“Until, when the messengers despaired and were certain that they had been denied, Our help came to them; then We save whomever We will. And Our punishment is not averted from the guilty people.” (110)

Regarding His saying, “Until, when the messengers despaired and were certain that they had been denied, Our help came to them,” the reciters differed over the reading of “they had been denied.”

The reciters of Kufa and Abu Ja‘far read it without gemination, and Aishah disapproved of this recitation (1). The others read it with gemination.

Those who read it with gemination said that its meaning is: until the messengers despaired of their people’s believing.

[Mujahid is reported to have recited it in the active: “and they had lied,” with an a-vowel on the kaf and dhal, and without gemination. This admits two interpretations. The first is that the polytheists thought that the messengers had lied. The second is that the messengers thought—that is, knew—that their people had fabricated lies against Allah through their unbelief rather than faith.] (2)

“And they thought” means: they—the messengers—became certain that the nations had utterly denied them, such that there was no longer any hope of their believing. Here, “thought” carries the meaning of certainty; this is the meaning of Qatadah’s statement.

Others said that it means: when the messengers despaired that those of their people who had denied them would affirm them, and they thought that those of their people who had believed in them had declared them liars and apostatized from their religion, due to the severity of the trial and affliction that had befallen them and the delay of victory.

Those who read it without gemination said that its meaning is: when the messengers despaired of their people’s believing, and they thought—that is, their people thought—that the messengers had lied to them in their warning of punishment.

It is related from Ibn Abbas that it refers to the weakening of the messengers’ hearts; that is, the messengers thought that they had been lied to concerning the victory that had been promised to them. They were human beings, so they became weak and despaired, and thought that the promise had not been fulfilled. He then recited: “Until the Messenger and those who believed with him said, ‘When will Allah’s help come?’”