Likewise, He would not leave those who disbelieved without sending them the Messenger with clear signs. This is the meaning of His words:

“Those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists were not to be left alone until the clear evidence comes to them.”

When the clear evidence comes to them, some believe and others disbelieve.

If it is said that, beyond this, the verse also conveys the other meaning—that they would not find guidance, know the truth, and believe until the clear evidence came to them, since they have no way of knowing the truth except through a messenger who comes from Allah; or that they would not desist and heed admonition, even if they knew the truth, until someone came to them from Allah to remind them—then this meaning does not contradict the former.

This is unlike the interpretation of those who say: “The polytheists and the People of the Scripture had not abandoned their recognition of Muhammad or ceased mentioning him, nor were they divided concerning him. Rather, they were agreed upon believing in him until the clear evidence came to them; then they abandoned belief in him and became divided.” This is certainly not the intended meaning.

Among the things that clarify this is His wording, “until the clear evidence comes to them.” He did not say, “until it came to them.” Because those interpreters did not understand the meaning of the verse, they thought that the past tense was called for here, and that the intended meaning was: they did not depart from their previous state, whether disbelief or faith, until the clear evidence came to them. Thus, the wording “until the clear evidence comes to them” puzzled them. And it was said: