(5) “But they denied the truth when it came to them, so they are in a state of confusion.”

That is, “But” the words they uttered stem solely from stubbornness and denial of the truth, which is truthfulness in its highest form. “When it came to them, so they are in a state of confusion”; that is, their affair is muddled and unclear. They remain firm upon nothing and settle on no position. At times they say that you are a magician, at others a madman, and at still others a poet. Likewise, they divided the Quran into disparate claims, each saying about it whatever his corrupt opinion dictated. Thus, everyone who denies the truth is caught in a state of confusion, with no discernible direction (1) or settled position. [You therefore see his affairs to be contradictory and distorted.] By contrast, whoever follows the truth ⦗804⦘ and believes in it has his affairs set aright, his path made straight, and his deeds accord with his words.