Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:202

"And their brothers" (al-a'raf: 202): That is, the brothers of the devils who did not fear [Allah]—and this is the meaning of brotherhood between them—and it is the subject (mubtada'). His saying, the Glorified and Exalted, "extend them in error" is its predicate. The nominative pronoun refers to the devils, and the accusative pronoun refers to the subject; meaning, the devils assist them in misguidance by beautifying it for them and compelling them toward it. According to this [interpretation], the predicate is applied to other than the one to whom it belongs [the subject], and there is a dispute among the grammarians of the two cities [Basra and Kufa] regarding whether it is necessary to explicitly state the pronoun in such a case, similar to the dispute regarding the adjective [when it modifies an implied noun].

It was said: The first pronoun refers to the "brothers," and the second to the "devils." The meaning is: The brothers of the devils extend the devils by following and obeying them. According to this, the predicate is applied to the one to whom it belongs. The prepositional phrase is connected to what is implied by it. It is also permitted that "in error" (fi al-ghayy) be in the position of a state (hal) for either the agent or the object.

Nafi' read "yumidduhum" with a damma on the ya and a kasra on the mim, derived from al-imdad (to supply/aid). The majority read it with a fatha on the ya and a damma on the mim [from al-madd, to extend]. Abu Ali stated in al-Hujjah after mentioning this: "Most of what has come in the Revelation regarding helping and supporting is in the form of amdadtu (I supplied) based on the af'altu pattern, such as His saying, 'Do they think that in what We extend to them of wealth and children,' 'And We supplied them with fruit,' and 'Do you provide me with wealth?' Whatever differs from this is based on madadtu (I extended/prolonged), such as His saying, 'And He prolongs them in their transgression, wandering blindly.'" Thus, they speak in a way that indicates that the [superior] path is the fatha on the ya, as the majority have held. The justification for Nafi's reading is that it is like [the usage in] "So give them tidings of a painful punishment" and "And We will ease him toward ease."

Al-Jahdari read "yumadduhum" as yumadunahum (from the mufa'ala pattern). Here it is metaphorical, as if the devils were aiding them through incitement and by making sins seem light to them, while they [the brothers] aid the devils through following and obedience.

"Then they do not stop": That is, they do not restrain nor refrain from misguiding them until they lead them to destruction entirely. Aqsar (to stop) is used when one desists and restrains oneself, as in the poet's saying: "Your longing has ceased after it had once stopped."

It is also permitted that the pronoun refers to the brothers; this is narrated from Ibn Abbas and al-Suddi, and it is the view of al-Jubba'i. That is: Then these [brothers] do not refrain from error, and they do not stop like the righteous do.

It is also permissible that the "brothers" are intended to be the devils, and that the plural pronoun—in the genitive, then the objective, then the subjective—refers to the "ignorant" mentioned in His saying, the Glorified and Exalted, "And turn away from the ignorant." That is: The brothers of the ignorant—who are the devils—extend the ignorant in error, and then the ignorant do not stop from that. According to this, the predicate is also applied to the one to whom it belongs, as in some of the previous interpretations. The first [interpretation] is worthier, in consideration of the contrast [between the righteous and the brothers of the devils].

Isa ibn Umar read "yaqsurun" with a fatha on the ya and a damma on the sad, from qasara, which is also a metaphor for refraining.