meaning “to cut”; that is, he is the one utterly cut off—cut off from every good. This is because the disbelievers of Quraysh used to say, “Muhammad is cut off. There is no good or blessing in him or in following him.” When his son al-Qāsim—may Allah be pleased with him—died, they called him cut off, saying, “No child will be born to him; and even if a child is born to him, his line will be severed.” Allah, Glorified and Exalted, therefore made clear that the one who hates the Messenger—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—is himself the one cut off from every good, devoid of blessing, and whose life will only bring him regret.
If this applies to one who hates the Messenger, it likewise applies to one who hates his revealed law. Whoever hates the Messenger’s revealed law—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—or hates any rite of Islam, or any act of obedience through which people worship in the religion of Islam, is a disbeliever outside the faith. This is based on the words of Allah Most High: ﴿That is because they hated what Allah revealed, so He rendered their deeds worthless﴾ [Muhammad: 9]. Deeds are not rendered worthless except through disbelief. Thus, whoever hates the obligation of the prayers is a disbeliever even if he prays, and whoever hates the obligation of zakat is a disbeliever even if he pays it. However, one who merely finds it burdensome without hating it possesses a trait of hypocrisy, but does not thereby become a disbeliever. There is a difference between finding something burdensome and hating it.
Thus, this surah explains Allah’s blessing upon His Messenger—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family—by granting him abundant good. It then commands that prayers and sacrifice, as well as all other acts of worship, be devoted sincerely to Allah, Glorified and Exalted. Finally, it explains that whoever hates the Messenger—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—or hates anything from his revealed law is himself the one utterly cut off, devoid of all good and blessing. We ask Allah for well-being and safety.