of fa'alan.

"Those are the ones..."

The ones described by what was mentioned.

"...upon whose hearts Allah has set a seal..."

Thus, they do not turn toward goodness.

"...and they follow their [own] desires."

Thus, they turn toward everything in which there is no good, and because of that, there occurred from them what occurred.