or misguidance; rather, it arose from knowledge, evil intent, and aggression against one another. Hence He said, “They shall have a tremendous punishment.”

(106–107) He then explains when this tremendous punishment will occur and this painful torment will afflict them, saying:

“On the Day when some faces will become radiant and others will become dark. As for those whose faces become dark, it will be said, ‘Did you disbelieve after having believed? Then taste the punishment for your disbelief.’ But as for those whose faces become radiant, they will be within Allah’s mercy, abiding therein forever.”

The Exalted informs us that people will differ in happiness and misery on the Day of Resurrection. The faces of the blessed—those who believed in Allah, affirmed His messengers, obeyed His commands, and avoided His prohibitions—will become radiant. Allah will admit them into the Gardens and lavish every kind of honor upon them, and they will abide therein forever.

The faces of the wretched—those who denied His messengers, disobeyed His commands, and divided their religion into sects—will become dark. They will be rebuked and told, “Did you disbelieve after having believed?” How could you choose disbelief over faith?! “Then taste the punishment for your disbelief.”

(108–109) “These are Allah’s verses, which We recite to you in truth. Allah does not desire injustice for the worlds. * To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, and to Allah all matters shall be returned.”

The Exalted praises the verses He has related to His Prophet, through which truth is distinguished from falsehood and Allah’s allies from His enemies. He also recounts the reward He has prepared for the former and the punishment for the latter. All of this proceeds from His grace, justice, and wisdom. He does not wrong His servants, diminish the reward of their deeds, punish anyone for a sin he did not commit, or burden anyone with the sin of another.

After mentioning that command and revealed law belong to Him, He states that complete dominion, control, and authority also belong to Him, saying, “To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, and to Allah all matters shall be returned.” He will recompense those who do good for their goodness and those who do evil for their disobedience.

Allah often mentions His three kinds of judgment together, making it clear to His servants that He is the absolute Judge. To Him belong the decrees governing creation, the rulings of revealed law, and the judgments of recompense. He is the Judge over His servants in this world and the Hereafter.

Every creature besides Him is subject to His judgment and possesses no authority whatsoever.

(110–111) “You are the best community ever raised for mankind: you enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and believe in Allah. Had the People of the Scripture believed, it would have been better for them. Some of them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient. * They will never harm you beyond verbal abuse. If they fight you, they will turn their backs in flight; then they will receive no help.”

Allah has favored this community because of these qualities, by which they are distinguished and surpass all other nations. They are the most beneficial of people to mankind through their sincere counsel, love of goodness, calling, teaching, guidance, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. They combine striving to improve others and secure their welfare to the extent possible with perfecting themselves through faith in Allah and fulfilling the duties entailed by faith.

Had the People of the Scripture believed as you believe, they would have been guided and it would have been better for them. Yet only a few of them believed; most are defiantly disobedient, having departed from obedience to Allah and His Messenger. They wage war against the believers and strive to harm them by every means within their power. Nevertheless, they will never harm the believers beyond verbal abuse. If they were to fight them, they would turn their backs in flight and then receive no help.

What Allah foretold indeed came to pass: when they fought the Muslims, they turned their backs in flight, and Allah granted the Muslims victory over them.

(112) “Humiliation has been imposed upon them wherever they are found, unless they have a covenant from Allah or a covenant from people. They have incurred wrath from Allah, and destitution has been imposed upon them. That is because they disbelieved in Allah’s signs and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and habitually transgressed.”

This is a declaration from Allah, exalted is He, that humiliation has been imposed upon the Jews. They are fearful wherever they are found, and nothing grants them security except a treaty or some other means of protection, under which they submit to the rulings of Islam and acknowledge the obligation of the jizya (tribute).

Alternatively, “a covenant from people” means that they are under the authority and supervision of others, [as has been observed of them in the past and the present. In recent times, they were able to establish temporary rule in Palestine only through the support of the major powers and those powers’ preparation of every means for them] (1).

“They have incurred wrath from Allah”—that is, Allah became angry with them and punished them with humiliation and destitution. The reason was their disbelief in Allah’s signs and their killing of the prophets without right. This did not arise from ignorance, but from aggression and obstinacy.

Those varied punishments were imposed upon them “because they disobeyed and habitually transgressed.” Allah did not wrong them or punish them without sin. Rather, what He brought upon them was due to their aggression, transgression, disbelief, denial of the messengers, and heinous crimes.

(113–115) “They are not all alike. Among the People of the Scripture is an upright community: they recite Allah’s verses during the hours of the night while prostrating. * They believe in Allah and the Last Day, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and hasten to good deeds. These are among the righteous. * Whatever good they do will never be denied them, and Allah knows the God-fearing.”

After mentioning the deviant among the People of the Scripture, Allah explains the condition of those among them who are upright. Among them is a community that upholds both the fundamentals and the branches of the religion.

“They believe in Allah and the Last Day and enjoin what is right”—which encompasses every good—and forbid what is wrong, which encompasses every evil. As the Exalted says, “Among the people of Moses is a community that guides by the truth and establishes justice thereby.”

“They hasten to good deeds.” Hastening to good deeds goes beyond merely performing them. They are thus described as doing good, taking the initiative to do it, and completing it with everything necessary for its fulfillment, whether obligatory or recommended.

The Exalted then explains that He will accept every good deed they perform, whether small or great, since it proceeds from faith and sincerity. “It will never be denied them”—meaning that their deeds will neither be denied nor allowed to go to waste.

“Allah knows the God-fearing”—those who perform good deeds and refrain from forbidden things,