﴿الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ﴾

(Those who disbelieve) meaning, in the Ayat of Allah.

﴿وَصُدُّواْ﴾

(and hinder (men)) Others.

﴿عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَضَلَّ أَعْمَـلَهُمْ﴾

(from the path of Allah, He will render their deeds vain.) meaning, He renders their deeds vain and futile, and He denies them any rewards or blessings for them. This is similar to His saying,

﴿وَقَدِمْنَآ إِلَى مَا عَمِلُواْ مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَآءً مَّنثُوراً ﴾

(And We will approach what they have done of deeds and make them as dispersed dust.) (25:23) Allah then says,

﴿وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَاتِ﴾

(And those who believe and do righteous good deeds,) Which means that their hearts and souls have believed, and their limbs and their hidden and apparent acts have complied with Allah's Law.

﴿وَءَامَنُواْ بِمَا نُزِّلَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ﴾

(And believe in that which has been sent down to Muhammad) Adding this statement to the previous one is a method of adding a specific meaning to a general one. This provides proof that after Muhammad's advent, believing in him is a required condition for the true faith. Allah then says,

﴿وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ﴾

(For it is the truth from their Lord.) which is a beautifully placed parenthetical clause. Thus, Allah says,

﴿كَفَّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَـتِهِمْ وَأَصْلَحَ بَالَهُمْ﴾

(He expiates from them their sins and amends their Bal.) Ibn `Abbas, said, "This means their matter.'' Mujahid said, "This means their affair.'' Qatadah and Ibn Zayd both said, "Their condition.'' And all of these are similar in meaning. It has been mentioned (from the Prophet ) in the Hadith of the responding to one who sneezes,

«يَهْدِيكُمُ اللهُ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَكُم»

(May Allah guide you and rectify your (Bal) affairs.) Then Allah says,

﴿ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ اتَّبَعُواْ الْبَـطِلَ﴾

(That is because those who disbelieve follow falsehood,) meaning, `We only invalidate the deeds of the disbelievers and overlook the sins of the righteous, and amend their affairs, because those who disbelieve follow false- hood.' Meaning, they choose falsehood over the truth.

﴿وَأَنَّ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ اتَّبَعُواْ الْحَقَّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ كَذَلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ أَمْثَـلَهُمْ﴾

(while those who believe follow the truth from their Lord. Thus does Allah set forth for the people their parables.) Thus He makes the consequence of their actions clear to them, and He shows them where they will end in their next life -- and Allah knows best.

﴿فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ حَتَّى إِذَآ أَثْخَنتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّواْ الْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَآءً حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ذَلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَآءُ اللَّهُ لاَنْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَـكِن لِّيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُواْ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَلَن يُضِلَّ أَعْمَـلَهُمْ - سَيَهْدِيهِمْ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَهُمْ - وَيُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ عَرَّفَهَا لَهُمْ - يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ إِن تَنصُرُواْ اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ - وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَتَعْساً لَّهُمْ وَأَضَلَّ أَعْمَـلَهُمْ - ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَرِهُواْ مَآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَـلَهُمْ ﴾

(4. So, when you meet those who disbelieve (in battle), smite (their) necks until you have fully defeated them, then tighten their bonds. Thereafter (is the time) either for generosity or ransom, until the war lays down its burden. Thus, and had Allah so willed, He could have taken vengeance against them;--but (He lets you struggle) so as to test with one another. But those who are killed in the way of Allah, He will never let their deeds be lost.) (5. He will guide them and amend their condition.) (6. And admit them to Paradise, which He has made known to them.) (7. O you who believe! If you support (in the cause of) Allah, He will support you, and make your foothold firm.) (8. But as for those who disbelieve, misery awaits them, and (Allah) will make their deeds vain.) (9. That is because they hate that which Allah has sent down; so He has made their deeds fruitless.)