—who will arise, confirming what we have said; then we shall slay you along with him as ʿAd, Thamud, and Iram were slain.” But when there came to them that which they recognized—namely Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, who was not from the Children of Israel, though they knew his description and characteristics—they disbelieved in him out of spite and envy. “So Allah’s curse is upon the disbelievers.”

“How evil was that for which they sold themselves”: the Arabic expressions meaning “evil” and “excellent” are two past-tense verbs established for blame and praise; they do not undergo the usual inflections of verbs. Its meaning is: How evil was what they chose for themselves when they exchanged falsehood for truth. It is also said that “purchasing” here means selling. Thus, the meaning is: How evil was that for which they sold their own souls’ share—when they chose disbelief and gave themselves over to the Fire (1)—“that they should disbelieve in what Allah has sent down,” namely the Quran, “out of envy”—that is, jealousy—that Allah should send down from His bounty,” namely prophethood and the Book, “upon whom He wills of His servants,” namely Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

The reciters of Mecca and Basra read the verb “send down” without gemination, except in two places in the surah beginning with “Glory be to Him”: “We send down from the Quran” (al-Isra 17:82) and “until you send down” (al-Isra 17:93), which Ibn Kathir reads with gemination. The Basran reciters also read with gemination in “that He should send down a sign” (al-Anʿam 6:37). Yaʿqub further reads with gemination in “in accordance with what He sends down” in al-Nahl, and agrees with Hamzah and al-Kisaʾi in reading without gemination, “and He sends down the rain,” in Surat Luqman and Ha Mim ʿAyn Sin Qaf. The others read all of these with gemination. They did not differ, however, over reading with gemination, “We send it down only in due measure,” in al-Hijr (15:21).

“So they incurred wrath upon wrath,” that is, they returned bearing wrath upon wrath. Ibn ʿAbbas and Mujahid said: The first wrath was for their neglecting and altering the Torah, and the second for their disbelief in Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and the Quran. Qatadah said: The first was for their disbelief in Jesus and the Gospel, and the second for their disbelief in Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and the Quran. Al-Suddi said: The first was for worshipping the calf, and the second for disbelieving in Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. “And for the disbelievers”—those among all people who deny the prophethood of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him—“is a humiliating punishment,” a disgraceful punishment in which they will be humiliated.

“And when they are told, ‘Believe in what Allah has sent down,’ they say, ‘We believe in what was sent down to us,’ while they disbelieve in what lies beyond it, though it is the truth, confirming what they have with them. Say, ‘Then why did you kill Allah’s prophets previously, if you were believers?’” (91)

His saying, Exalted is He, “And when they are told, ‘Believe in what Allah has sent down,’” means the Quran. “They say, ‘We believe in what was sent down to us,’” meaning the Torah; that suffices us. “While they disbelieve in what lies beyond it,” that is, in the other Books besides it, as in His saying, “Whoever seeks anything beyond that” (al-Muʾminun 23:7), meaning anything other than that. Abu ʿUbaydah said: “What lies beyond it” (2) means the other Books besides it. “Though it is the truth,” meaning the Quran, “confirming”: this is in the accusative as a circumstantial qualifier, “what they have with them,” namely the Torah. “Say,” O Muhammad, “Then why did you kill?” That is, why did you kill