"Leave them to eat"—meaning: the polytheists—"and enjoy themselves" in this worldly life, "and let [false] hope divert them, for they are going to know" on the Day of Resurrection. This is a threat. This was before he was commanded to fight them; then he was commanded to fight them, and he would not leave them until they accepted Islam or were killed; meaning: the polytheists of the Arabs.
﴿ذرهم يَأْكُلُوا﴾ يَعْنِي: الْمُشْركين، يَأْكُلُوا ﴿ويتمتعوا﴾ فِي الدُّنْيَا ﴿ويلههم الأمل﴾ الَّذِي يَأْمَلُونَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ﴿فَسَوْفَ يعلمُونَ﴾ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ؛ وَهَذَا وعيدٌ، وَكَانَ هَذَا قبل أَن يُؤمر بقتالهم، ثُمَّ أُمِرَ بِقِتَالِهِمْ، وَلا يَذَرُهُمْ حَتَّى يُسْلِمُوا أَوْ يُقْتَلُوا؛ يَعْنِي: مُشْركي الْعَرَب.
