Al-Kalbi said: “If He wills, He will have mercy on you and deliver you from the people of Mecca; or, if He wills, He will punish you by giving them power over you.” “And We have not sent you, O Muhammad, as a guardian over them”: that is, as one who watches over them and is responsible for them. It was said that this was abrogated by the verse commanding fighting.

“Your Lord knows best all who are in the heavens and the earth. And We have certainly favored some prophets above others, and We gave David a Zabur.” (55) “Say, ‘Call upon those whom you claim besides Him. They have no power to remove harm from you or to transfer it elsewhere.’” (56) “Those whom they invoke themselves seek a means of nearness to their Lord, striving to be nearest; they hope for His mercy and fear His punishment. Indeed, the punishment of your Lord is ever to be feared.” (57)

“Your Lord knows best all who are in the heavens and the earth”: that is, your Lord knows those who are in the heavens and the earth, and He has made them differ in their forms, characters, conditions, and religions.

“And We have certainly favored some prophets above others”: it was said that He made the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth differ, just as He favored some prophets above others.

Qatadah said regarding this verse: “Allah took Abraham as an intimate friend, spoke directly to Moses, and said to Jesus, ‘Be,’ and it was. (1) He gave Solomon a kingdom such as would not belong to anyone after him, and He gave David a Zabur, as He said: ‘And We gave David a Zabur.’” The Zabur was a book which Allah taught David; it contained one hundred and fifty surahs, all of them supplications, glorification, and praise of Allah. It contained no rulings of what is lawful or unlawful, no prescribed obligations, and no legal punishments.

Its meaning is: You did not deny that some prophets were favored above others, so how can you deny the excellence of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his being given the Quran? This is addressed to those among the People of the Book and others who acknowledge the superiority of some prophets over others.

His saying, exalted is He, “Say, ‘Call upon those whom you claim besides Him’”: this was because the idolaters were afflicted by such severe drought that they ate dogs (2) and carrion. They then appealed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, asking him to supplicate for them. Allah, exalted is He, said: “Say”—to the idolaters—“Call upon those whom you claim besides Him” to be gods. “They have no power to remove harm”—that is, drought and hunger—“from you, or to transfer it elsewhere”: either to transfer it to someone else, or to change the condition from hardship to ease.

“Those whom they invoke themselves seek a means of nearness to their Lord”: that is, those whom the idolaters invoke as gods and worship.