“And they were guided to goodly speech, and they were guided to the path of the Praiseworthy. (24) Indeed, those who disbelieve and bar others from the way of Allah and from the Sacred Mosque, which We have made for all people alike—the resident therein and the visitor—and whoever intends therein deviation through wrongdoing, We shall make him taste a painful punishment. (25)”

His saying, exalted is He: “And they were guided to goodly speech”: Ibn Abbas said, “It is the testimony that there is no god but Allah.” Ibn Zayd said, “There is no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest, and all praise is due to Allah [and glory be to Allah].” (1) Al-Suddi said: That is, the Quran. It was also said that it is the utterance of the people of Paradise: “All praise is due to Allah, who has fulfilled His promise to us.” (al-Zumar: 74)

“And they were guided to the path of the Praiseworthy”: that is, to the religion of Allah, which is Islam. “The Praiseworthy” is Allah, who is praised in His actions.

His saying, exalted is He: “Indeed, those who disbelieve and bar others from the way of Allah”: the future-tense verb is coordinated with the past-tense verb because the future form here carries the meaning of the past, as He, exalted is He, says elsewhere: “Those who disbelieved and turned others away from the way of Allah.” (al-Nisa: 167) Its meaning is: Indeed, those who disbelieved previously and are now barring others from the way of Allah—that is, while they continue to bar others.

“And from the Sacred Mosque”: that is, they bar others from the Sacred Mosque. “Which We have made for all people”: as a direction for their prayer, a place for the rites of pilgrimage, and a place of worship, as He says: “Established for mankind.” (Al Imran: 96)

“Alike”: Hafs, narrating from Asim, and Yaqub recited it in the accusative case, governed by the verb “made,” since this verb takes two objects. It was also said that its meaning is: made equal therein—the resident therein and the visitor. The others recited it in the nominative case, as the subject of a new nominal clause, with what follows as its predicate. On this reading, the statement is complete at His saying, “for all people.” By “the resident” He means one who resides there, and by “the visitor” one who comes to it from elsewhere.

They differed regarding the meaning of the verse. Some said: “Alike—the resident therein and the visitor”; that is, alike with respect to revering its sanctity and performing the rites therein. This was the view of Mujahid, al-Hasan, and a group of others. They said that what is meant is the Sacred Mosque itself. Equality here means equality in venerating the Kaabah, in the virtue of prayer in the Sacred Mosque, and in circumambulating the House.