The true nature of sealing is to secure something tightly, so that nothing that has left it can re-enter it, and nothing within it can come out of it; hence the sealing of a door. Ahl al-Sunnah said: This means that He decreed disbelief for their hearts, on account of His pre-eternal knowledge concerning them. The Mu‘tazilah said: He placed a mark upon their hearts by which the angels recognize them.

“And upon their hearing”: that is, upon the faculty by which they hear, so that they neither hear the truth nor benefit from it. What is meant is “upon their hearings,” just as He says, “their hearts”; however, it is expressed in the singular because it is a verbal noun, and verbal nouns are neither made dual nor plural.

“And over their eyes is a covering”: this begins a new statement. A covering is a veil, so they do not see the truth. Abu ‘Amr and al-Kisa’i recited “their eyes” with imālah, inclining the long a vowel toward i. They similarly apply this pronunciation to every alif in nouns that is followed by a genitive r sound and constitutes the final root letter. Hamzah applies it, among these cases, where the r sound is repeated, such as in al-qarār (“the abode”) and the like. Al-Kisa’i additionally applies imālah in jabbārīn (“tyrants”), al-jawāri (“the ships”), al-jāri (“the neighbor”), bāri’ikum (“your Creator”), man anṣārī (“who are my helpers?”), and nusāri‘u (“We hasten”), as well as words of the same type.

Likewise, they apply imālah to every alif that functions as the final root letter or as a feminine ending when it is preceded by an r sound. Examples of the feminine ending are al-kubrā (“the greatest”) and al-ukhrā (“the other”); and examples of a final root letter are tarā (“you see”) and iftarā (“he fabricated”). In such cases, they pronounce the r sound with the vowel i.

“And for them is a tremendous punishment”: that is, in the Hereafter. It was also said that it means killing and captivity in this world, and everlasting punishment in the Hereafter. Punishment is everything that causes a person suffering and hardship. Al-Khalil said: Punishment is that which prevents a person from attaining what he desires; hence fresh water, because it prevents thirst.

Concerning His saying, “And among the people are those who say, ‘We believe in Allah’”: it was revealed concerning the hypocrites (1): ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, Mu‘attib ibn Qushayr, Jadd ibn Qays, and their companions. They outwardly professed Islam in order to protect themselves from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his Companions, while inwardly holding the opposite belief. Most of them were Jews.

People is the plural of person. It was so named because a covenant was entrusted to him, but he forgot, as Allah Most High says:

“And We had already made a covenant with Adam, but he forgot.” (115—Ta-Ha)

It was also said that the name derives from their being visible, as in the expression, “I perceived”; and it was said that it is because one finds companionship in another person. “And in the Last Day”: that is, the Day of Resurrection.

Allah Most High says: “Yet they are not believers. They seek to deceive Allah.” That is, they act contrary to Allah. The basic meaning of deception in the language is concealment; hence the word for a small inner room where belongings are hidden. Thus, a deceiver displays the opposite of what he conceals. As for the deception attributed to Allah in His saying, “And He deceives them” (182—al-Nisa), it means that He displays and hastens for them the blessings of this world, contrary to the punishment of the Hereafter that is hidden from them.

It was also said that the basic meaning of deception is corruption. Thus, its meaning is that they corrupt the faith they outwardly profess by the disbelief that they conceal.

His saying, “And He deceives them,” means that He spoils for them their worldly enjoyment through the punishment of the Hereafter to which He brings them. If it is asked: What is the meaning of His saying, “They seek to deceive Allah,” when the reciprocal verb form ordinarily denotes mutual participation, whereas Allah Most High is far exalted above sharing in mutual deception? It is said: The reciprocal form may occur without denoting mutuality, as when one says, “May Allah grant you well-being,” “I punished so-and-so,” or “I layered the sole of a sandal.”

Al-Hasan said: Its meaning is that they seek to deceive the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, just as Allah Most High says, “Indeed, those who harm Allah” (57—al-Ahzab), meaning, His close allies. It was also said that the mention of Allah here is for rhetorical embellishment, while those intended by the deception are the believers, just as He says, “Then one-fifth of it is for Allah and for the Messenger” (41—al-Anfal). It was also said that its meaning is: They do in Allah’s religion that which constitutes deception in their religion. “And those who believe”: that is, they deceive the believers by saying, whenever they see them, “We believe”