“And they thought” means: they supposed “that there would be no trial”—that is, no punishment or killing. It has also been said that it means a trial and test; that is, they thought they would not be tested and that Allah would not punish them. The scholars of Basra, Hamzah, and al-Kisa’i read the verb in the indicative, takunu, on the meaning that it would not occur; the others read it in the subjunctive, as though the negative particle had not preceded it. “So they became blind” to the truth and did not see it, “and deaf” to it and did not hear it. That is, they became blind and deaf after Moses, peace be upon him. “Then Allah accepted their repentance” by sending Jesus, peace be upon him. “Then many of them became blind and deaf” through disbelief in Muhammad, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him. “And Allah sees all that they do.”

“Those who say, ‘Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary,’ have certainly disbelieved. But the Messiah said, ‘Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever associates partners with Allah, Allah has forbidden Paradise to him, and his refuge will be the Fire. And the wrongdoers will have no helpers.’ (72) Those who say, ‘Allah is the third of three,’ have certainly disbelieved. There is no god except One God. If they do not desist from what they say, a painful punishment will surely touch those among them who disbelieve. (73) Will they not turn to Allah in repentance and seek His forgiveness? Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. (74)”

“Those who say, ‘Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary,’ have certainly disbelieved.” They are the Melkites and the Jacobites among them. “But the Messiah said, ‘Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever associates partners with Allah, Allah has forbidden Paradise to him, and his refuge will be the Fire. And the wrongdoers will have no helpers.’”

“Those who say, ‘Allah is the third of three,’ have certainly disbelieved.” That is, the Marqusians. There is an ellipsis in the expression, its meaning being: the third of three gods. This is because they say that divinity is shared between Allah, Mary, and Jesus, and that each one of these is a god; thus, they are three gods. This is clarified by Allah’s words to the Messiah: “Was it you who said to the people, ‘Take me and my mother as two gods besides Allah’?” (al-Ma’idah, 116). Whoever says that Allah is the third of three, without intending divinity by it, does not disbelieve. For Allah says: “There is no secret counsel among three but that He is their fourth” (al-Mujadilah, 7). The Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, said to Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him: “What do you think of two whose third is Allah?” (1)

Then, in reply to them, He says: “There is no god except One God. If they do not desist from what they say, a painful punishment will surely touch [will surely afflict] (2) those among them who disbelieve.” He singled out those who disbelieve because He knew that some of them would believe.

“Will they not turn to Allah in repentance and seek His forgiveness?” Al-Farra’ said: This is a command expressed in the form of a question, like His saying, “Will you not desist?” (al-Ma’idah, 91)—that is, desist. The meaning is that Allah [commands you] (3) to repent and seek forgiveness for this grave sin. “And Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

The words of the Exalted: “The Messiah, son of Mary, was no more than a messenger; messengers had passed [gone] (4) before him.” That is, he is not a god; rather, he is like the messengers who came before him, who were not gods. “And his mother was a woman of great truthfulness.”