you see those in whose hearts is sickness looking at you like one overcome by death. So woe to them!”

“Obedience and proper speech”—and the rest of the verse. Allah Most High also said:

“And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is sickness said, ‘Allah and His Messenger promised us nothing but delusion.’”

The meaning encompasses both groups, as well as everyone in this condition.

Then He said:

“Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you are in lofty, fortified towers. If good befalls them, they say, ‘This is from Allah.’ But if evil befalls them, they say, ‘This is from you.’ Say, ‘All is from Allah.’ What is the matter with these people that they can hardly understand any statement?”

The pronoun in His words, “If good befalls them,” refers back to those He mentioned, namely those who “fear people.” Alternatively, it refers to an understood referent, even though it has not been mentioned explicitly, as occurs in many passages.

It has been said that these people were disbelievers among the Jews. It has also been said that they were hypocrites, or that they included people from both groups. The meaning encompasses everyone who fits this description.

However, it applies more fittingly to those who profess Islam and enjoin striving. If the censure encompasses these people, then it applies all the more to the disbelievers who do not profess Islam