Tafsir of Al-Ahqaf 46:11

{For those who believe}: Meaning "on their account." This is the speech of the disbelievers of Mecca. They said: "The majority of those who follow Muhammad are the dregs [of society]," meaning the poor, such as ‘Ammar, Suhayb, and Ibn Mas‘ud. "Had what he brought been good, these people would not have preceded us to it."

It is also said: When the tribes of Juhaynah, Muzaynah, Aslam, and Ghifar embraced Islam, the tribes of Banu ‘Amir, Ghatafan, Asad, and Ashja‘ said: "Had it been good, the shepherds of livestock would not have preceded us to it."

It is also said: A slave girl of ‘Umar embraced Islam, and ‘Umar would beat her until he grew weary, then say: "Were it not for my weariness, I would have increased your beating." The disbelievers of Quraysh would say: "Had what he calls to been the truth, so-and-so [the slave girl] would not have preceded us to it."

It is also said: The Jews used to say this upon the conversion of ‘Abdullah ibn Salam and his companions.

If you ask: There must be a governing agent (‘amil) for the adverbial phrase (zarf) in His saying: {And since they are not guided by it}, and there must be a connection for His saying: {they will say}. It is not sound for {they will say} to be the governing agent for the adverbial phrase, due to the conflict between the past tense and the future tense. What is the interpretation of this phrasing?

I reply: The governing agent for idh (since/when) is omitted, as indicated by the context, just as it is omitted in His saying: {So when they took him...} (Yusuf: 15), and in the saying of the people: "At that time, now." The estimation is: "And since they are not guided by it, their stubbornness became apparent, so they will say: 'This is an ancient falsehood.'" Through this implied element, the speech becomes sound, as the adverbial phrase is governed by it, and the saying {they will say} becomes a consequence of it. This is similar to how the saying {until the Messenger says...} (Al-Baqarah: 214) is made sound by the implication of "until," as the hatta (until) encounters its genitive object, while the imperfect verb is governed by it.

{An ancient falsehood}: Like their saying: "Legends of the ancients."

{The Book of Moses}: A subject (mubtada'), and the adverbial phrase before it is a predicate (khabar) placed in front of it. It governs {as a guide} (imaman) as a state (hal), similar to your saying: "In the house is Zayd, standing." It is also recited: wa-min qablihi kitabu Musa (And before him is the Book of Moses), meaning: "And We gave the Torah to those before him."

The meaning of {a guide} (imaman): A model to be followed in the religion of God and His laws, just as an Imam is followed.

{And a mercy}: For those who believe in it and act upon what is in it.

{And this}: This Quran.

{A Book confirming}: The Book of Moses, or confirming all the books that came before it. It is also recited: musaddiqan lima bayna yadayhi.

{An Arabic tongue}: A state (hal) from the pronoun of "the Book" in musaddiq (confirming), and the governing agent is musaddiq. It is also permissible for it to be a state from "Book" because it is specified by the description, and the meaning of the demonstrative pronoun governs it. It is also permitted that it be an object of musaddiq, meaning: "It confirms the possessor of an Arabic tongue," which is the Messenger.

It is recited: li-yundhira (to warn) with both the ya and the ta. Li-yundhira is derived from nadhara yundhiru when one warns.

{And a glad tiding}: In the accusative case, conjoined to the place of li-yundhira, because it is a verbal noun (maf‘ul lahu).