He sent them a messenger to warn them, through whom the proof would be established against them and His favor perfected for those who believed. It is as though He said: ‘They were not [to](1) be left to themselves.’”

He said:

“There are parallels to this meaning in Allah’s Book.”

Al-Tha‘labī mentioned three interpretations. However, he attributed the third to someone who understood the intended meaning to be their destruction through the establishment of proof against them, and interpreted “breaking away” as meaning “perishing.”

He said:

“They were not ‘breaking away,’ meaning desisting from their disbelief and their association of partners with Allah. The linguists said it means ‘ceasing.’ The Arabs say, ‘So-and-so has not ceased doing such-and-such,’ meaning that he continues to do it. The basic meaning of fakk is ‘opening,’ as in unsealing a document or opening an anklet.

“‘Until the clear proof came to them’ means the manifest proof: Muhammad, who brought them the Quran, exposed their misguidance and ignorance, and called them to faith.”

He said:

“Ibn Kaysān said: ‘Its meaning is that these disbelievers did not abandon the description of Muhammad in their scripture until he was sent. When he was sent, they became divided concerning him.’”

He also said:

“The scholars said that the opening of the surah, up to His words, ‘containing upright scriptures,’ concerns those among the People of the Book and the polytheists who believed. ‘Nor did they become divided’ concerns those among the People of the Book who did not believe after the proof had been established against them.”