Muhammad ibn Isma'il narrated to us: Sadaqah ibn al-Fadl narrated to us; Ibn Uyaynah narrated to us from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid, from Abu Ma'mar, from Abdullah, who said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, entered Mecca on the day of its conquest, while there were three hundred and sixty idols around the House. He began striking them with a stick [that was in his hand] (1), saying, “The truth has come, and falsehood has vanished.” “The truth has come, and falsehood can neither originate nor restore.” (2)

“And We send down in the Quran that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it increases the wrongdoers only in loss. And when We bestow favor upon man, he turns away and distances himself; but when evil touches him, he is despairing.” (82–83)

213/a His words, exalted is He: “And We send down in the Quran that which is healing and mercy for the believers.” It was said that “from” is not partitive; rather, its meaning is: We send down from the Quran—all of which is healing—that is, a clarification from misguidance and ignorance. Through it, matters over which people differ are distinguished, ambiguities are made clear, doubts are cured, and guidance is found from bewilderment. Thus, it is a healing for hearts through the removal of ignorance from them, and a mercy for the believers.

“But it increases the wrongdoers only in loss,” because the wrongdoer does not benefit from it, whereas the believer does benefit from it, and so it becomes a mercy for him.

It was also said that the wrongdoer’s loss increases because, whenever a verse is sent down, their denial is renewed, and their loss grows.

Qatadah said: No one keeps company with this Quran except that he rises from it with either an increase or a decrease. Allah has decreed what He has decreed: healing and mercy for the believers, while it increases the wrongdoers only in loss.

His words, exalted is He: “And when We bestow favor upon man, he turns away”—from Our remembrance and supplication to Us—“and distances himself”; that is, he withdraws from Us of his own accord, meaning that he abandons drawing near to Allah through supplication. Ata said: He becomes arrogant and proud. Hamzah and al-Kisa'i read it with an i-vowel on both the nūn and the hamzah, while Abu Bakr reads it with an a-vowel on the nūn and an i-vowel on the hamzah. Ibn Amir and Abu Ja'far recited wa-nā'a, like jā'a. It was said that it has the same meaning as na'ā; and it was also said that nā'a derives from naw', meaning to rise and stand.

“And when evil touches him”—that is, hardship and harm—“he is despairing”: that is, despondent and hopeless. It was also said that its meaning is that he humbles himself and supplicates at times of harm and hardship; but when the answer is delayed, he despairs. A believer should not despair of an answer, even if it is delayed, and thereby abandon supplication.