إِنْ أَحْسَنْتُمْ أَحْسَنْتُمْ لِأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا فَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعْدُ الْآخِرَةِ لِيَسُوءُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُوا الْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِيُتَبِّرُوا مَا عَلَوْا تَتْبِيرًا ﴿۷﴾ عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَنْ يَرْحَمَكُمْ وَإِنْ عُدْتُمْ عُدْنَا وَجَعَلْنَا جَهَنَّمَ لِلْكَافِرِينَ حَصِيرًا ﴿۸﴾ إِنَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ يَهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ أَقْوَمُ وَيُبَشِّرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا كَبِيرًا ﴿۹﴾ وَأَنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا ﴿۱۰﴾ وَيَدْعُ الْإِنْسَانُ بِالشَّرِّ دُعَاءَهُ بِالْخَيْرِ وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ عَجُولًا ﴿۱۱﴾

﴾7﴿ In ahsantum ahsantum li anfusikum wa in asaatum falahaa; fa izaa jaaa'a wa'dul aakhirati liyasooo'oo wujoo hakum wa liyadkhulul masjida kamaa dakhaloohu awwala marratinw wa liyutabbiroo maa a'law tatbeera
﴾8﴿ In ahsantum ahsantum li anfusikum wa in asaatum falahaa; fa izaa jaaa'a wa'dul aakhirati liyasooo'oo wujoo hakum wa liyadkhulul masjida kamaa dakhaloohu awwala marratinw wa liyutabbiroo maa a'law tatbeera
﴾9﴿ Inna haazal Quraana yahdee lillatee hiya aqwamu wa yubashshirul mu'mineenal lazeena ya'maloonas saalihaati anna lahum ajran kabeeraa
﴾10﴿ Wa annal lazeena laa yu'minoona bil aakhirati a'tadnaa lahum 'azaaban aleemaa
﴾11﴿ Wa yad'ul insaanu bishsharri du'aaa 'ahoo bilkhayr; wa kaanal insaanu 'ajoola

﴾7﴿ We said: If you stand firm on monotheism, you benefit yourselves, and if you do wrong, it is against your own souls. So, when the time of the final corruption came, (We decreed against you oppressors) to destroy your faces and to enter the mosques as they had entered them the first time, and to utterly destroy whatever they overpowered9
﴾8﴿ Your Lord is near to showing mercy upon you, but if you return (to corruption), We will return (to your punishment), and We have made Hell a prison for the disbelievers
﴾9﴿ Indeed, this Quran guides to the path that is most upright and gives glad tidings to the believers who perform righteous deeds, that they will have a great reward
﴾10﴿ And indeed, for those who do not believe in the Hereafter, We have prepared for them a painful punishment
﴾11﴿ And man calls for evil as he calls for good, and man is ever hasty

[7] The meaning of “ihsan” here is that if you remain firm on Tawhid, the benefit is for yourselves (“fa lahā”).
The meaning is that the consequence of evil falls solely upon the soul itself—the “lām” is for specification, not for benefit.
In the phrase “fa idhā jā’a waʿd al-ākhirah,” it indicates that when they opposed the religion of ‘Isa (peace be upon him) and committed shirk, the king Constantine was given power over them.
“Liyasū’u wujūhakum” means that Allah appointed other oppressors over them, and the outcome was that these oppressors caused such harm that their faces were disgraced.
Or it may refer to the faces of their leaders and nobles being humiliated.
The meaning of “waliyadkhulū” is their entering the Masjid to commit shirk and to destroy it.
The word “tatbīrā” indicates that their corruption this time was greater than before.
[8] In this verse, the word “yarḥamkum” refers to the sending of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace).
The phrase “wa in ʿudtum ʿudnā” indicates that when they opposed the final Messenger, the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) expelled Banu Nadir and killed most of Banu Qurayzah.
Later, during the time of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), they were also expelled from the Arabian Peninsula.
[9,10] This verse relates to the claim of Tawhid, beginning with “Subḥān,” which is the theme of this book, and thus it serves as proof of revelation.
It encourages both Bani Isra'il and the general body of Muslims toward the Qur'an.
It mentions the wisdom behind the revelation of the Qur'an—that it is guidance, glad tidings, and a warning.
Before the phrase “wa anna alladhīna,” the verb “yunḏir” or “yukhbir” is implied.
These two aspects of wisdom are detailed at the beginning of Surah Al-Kahf.
The phrase “lā yu’minūna bil-ākhirah” indicates that the root cause of injustice and corruption is denial of the Hereafter.
[11] In this verse, there is a warning against hastening punishment.
It means that taking guidance from the Qur'an is what is beneficial, yet in contrast, people begin to invoke evil, as seen in verse 32 of Surah Al-Anfal.
“Duʿāʾahu bil-khayr” is similar to what is mentioned in verse 49 of Surah Fussilat and verse 33 of Surah Ar-Rum.
The phrase “wa kāna al-insānu ʿajūlā” means that man, by his nature, rushes in every matter, as mentioned in verse 37 of Surah Al-Anbiya.
Or it may mean that man prefers the fleeting world, which is immediate, over the Hereafter, which is delayed.