His saying, exalted is He: “When you see those who engage in ridicule of Our signs”—that is, of the Quran—“then turn away from them”: leave them and do not sit with them (1), “until they engage in some other discourse. And if Satan causes you to forget”—Ibn Amir read it with the nun vowelled with fatḥah and the sin doubled, while the other reciters read it with an unvowelled nun and an undoubled sin—“then do not, after remembering, remain seated with the wrongdoing people.” That is, if you sit with them forgetfully, then rise and leave them once you remember.
“Those who are mindful of Allah bear no responsibility whatsoever for their account.” It is related from Ibn Abbas that, when this verse was revealed—“When you see those who engage in ridicule of Our signs, then turn away from them”—the Muslims said, “How can we sit in the Sacred Mosque and circumambulate the House while they are constantly engaging in such discourse?” In another narration, the Muslims said, “We fear sin if we leave them and do not forbid them.” So Allah, exalted is He, revealed: “Those who are mindful of Allah” and avoid such discourse “bear no responsibility whatsoever for their account”—that is, for any of the sins of those who engage in it—“but it is a reminder”: remind them and admonish them through the Quran. Remembrance and admonition are one and the same. This means: remind them of My reminder, making it grammatically accusative, “so that they may become mindful”—that is, so that they may refrain from such discourse when you admonish them. Thus, sitting with them for the purpose of admonition was permitted, in the hope that it might prevent them from such discourse. It was also said: so that they may feel ashamed.
“And leave those who have taken their religion as play and amusement, and whom the life of this world has deceived. Yet remind them by it, lest a soul be given over to destruction because of what it has earned. It will have no protector or intercessor apart from Allah; and even if it offers every ransom, it will not be accepted from it. Those are the ones given over to destruction because of what they have earned. For them there will be a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment because they used to disbelieve.” (70)
“Say: ‘Shall we invoke, apart from Allah, that which can neither benefit us nor harm us, and be turned back on our heels after Allah has guided us—like one whom the devils have lured away upon the earth, leaving him bewildered, while he has companions calling him to guidance: “Come to us”? Say: “Indeed, Allah’s guidance is the only true guidance, and we have been commanded to submit to the Lord of all worlds.”’” (71)
His saying, exalted is He: “And leave those who have taken their religion as play and amusement”—that is, the disbelievers who, when they hear the signs of Allah, ridicule them and behave frivolously when they are mentioned. It was also said that Allah, exalted is He, appointed a festival for every people, and each people took their religion—that is, their festival—as play and amusement. The festival of the Muslims consists of prayer, declaring Allah’s greatness, and doing good deeds, such as Friday, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha.
“And whom the life of this world has deceived. Yet remind them by it”—that is, admonish them through the Quran—“lest a soul be given over to destruction”: that is, so that it may not be—that is, not