“There is no good in most of their private conversations, except for one who enjoins charity, kindness, or reconciliation between people. And whoever does this seeking Allah’s pleasure, We shall grant him a great reward. (114)”

“Here you are”—that is, O people—“having argued”—that is, disputed—“on their behalf,” meaning on behalf of Tu'mah. In the recitation of Ubayy ibn Ka'b, it is singular: “on his behalf.” “In the life of this world.” Argumentation is intense disputation, derived from jadl, meaning severe twisting: the disputant seeks to turn his opponent away from his position through argument. It is also said that argumentation derives from jadālah, meaning the ground, as though each of the two adversaries seeks to overpower the other and throw him to the ground. “But who will argue with Allah on their behalf?” meaning, on behalf of Tu'mah, “on the Day of Resurrection,” when Allah seizes him with His punishment? “Or who will be their guardian?”—that is, their guarantor: who will defend them and take charge of their affair on the Day of Resurrection?

He then resumes, saying:

“Whoever commits an evil deed,” meaning theft, “or wrongs himself” by accusing an innocent person. It is also said: “Whoever commits an evil deed,” meaning associating partners with Allah, “or wrongs himself,” meaning by committing a sin short of associating partners with Allah, “then seeks Allah’s forgiveness”—that is, repents to Him and seeks His forgiveness—“will find Allah ever Forgiving, Most Merciful.” In this verse, He offers Tu'mah the opportunity to repent.

“Whoever earns a sin,” meaning Tu'mah’s false oath—namely: “I did not steal it; rather, the Jew stole it”—“earns it only against himself”: he harms only himself by it. “And Allah is All-Knowing” of the one who stole the armor, “All-Wise”: He decreed the cutting off of the thief’s hand.

“Whoever earns an offense,” meaning the theft of the armor, “or a sin,” meaning his false oath, “then casts it” — that is, casts what he has committed—“upon an innocent person”: this refers to attributing the theft to the Jew. “He has indeed borne a slander”: slander is a lie whose enormity leaves one bewildered, “and a manifest sin,” that is, an evident wrongdoing. His saying, “then casts it,” rather than “casts them,” after mentioning the offense and the sin, either refers the pronoun back to the sin, or treats the offense and the sin as though they were one thing.

His saying, Exalted is He: “Were it not for Allah’s favor and mercy toward you”—He says to the Prophet ﷺ—“they had indeed resolved,” that is: