an enemy—devils from among mankind and jinn, inspiring one another with embellished speech to deceive. Had your Lord willed, they would not have done so. So leave them and what they fabricate.”

“And so that the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter may incline toward it, be pleased with it, and commit whatever they commit.”

He thus informs us that all the prophets have enemies: devils from among mankind and jinn, inspiring one another with embellished speech—that is, speech adorned and beautified—which they use to deceive. Deception consists in misrepresentation and concealment. Such is the nature of every statement and every deed contrary to what the messengers brought, whether among the philosophers, the speculative theologians, or others of earlier and later generations. Then He says:

“And so that the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter may incline toward it and be pleased with it.”

He thus informs us that the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter incline toward the speech of the messengers’ enemies. We therefore know that opposing the messengers and failing to believe in the Hereafter are inseparably linked. Whoever does not believe in the Hereafter listens to the embellished speech of their enemies and thus opposes the messengers, as is found among the various kinds of disbelievers and hypocrites in this community.

He Most High also says:

“We have certainly brought them a Book which We have explained in detail with knowledge, as guidance and mercy for people who believe.”

“Are they waiting for anything but its fulfillment? On the Day its fulfillment comes, those who had previously neglected it will say, ‘The messengers of our Lord certainly came with the truth. Have we any intercessors to intercede for us?’”—to the end of the verse.

He thus informs us that those who abandoned following the Book—which is the message—will say, when its fulfillment comes—that is, what it foretold—“The messengers of our Lord came with the truth.”

This is like His saying:

“But whoever turns away from My remembrance will certainly have a life of hardship, and We will raise him blind on the Day of Resurrection.”

“He will say, ‘My Lord, why have You raised me blind when I used to see?’”

“He will say, ‘Thus