“So the end of both of them was that they would be in the Fire, abiding therein forever; and that is the recompense of the wrongdoers.” (17)

Allah, exalted is He, says: “So the end of both of them”—that is, Satan and that man—“was that they would be in the Fire, abiding therein forever; and that is the recompense of the wrongdoers.” Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Allah struck this parable for the Jews of Bani al-Nadir and the hypocrites among the people of Madinah. Allah commanded His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to expel Bani al-Nadir from Madinah, so the hypocrites secretly sent word to them, saying: ‘Do not comply with what Muhammad has called you to do, and do not leave your homes. If he fights you, we shall stand with you; and if he expels you, we shall leave with you.’

“They accepted their words, sealed up their fortresses, and entrenched themselves in their homes, hoping for the support of the hypocrites. Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came to them, and they confronted him in battle, still hoping for the hypocrites’ support. But the hypocrites abandoned them and disavowed them, just as Satan disavowed Barsisa and abandoned him. Thus, the end of both parties was the Fire.”

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “After that, the monks among the Children of Israel would go about only with caution and concealment. The people of immorality and depravity set their sights on the religious scholars, accusing them with slander and vile allegations, until the incident of Jurayj the monk occurred. When Allah cleared him of what they had accused him of, the monks thereafter moved about freely and appeared openly before the people.

“The story of Jurayj was as follows: Ismail ibn Abd al-Qahir informed us; Abd al-Ghafir ibn Muhammad informed us; Muhammad ibn Isa al-Juludi narrated to us; Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Sufyan narrated to us; Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj narrated to us; Zuhayr ibn Harb narrated to me; Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us; Jarir ibn Hazim informed us; Muhammad ibn Sirin narrated from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said:

‘None spoke in the cradle except three: Jesus, son of Mary, peace be upon him, and the infant in the story of Jurayj. Jurayj was a devout worshipper who built himself a hermitage and lived in it. His mother came to him while he was praying and called, “O Jurayj!” He said to himself, “My Lord, my mother or my prayer?” Then he continued with his prayer, and she left.

“The following day, she came to him while he was praying and called, “O Jurayj!” He said, “O my Lord, my mother or my prayer?” Then he continued with his prayer. She said, “O Allah, do not let him die until he sees the faces of prostitutes.”

“The Children of Israel began speaking of Jurayj and his worship. There was a prostitute whose beauty was proverbial, and she said, ‘If you wish, I shall seduce him for you.’ So she presented herself to him, but he paid her no attention. She then went to a shepherd who used to take shelter near his hermitage and gave herself to him. He had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth, she claimed, ‘This child is from Jurayj.’

“They came to him, forced him down from his hermitage, demolished it, and began beating him. He said, ‘What is the matter with you?’ They replied, ‘You committed adultery with this prostitute, and she bore a child from you.’ He asked, ‘Where is the child?’ So they brought him. He said, ‘Leave me until I pray.’ He prayed, and when he had finished, he went to the child, poked him in the stomach, and said, ‘O boy, who is your father?’ The child replied, ‘So-and-so, the shepherd.’

“They then turned to Jurayj, kissing him and seeking blessings from him. They said, ‘We shall build your hermitage for you out of gold.’ He said, ‘No; rebuild it from mud as it was before.’ So they did.

“While a baby was nursing from his mother, a man passed by riding a splendid mount and wearing fine clothing. His mother said, ‘O Allah—’