Al-Hajj: (52-57) And We have not sent before you...

Regarding His saying, the Exalted: {And We have not sent before you any messenger or prophet except that when he recited, Satan cast something into his recitation.} (Al-Hajj: 52)

There are several issues concerning this verse:

Some people say: A Messenger is one who was sent with a message and commissioned [to deliver it]. A Prophet is one who was not sent [with a new commission] but was inspired or saw [revelation] in a dream.

Others say: Every Messenger is a Prophet, but not every Prophet is a Messenger. This is the view of Al-Kalbi and Al-Farra'.

The Mu'tazilah say: Every Messenger is a Prophet, and every Prophet is a Messenger; there is no difference between them. They argue against the first view with several points:

1. This very verse indicates that a Prophet can be sent [as a Messenger]. Likewise, His saying: {And We did not send into any town a prophet except that We afflicted its people with adversity} (Al-A'raf: 94).
2. Allah, the Exalted, addressed Muhammad sometimes as Prophet and sometimes as Messenger, indicating no contradiction between the two terms. The first view implies a contradiction.
3. Allah, the Exalted, explicitly stated that Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets.
4. The derivation of the word Nabi (Prophet) is either from Naba' (news/report) or from the saying nabā’a (to rise high). Neither meaning is achieved except through the acceptance of the message (Risalah).

As for the second view (that every Messenger is a Prophet, but not vice versa), none of the above arguments invalidate it. In fact, this verse supports it because the Prophet is mentioned alongside the Messenger, which implies a difference (between the two categories). This is like mentioning the general followed by the specific. Furthermore, He said elsewhere: {And how many a prophet have We sent among the former ones!} (Az-Zukhruf: 6), indicating he was a Prophet whom Allah then sent as a Messenger. This supports our view.

It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked, "How many Messengers were there?" He replied, "Three hundred and thirteen." He was asked, "And how many Prophets?" He replied, "One hundred and twenty-four thousand, a vast multitude."

If this is established, we state that scholars have mentioned several distinctions between a Messenger and a Prophet:

1. A Messenger is one of the Prophets upon whom a Book was revealed alongside a miracle. A Prophet (who is not a Messenger) is one upon whom no Book was revealed; he was only commanded to call people to the Book revealed before him.
2. The Messenger is the one who possesses the miracle, the Book, and whose law abrogates the law preceding him. The Prophet (who is not a Messenger) is one who does not possess all these characteristics. This view implies that Ishaaq, Ya'qub, Ayyub, Yunus, Harun, Dawud, and Sulayman were not Messengers because they did not bring a superseding Book.
3. The Messenger is one to whom the Angel came openly and commanded him to call the creation. The Prophet (who is not a Messenger) is one who did not have this, but rather saw [the revelation] in a dream, or was informed by a previous Messenger that he was a Messenger of Allah. This third view is the most preferred.

The commentators mentioned that the reason for the revelation of this verse is that when the Prophet (PBUH) saw the aversion of his people and was distressed by their distance from what he brought them, he wished in his heart that something would come from Allah to bring him closer to them, due to his eagerness for their faith.

One day, he sat in a large gathering of the Quraysh, which was full of people. He wished at that moment that nothing from Allah would come that would repel them. He wished for that, and then Allah revealed Surah {By the Star when it descends} (An-Najm: 1). The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) recited it until he reached His saying: {Have you seen Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza? And Manat, the third, the other one?} (An-Najm: 19-20). Satan cast upon his tongue: "Those are the lofty cranes (al-'araanīq al-'ulā), whose intercession is hoped for."

When the Quraysh heard this, they rejoiced. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) continued reciting the entire Surah, then prostrated, and the Muslims prostrated with him. Everyone in the mosque, believers and polytheists alike, prostrated except for Al-Walid ibn Al-Mughirah and Abu Uhayyah Sa'id ibn Al-'As, who took a handful of dust from the ground and touched their foreheads to it, as they were elderly men unable to prostrate.

The Quraysh dispersed, pleased with what they heard, saying, "Muhammad has mentioned our gods in the best way." When evening came, Gabriel (peace be upon him) approached the Prophet (PBUH) and asked, "What did you do? Did you recite to the people what I did not bring you from Allah, and did you say what I did not tell you?" The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) became severely grieved and feared Allah greatly, until this verse was revealed: {And We have not sent before you any messenger or prophet except that when he recited, Satan cast something into his recitation.}

This is the narration of the general body of commentators who rely on the apparent meaning (dhāhir). However, the people of deep knowledge (Ahl al-Tahqiq) say this narration is false and fabricated. They support this with evidence from the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and reason ('Aql).

Evidence from the Qur'an:

1. His saying: {And if he [Muhammad] had fabricated against Us some sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand, then We would have cut from him the aorta.} (Al-Haqqah: 44-46).
2. His saying: {And when Our clear verses are recited to them, those who do not expect to meet Us say, "Bring a Qur'an other than this, or change it." Say, "It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I only follow what is revealed to me."} (Yunus: 15).
3. His saying: {Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed.} (An-Najm: 3-4). If he had recited those "lofty cranes" immediately after this verse, Allah's statement would have been immediately proven false—a thing no Muslim would utter.
4. His saying: {And indeed, they were about to tempt you away from what We revealed to you, to invent against Us something other than it. And then they would have taken you as a friend.} (Al-Isra': 73). The word kāda (about to) implies near occurrence, but not actualization, according to some scholars.
5. His saying: {And had it not been that We had strengthened you, you would have almost inclined to them a little.} (Al-Isra': 74). The particle lawlā (had it not been) implies the negation of one thing due to the negation of another, indicating that the slight inclination did not occur.
6. His saying: {Thus We strengthen your heart with it.} (Al-Furqan: 32).
7. His saying: {We will make you recite, so you will not forget.} (Al-A'la: 6).

Evidence from the Sunnah: It is narrated that Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Khuzaymah was asked about this story, and he said, "This is a fabrication by the heretics (Zanādiqah)," and he wrote a book about it. Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Al-Husayn Al-Bayhaqi stated that this story is not established through transmission (Naql). He then discussed how the narrators of this story are impugned. Furthermore, Al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih that the Prophet (PBUH) recited Surah An-Najm and that Muslims, polytheists, humans, and jinn prostrated, but the narration of the "cranes" is entirely absent. This tradition is narrated through many chains, none of which mention the "cranes" story at all.

Evidence from Reason ('Aql):

1. Whoever permits the Prophet (PBUH) to glorify idols has committed disbelief (kufr), as it is known by necessity that his greatest effort was in negating idols.
2. In the beginning, the Prophet (PBUH) could not pray or recite the Qur'an openly near the Ka'bah without being harmed by the polytheists, who sometimes extended their hands toward him. He only prayed at night or in times of solitude when they were absent. This invalidates their claim.
3. Their hostility toward the Messenger was too great for them to accept this much recitation without realizing the true situation. How could they all agree that he glorified their gods to the extent that they prostrated, even though his agreement with them was not apparent?
4. His saying: {And Allah cancels what Satan casts.} This implies that Allah confirms His verses by removing what Satan casts from the Messenger. Removing the casting entirely is stronger than canceling it through verses that leave ambiguity. If Allah intends to confirm the verses so that what is not Qur'an is not confused with it, then preventing Satan from casting it in the first place is more appropriate.
5. The strongest argument: If we permit this possibility, then security regarding his entire religious law is lifted, and we must permit this possibility for every ruling and law. This invalidates His saying: {O Messenger, convey what has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people.} (Al-Ma'idah: 67). Logically, there is no difference between adding to the revelation or subtracting from it.

Through these points, we know, in summary, that this story is fabricated. The most that can be said is that a group of commentators mentioned it, but it did not reach the level of Tawātur (mass narration). A single report (khabar wāhid) cannot contradict established textual and rational proofs.

Now, we proceed to detail the meaning. The word Tamanī (recitation/wishing) in Arabic has two meanings:

1. The wishing of the heart (tamannī al-qalb).
2. Recitation (qirā’ah). Allah says: {And among them are unlettered ones who do not know the Book except through their own wishes/recitations (amānī)}. This means recitation, as the unlettered person does not know the Qur'an from the text but only through recitation. Hassan said:

   He recited the Book of Allah the first night, And the last, he met the inevitable fate. It is said that recitation is called umniyyah because when the reciter reaches a verse of mercy, he wishes for it, and when he reaches a verse of punishment, he wishes not to be afflicted by it. Abu Muslim said tamannī is estimation (taqdīr), and tamannā is derived from munīta (decreed). Al-Manniyyah is a person's death at the time Allah decreed. Manna Allahu laka means Allah decreed for you. Linguists say al-umniyyah is recitation, citing Hassan's verse. This returns to the original point: the reciter estimates the letters and mentions them sequentially.

The result of this discussion is that Umniyyah is either recitation or a thought/wish.

If we interpret it as recitation, there are two views:

1. Allah meant what the Messenger (PBUH) might have forgotten or what might be confused for the reader, other than what they narrated about the "lofty cranes."
2. The intended meaning is the actual occurrence of these words in his recitation. Those who hold this view differ on several points:

First View: The Prophet (PBUH) did not say those words, nor did Satan, nor did anyone else. Rather, when the Prophet (PBUH) recited Surah An-Najm, the matter became confused for the disbelievers, and they thought some of his words were what they narrated ("those are the lofty cranes..."). This is based on the custom of misinterpreting certain sounds. This view is held by a group but is weak for several reasons: * Misperception in such matters only occurs with sounds habitually heard; it does not happen with unheard sounds. * If this were the case, the misperception would affect some listeners but not others. The custom prevents a large crowd from agreeing on one false perception of sensory input simultaneously. * If this were true, it would not have been attributed to Satan.

Second View: Those words were spoken by the Jinn Devils. This means the Devil uttered words of his own accord, inserting them into the flow of the recitation during one of the Prophet's pauses, making it seem like part of the speech heard from the Messenger (PBUH). This is supported by the fact that there is no dispute that Jinn and devils speak. It is not impossible for a devil to use a voice similar to the Prophet's (PBUH) and utter these words during or between the Prophet's speech. When the listeners heard the words in a voice resembling the Prophet's and saw no other person, they assumed it was the Prophet's speech. This would not invalidate prophethood because it was not his action. This view is also weak because if you permit the Devil to insert speech indistinguishable from the Prophet's into the recitation, this possibility remains for everything the Prophet says, leading to the removal of certainty from the entire Law. If it is argued that this possibility exists everywhere, but Allah must clarify the situation to remove confusion, as in this incident, we reply: Allah is not obligated to remove all possibilities, just as in ambiguous verses (mutashābihāt). If He is not obligated, the possibility remains for everything.

Third View: The speaker was one of the human devils (the disbelievers). When the Prophet (PBUH) reached this point in the Surah and mentioned their gods, knowing his custom was to criticize them, some attendees said, "Those are the lofty cranes..." The matter became confused for the people due to the noise, shouting, and their desire to contradict him and obscure his recitation. Perhaps this happened during his prayer, as they would approach him during prayer to hear his recitation and cause a disturbance. It is also said that when he recited to Quraysh, he paused at the end of verses, and some attendees inserted these words during those pauses, leading the people to assume it was part of the Prophet's recitation. Allah attributed this to Satan because Satan's suggestion is the initial cause, and because Allah made the speaker himself a devil. This view is also weak for two reasons: * If this were the case, the Prophet (PBUH) should have clarified the confusion, stated the truth, rebuked the speaker, and shown that the words originated from him. * If he had done so, it would have been more worthy of transmission. If it is argued that he did not do so because he had already delivered the entire Surah to the Ummah without this addition, thus preventing confusion, we reply: The Qur'an was not fixed in one state during his lifetime; verses came to him and were added to the Surahs. Therefore, delivering the Surah without this addition would not have removed the confusion, as it would have been confusing later. Moreover, if this were true, he would not have deserved the reprimand from Allah as narrated.

Fourth View: The speaker was the Messenger (PBUH) himself. This has three possibilities: he said it by error (forgetfulness), by compulsion, or by choice. * Error (Forgetfulness): Qatadah and Muqatil narrated that he was praying near the Maqam, dozed off, and these two words slipped from his tongue. When he finished the Surah, he prostrated, and everyone in the mosque prostrated. The polytheists rejoiced, and Gabriel came and reviewed the recitation with him. When he reached the "cranes," Gabriel said, "I did not bring you this." The Prophet (PBUH) grieved until this verse was revealed. This is also weak for several reasons: * If such forgetfulness were permissible, it would be permissible in all contexts, thus removing trust in the Law. * A forgetful person cannot utter such phrases that perfectly match the meter, style, and meaning of the Surah. We know by necessity that if someone recites a poem, it is impossible for him to forget and coincidentally utter a verse matching its meter, meaning, and style. * Even if he said it by mistake, why was he not corrected when he recited it to Gabriel (PBUH)? This is clear.

• Compulsion: Some people said Satan forced the Prophet (PBUH) to say this. This is also false for several reasons: * If Satan had the power to do this to the Prophet (PBUH), his power over us would be greater, meaning Satan should have removed people from the religion, and much of what we say could be due to satanic compulsion. * If Satan could compel him, security regarding revelation would be lifted due to this possibility. * This is refuted by His saying, recounting Satan: {And I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves.} (Ibrahim: 22). And His saying: {Indeed, he has no authority over those who believe and rely upon their Lord. His authority is only over those who take him as an ally...} (An-Nahl: 99-100). And: {Except for Your chosen servants among them.} (Al-Hijr: 40). There is no doubt that the Prophet (PBUH) was the master of the chosen servants.

• Choice: He said it willingly. Here there are two approaches: * Approach A: The word was false. Ibn Abbas narrated (via 'Ata') that a devil named Al-Abyad came to him in the form of Gabriel (PBUH) and cast this word upon his tongue, which he recited. When the polytheists heard it, they were pleased. Then Gabriel came to review it, and when he reached that word, Gabriel said, "I did not bring you this." The Prophet (PBUH) replied, "Someone came to me in your form and cast it on my tongue." The second path: Some ignorant people said that due to his intense desire for the people's faith, he inserted this word himself and then retracted it. Both these sayings are rejected by any Muslim, as the first implies he could not distinguish between the infallible Angel and the malicious Devil, and the second implies he was treacherous in revelation—both constitute apostasy. * Approach B: The word was not false. 1. The Gharānīq (cranes) are the Angels, and this was revealed Qur'an describing the Angels. When the polytheists thought he meant their gods, Allah canceled the recitation. 2. It meant interrogation by way of denial, as if he were saying, "Is their intercession hoped for?" 3. He mentioned affirmation but intended negation, like His saying: {Allah clarifies for you, lest you go astray} (An-Nisa': 176), meaning "do not go astray," just as negation can imply affirmation, like: {Say, "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you: that you associate nothing with Him"} (Al-An'am: 151), meaning "associate [something with Him]."

The last two views are objected to: If this interpretation is allowed, why is it not allowed for them to utter words of disbelief within the Qur'an or during prayer based on this interpretation? The principle of religion is that nothing of this sort is permissible for them, as Allah made them proof and chose them for the message. Anything that casts doubt upon this or causes repulsion is impermissible. Repulsion caused by this is greater than the issues Allah commanded him to avoid, such as harshness, writing, or composing poetry.

Therefore, all these views regarding the saying "Those are the lofty cranes" have been definitively proven false. This is all based on interpreting Tamanī as recitation.

If we interpret it as the thought/wish of the heart (tamannī al-qalb), the meaning is: Whenever the Prophet (PBUH) wished for something related to the affairs of the people, Satan would whisper falsehood to him and invite him to what is inappropriate. Then Allah would cancel and nullify that, guiding him to ignore his whisperings. They differed on the manner of this whispering:

1. He wished for something that would bring him closer to the polytheists, such as mentioning their gods with praise. They say he loved to reconcile them and repeated this in his self, and when drowsiness overcame him, this desire increased from what was already in his mind. This is also apostasy, as explained previously.
2. As Mujahid said, he wished for the revelation to descend quickly without delay. Allah then corrected him by making him know that the descent occurs according to the interests of events and new situations.
3. Perhaps when revelation descended, he contemplated its interpretation if it was general, and Satan cast into that generality what he did not intend. Allah clarified that He cancels that by nullification and confirms what Allah intended with His proofs and verses.
4. The meaning of the verse is: Whenever he intended an action bringing him closer to Allah (tamannā), Satan cast into his thought what contradicted it, so he returned to Allah regarding that. This is like His saying: {Indeed, those who fear Allah—when a touch of temptation from Satan reaches them, they remember [Allah], and then they see clearly.} (Al-A'raf: 201), and: {And if an evil suggestion from Satan touches you, then seek refuge in Allah.} (Al-A'raf: 200).

Some people say it is not permissible to interpret Umniyyah as the wish of the heart, because if that were the case, nothing that crossed the Messenger's mind would be a trial (fitnah) for the disbelievers. This is refuted by His saying: {That He may make what Satan casts a trial for those whose hearts are diseased and whose hearts are hardened.} The response is: It is not impossible that when the wish is strong, the thought becomes preoccupied with it, leading to error in outward actions because of it, which then becomes a trial for the disbelievers. This concludes the discussion on this issue.

The summary of the discussion is that the purpose of this verse is to clarify that although Allah preserved the Messengers from error committed with knowledge, He did not preserve them from the possibility of forgetfulness (sahw) or satanic whispering. Their state in this regard is like that of all other humans. Therefore, they must only be followed in what they do with knowledge, as that is the established (Muhkam) part.

Abu Muslim interpreted the verse as: We have not sent a Prophet except when he wished [for something], as if to say: We did not send an Angel to mankind, nor did We send a Prophet except from among them. We did not send a Prophet except that during his recitation of the revelation, Satan whispered to him and cast into his thought what contradicted the revelation, distracting him from memorizing it. Then Allah strengthens the Prophet in the revelation and its memorization, teaching him what is correct and what is from Satan. He says that the preceding verse, {Say, "O people, I am only a clear warner to you"} (Al-Hajj: 49), strengthens this interpretation. It is as if Allah commanded him to tell the disbelievers, "I am a warner to you, but I am human, not an Angel. Allah did not send an Angel like me, but He sent men, and Satan whispered to them." If it is argued that this is only valid if error is impossible for Angels, we reply: Since Angels are of a higher rank than Prophets, the ability of Satan to whisper to Prophets does not necessitate his ability to whisper to Angels.

The Exalted then followed the explanation of this whispering with two further points:

First Inquiry: The Manner of Its Removal This is His saying: {And Allah cancels what Satan casts.} This means removing it and its effect. This is linguistic cancellation (naskh), not the legislative cancellation used for rulings. As for His saying: {Then Allah confirms His verses,} if tamanī is interpreted as recitation, it refers to the verses of the Qur'an. Otherwise, it refers to the rulings of proofs where error is impermissible.

Second Inquiry: The Effect of the Whispering Allah explained the effect of that whispering. First, He explained its effect on the disbelievers, and then on the believers.

Regarding the disbelievers: His saying: {That He may make what Satan casts a trial}. This means intensifying the distance, because when ambiguity appears in the Qur'an due to forgetfulness from the Messenger (PBUH), they are required to investigate it to distinguish between forgetfulness and intention, and to know that intention is correct, while forgetfulness may not be correct.

As for His saying: {for those in whose hearts is disease and those whose hearts are hardened}, there are two questions:

Question 1: Why did He say, {a trial for those in whose hearts is disease} and restrict it to them? Answer: Because, despite their disbelief, they require this contemplation. As for the believers, their knowledge of this matter has preceded, so they do not need contemplation.

Question 2: What is the disease of the heart? Answer: It is doubt and suspicion; they are the hypocrites, as stated: {in whose hearts is disease}. As for {those whose hearts are hardened}, they are the polytheists who persist in their ignorance outwardly and inwardly.

As for His saying: {And indeed, the wrongdoers are in extreme opposition}, this refers to these hypocrites and polytheists. The original structure was wa-innahum (and indeed they), but the apparent noun (al-ẓāhir) was substituted for the pronoun (al-muḍmar) to condemn them as wrongdoers, and opposition (shiqaq), hostility, and extreme distance are synonymous.

Regarding the believers: His saying: {And that those who were given knowledge may know that it is the truth from your Lord.} There are three interpretations for the pronoun referring back to the truth:

1. It refers to the cancellation of what Satan cast, according to Al-Kalbi.
2. It refers to the truth, meaning the Qur'an, according to Muqatil.
3. That Satan's ability to cast [the falsehood] was the truth. According to us, this is because whatever Allah does, He is acting within His dominion and ownership, so it is true. According to the Mu'tazilah, it is true because Allah is Wise, so all His actions are correct. Thus, they believe in it, and their hearts become tranquil ({so their hearts submit}), meaning they submit and become still upon knowing that what is decreed will happen, and everyone is facilitated for what they were created for. {And that those who were given knowledge may know that it is the truth...} so they can interpret the ambiguous matters in religion with correct interpretations and seek clarification for what is unclear from the established principles, so that confusion does not afflict them, nor do doubts overtake them. It is also read as li-ya'lam alladhīna āmanū (that those who believe may know) with tanwīn.

After explaining the state of the disbelievers first, and then the believers, Allah returned to explaining the state of the disbelievers once more: {And the disbelievers will not cease to be in doubt about it}, meaning about the Qur'an or the Messenger. This indicates that the eras until the Hour will not be devoid of those possessing this description.

As for His saying: {until the Hour comes upon them suddenly}, meaning abruptly, without them realizing it. He made the Hour the ultimate limit for their disbelief, and that they will believe only when the signs of the Hour appear, under compulsion.

There is a difference of opinion regarding the meaning of the barren day (al-yawm al-'aqīm): First Opinion: It is the Day of Badr. It is described as barren for four reasons:

1. The children of women are killed on that day, so they become as if they never gave birth (barren).
2. The fighters are called "sons of war," so the day of war is metaphorically described as barren when the fighters are killed.
3. It is the day that contains no good. A barren wind is one that brings no rain and fertilizes no trees.
4. It has no equal in the magnitude of its affair, due to the fighting of the Angels on that day.

Second Opinion: It is the Day of Resurrection. It is described as barren for several reasons:

1. They will see no good on that day.
2. It has no night, so it continues like a woman whose fertility is suspended.
3. Every pregnant woman delivers her burden on that day, so how can conception occur then?

This second opinion is stronger because Allah would not say: {And the disbelievers will not cease to be in doubt about it} and mean the Day of Badr, as it is known they remained in doubt after the Day of Badr. If it is argued that mentioning the Hour and then the barren day (if interpreted as the Day of Resurrection) involves repetition, we reply: This is not the case, because the Hour is one of the preliminaries to the Resurrection, while the barren day is the Resurrection itself. Furthermore, even if it were as argued, it would not be repetition, as the first mentions the Hour, and the second mentions the punishment of that day. It is also possible that the Hour refers to the time of death for every individual, and the barren day refers to the punishment of the Day of Resurrection.

As for His saying: {Sovereignty on that Day belongs to Allah}, this is one of the strongest proofs that the barren day is that day. It means that on that Day, no owner exists other than Him, unlike the days of this world where Allah delegates ownership of affairs to others. It clarifies that He is the sole Judge, which serves as a deterrent against disobedience. Then He explains how He will judge: He will send the believers to the Gardens of Bliss and the disbelievers to humiliating punishment. The description of Paradise and Hell has already preceded. If it is asked what the tanwīn (indefiniteness) in yawma’idhin (on that Day) stands for, we reply: Its meaning is: The sovereignty on the day they believe, or the day their doubt ceases, because of His saying: {And the disbelievers will not cease to be in doubt about it until the Hour comes upon them.}

{And those who emigrated for the cause of Allah and then were killed or died, Allah will surely provide them with a good provision. And indeed, Allah is the best of providers. He will surely admit them to an entrance with which they will be pleased, and indeed, Allah is Knowing and Forbearing. That is [the recompense]. And whoever retaliates with the like of that with which he was afflicted, and then is wronged again, Allah will surely give him victory. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Pardoning. That is because Allah causes the night to enter the day and causes the day to enter the night and that Allah is Hearing and Seeing. That is because Allah, He is the Truth, and that which they invoke besides Him is falsehood, and indeed, Allah, He is the Most High, the Great.}

Regarding those who emigrated for the cause of Allah and then were killed or died: Allah will surely provide them with a good provision. This good provision is sustenance in the Hereafter, which is better than any worldly provision. And indeed, Allah is the best of providers. He will surely admit them to an entrance with which they will be pleased. This is Paradise, which pleases them. Indeed, Allah is Knowing (of their sincerity) and Forbearing (in delaying their reward).

That is [the recompense]. And whoever retaliates with the like of that with which he was afflicted, and then is wronged again, Allah will surely give him victory. This refers to the one who was wronged, retaliated equally, and was then wronged again (oppressed beyond the initial wrong). Allah will surely give him victory. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving (of the initial retaliation) and Pardoning (of the subsequent wrong).

That is because Allah causes the night to enter the day and causes the day to enter the night. This is an indication of His absolute power over all things, showing that He can change states and conditions.

And that Allah is Hearing and Seeing. He hears the pleas of the oppressed and sees the actions of the oppressors.

That is because Allah, He is the Truth, and that which they invoke besides Him is falsehood, and indeed, Allah, He is the Most High, the Great. This confirms that all reality and truth belong to Allah, while all that is invoked besides Him is baseless and void.