First: that it is false and he lacks sanity. Such a person is mad: he incurs no blame, but he is not to be followed.

Second: that it is false and he is sane. Such a person deserves blame and punishment.

Third: that it is true and he is sane. Allah first denied that the Prophet was mad, then affirmed for him an everlasting reward—the opposite of punishment—and then declared that he possessed a great moral character. This demonstrates the greatness of the truth he follows, after falsehood has been ruled out in his case.

Furthermore, people fall into two categories: those who are punished and those spared punishment. Those spared punishment fall into three categories: those not subject to religious accountability; those who are accountable and have done righteous deeds, following a moderate course; and those foremost in good deeds. He thus arranged the oath according to these three conditions to show that the Prophet belongs to the highest category of the blessed. This is the utmost perfection attained by those foremost in good deeds. It is a remarkable composition, supremely precise.

Then He said:

“So do not obey the deniers,”

and the verses that follow. This encompasses two principles.

One is that He forbade him to obey these two groups. This carries several benefits, including the following: forbidding obedience to someone implies, all the more, forbidding imitation of him. Thus, one must not