“anything of your deeds”—that is, He will not diminish anything of the reward for your deeds. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

“The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, then do not doubt, and strive with their wealth and their lives in the cause of Allah. It is they who are the truthful.” (15) “Say, ‘Would you inform Allah of your religion, while Allah knows all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth? And Allah is Knowing of all things.’” (16) “They regard it as a favor to you that they have submitted. Say, ‘Do not regard your submission as a favor to me. Rather, Allah has conferred favor upon you by guiding you to faith, if you are truthful.’” (17) “Indeed, Allah knows the unseen of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.” (18)

He then explained the reality of faith, saying: “The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, then do not doubt”—that is, they have no doubt concerning their religion—“and strive with their wealth and their lives in the cause of Allah. It is they who are the truthful”: truthful in their faith.

When these two verses were revealed, the Bedouins came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, swearing by Allah that they were truthful believers. Yet Allah knew otherwise of them, so Allah, exalted is He, revealed:

“Say, ‘Would you inform Allah of your religion?’” Here, “inform” means to notify. This is why He said, “of your religion,” employing the preposition “of”: that is, “Would you tell Allah about the religion that you follow, while Allah knows all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth? And Allah is Knowing of all things?” He has no need of your informing Him.

“They regard it as a favor to you that they have submitted. Say, ‘Do not regard your submission as a favor to me’”—that is, do not regard your submission as a favor conferred upon me—“rather, Allah has conferred favor upon you by guiding you to faith.” In the codex of Abd Allah, it reads: “when He guided you to faith.” “If you are truthful”—that is, if you are believers.

“Indeed, Allah knows the unseen of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.” Ibn Kathir recited “what they do,” in the third person, while the others recited it in the second person: “what you do.”