in His saying: “What I created with My Hands” (Sad, 75). And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Both of His Hands are right hands” (1). Allah knows His Attributes best; the servants are required to believe in them and submit to them.

The imams of the early generations among the people of the Sunnah said concerning these Attributes: “Pass them on as they have come, without asking how.”

“He provides”—that is, He grants provision—“as He wills. Surely that which has been sent down to you from your Lord will increase many of them in defiance and disbelief.” That is, whenever a verse was revealed, they disbelieved in it and increased in defiance and disbelief. [Whenever a verse was revealed] (2). “And We have cast among them enmity and hatred”—that is, between the Jews and the Christians, according to al-Hasan and Mujahid. It was also said: between the different Jewish sects; Allah made them divided in their religion and mutually hostile “until the Day of Resurrection. Whenever they kindle a fire for war, Allah extinguishes it.”

That is, the Jews spread corruption and violated the rulings of the Torah, so Allah sent Nebuchadnezzar against them. Then they spread corruption again, so Allah sent Titus the Roman against them. Then they spread corruption again, so Allah subjected the Magians to them. Then they spread corruption again, so Allah sent the Muslims against them.

It was also said: Whenever they united in an effort to undermine the cause of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and kindled the flames of war, Allah extinguished them: He repelled and subdued them, and granted victory to His Prophet and His religion. This is the meaning of al-Hasan’s statement. Qatadah said: This is general, applying to every war sought by the Jews; you will not find the Jews in any land except that they are among the most humiliated of people. “They strive throughout the land spreading corruption, and Allah does not love the corrupters.”