“They have not held Allah in His rightful esteem when they said, ‘Allah has not sent down anything to any human being.’ Say, ‘Who, then, sent down the Book which Moses brought as a light and guidance for the people? You make it into separate sheets, revealing some of it while concealing much; and you have been taught that which neither you nor your forefathers knew.’ Say, ‘Allah,’ then leave them to amuse themselves in their vain discourse. (91)”

“Those are the ones whom Allah has guided,” that is, Allah has guided them; “so follow their guidance,” meaning their sunnah and way of life. In iqtadih (follow), the final hā’ is a letter used in pausing. Hamzah and al-Kisa’i omit the hā’ when continuing the recitation, whereas the remaining reciters retain it both when continuing and when pausing. Ibn Amir recited iqtadih with the hā’ fully pronounced with a kasrah: “Say, ‘I ask of you no payment for it. It is nothing but”—that is, it is only—“a reminder,” meaning an admonition and exhortation, “for all peoples.”

The Exalted says: “They have not held Allah in His rightful esteem,” that is, they did not magnify Him as His greatness truly requires. It has also been said: they did not describe Him as He truly deserves to be described. “When they said, ‘Allah has not sent down anything to any human being.’” Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: A Jewish man named Malik ibn al-Sayf came disputing with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in Mecca. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to him, “I adjure you by Him who sent down the Torah to Moses: do you not find in the Torah that Allah hates the corpulent rabbi?” He was himself a corpulent rabbi, so he became angry and said, “By Allah, Allah has not sent down anything to any human being.” (1)