"Like those before you": This is a shift from the third person to the second person for the sake of emphasis. The Kaf is in the nominative position as a predicate for a deleted subject—meaning, "You are like those before you from the destroyed nations." Or, it may be in the accusative position, governed by a deleted verb—meaning, "You have acted like those before you." An example of this is the statement of Al-Namir, describing a wild bull and dogs: "Until, when the dogs spoke to it, 'Like today, neither the hunted nor the hunter'." The origin of this is: "I have not seen a hunted one like the hunted one I saw today, nor a hunt like the hunt I saw today." The speech was abbreviated, so it was said: "I have not seen a hunted one like today’s hunted one," due to the connection between them; then the noun being qualified was deleted out of brevity and lack of confusion. It is also said that "like today" was placed before the qualified noun, becoming a circumstantial qualifier (hal) for the sake of importance and hyperbole, while the verb was deleted due to contextual evidence. The aspect of resemblance is that they were governed by a deleted verb.
His saying, the Almighty: "They were stronger than you in power and more abundant in wealth and children" (and so on), is an explanation of the comparison and a clarification of the aspect of resemblance between those addressed and those before them; thus, it has no grammatical position. It contains an intimation that those addressed are more deserving and entitled to be struck by what struck their predecessors.
"So they enjoyed their portion": That is, they enjoyed their share of worldly delights. The form istif’al contains a meaning not found in tafa’’ul, namely, the acquisition and persistence in enjoyment. The derivation of khalaq (portion) is from khalq (creation), meaning estimation, which is its primary lexical meaning.
"So you enjoyed your portion as those before you enjoyed their portion": This condemns the former ones for their enjoyment of their base shares of fleeting desires and their distraction therein from contemplating the consequence and striving to attain true pleasures, acting as a prelude to condemning those addressed for resembling them and following in their footsteps. For this reason, redundancy was chosen by adding "so they enjoyed their portion." This is similar to how, if you wish to alert some wrongdoers to the ugliness of their actions, you say: "You are like Pharaoh; he used to kill without crime, and torture, and oppress, and you are doing the same." The position of the Kaf is in the accusative as an adjective for a deleted verbal noun, meaning: "You enjoyed an enjoyment like the enjoyment of those..."
"And you indulged": That is, you entered into falsehood.
"Like they indulged": That is, "like those who indulged." Its nun (n) was deleted for the sake of lightness, as in his saying: "Indeed, those whose blood was spilled at Falj are the people, all the people, O Umm Khalid." It is also permissible that "alladhi" (those) is an adjective for a singular word that is plural in meaning, like fawj (group) or fariq (party); thus, the adjective observes the wording, and the pronoun observes the meaning. Or, it is an adjective for a deleted verbal noun, meaning: "Like the indulgence with which they indulged." This is preferred because it is less forced. Al-Farra’ said: "Indeed, 'alladhi' acts as a verbal noun," and he interpreted the verse based on this, meaning: "Like their indulgence." As Abu al-Baqa’ said, this is rare. This sentence is a conjunction to what preceded it; at that point, one must either estimate within it what makes it follow the same style as that to which it is conjoined, or not estimate it at all, signaling the importance of the first.
"Those": This is a reference to those characterized by the listed traits, from among the ones being compared and the ones to whom they are compared. Being a reference to the latter necessitates that the judgment of the ones being compared be understood implicitly, and it leads to the shift in address being devoid of benefit, for the apparent word would then be "those" (plural), and the address is directed to the Master of those addressed—peace be upon him—or to everyone suitable for it. That is, those characterized by the aforementioned ugliness:
"Their deeds have become worthless": That is, those deeds through which they would have deserved good rewards had they been accompanied by faith. Habt (worthlessness) is failure, nullity, and dissolution. The intent is that they did not deserve any reward or honor for them.
"In the world and the Hereafter": As for the Hereafter, it is clear. As for the world, it is because what they obtained of health, abundance, and the like, was only by way of gradual enticement (istidraj), as the verses have stated, not by way of honor. And those described as having worthless deeds in both abodes:
"Are the losers": That is, the complete in loss, who gather all its foundations and causes. The bringing of the demonstrative pronoun in both instances is to intimate that the mentioned attributes are the cause for the worthlessness and the loss.
