“He is God in heaven and God on earth, and He is the All-Wise, All-Knowing. (84) Blessed is He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them. With Him is knowledge of the Hour, and to Him you will be returned. (85) Those whom they invoke besides Him have no power of intercession, except those who bear witness to the truth knowingly. (86) If you ask them who created them, they will surely say, ‘Allah.’ How then are they turned away? (87) And his plea: ‘My Lord, these are a people who do not believe.’ (88) So turn away from them and say, ‘Peace.’ They will come to know. (89)”

“He is God in heaven and God on earth.” Qatadah said: “He is worshipped in heaven and on earth; there is no god but Him.” (1) “And He is the All-Wise” in directing the affairs of His creation, “the All-Knowing” of what is beneficial for them.

“Blessed is He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them. With Him is knowledge of the Hour, and to Him you will be returned.” Ibn Kathir and al-Kisa’i read it as “they will return,” with a yā’; the others read it with a tā’, meaning, “you will be returned.”

“Those whom they invoke besides Him have no power of intercession, except those who bear witness to the truth.” These are Jesus, Ezra, and the angels, for they were worshipped besides Allah and possess the right of intercession. According to this interpretation, “those who” is in the nominative case. It is also said that it is in the genitive case, and that “those whom they invoke” refers to Jesus, Ezra, and the angels; that is, they possess no power of intercession except those who bear witness to the truth. The first view is sounder. By bearing witness to the truth, He means their saying, “There is no god worthy of worship except Allah,” the declaration of tawhid (divine oneness), “while they know” in their hearts what they have testified to with their tongues.

“If you ask them who created them, they will surely say, ‘Allah.’ How then are they turned away?” That is, how they are diverted from worshipping Him.

“And his plea: ‘My Lord’”: that is, the plea of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as he complained to his Lord: “My Lord, these are a people who do not believe.” ⦗120/a⦘ Asim and Hamzah read it in the genitive case, according to the meaning: With Him is knowledge of the Hour and knowledge of his plea, “My Lord.” The others read it in the accusative case, which has two possible explanations. The first is: “Or do they think that We do not hear their secrets, their private counsels, and his plea: ‘My Lord’?” The second is: And he made his plea.

“So turn away from them”: that is, disregard them. “And say, ‘Peace’”: that is, a declaration of leaving them, as in His saying: “Peace be upon you. We seek no company with the ignorant.” (Surah al-Qasas, 55) “They will come to know.” The people of Madinah and Syria read it with a tā’, while the rest read it with a yā’. Muqatil said: “It was abrogated by the Verse of the Sword.” (2)