And "how could they attain [faith] from a far place?" He said: The attainment is like that, from a far place. He said: It is what was between the Hereafter and the world. "When they had disbelieved in it before," he said: They disbelieved in God in the world. "And they cast at the unseen from a far place," he said: Their statement in the world: "He is a sorcerer," "Rather, he is a soothsayer," "Rather, he is a poet," "Rather, he is a liar."

17909 - From Ibn Abbas, may God be pleased with them both, regarding "And how could they attain [faith] from a far place?" He said: How can they have return? "From a far place," he said: They ask for return, but there is no time for return.

17910 - From Qatada, may God be pleased with him, regarding His saying: "And they cast at the unseen," he said: They guess with conjecture. Indeed, they used to deny the Hereafter in the world and say: There is no resurrection, nor Paradise, nor Fire.

His saying, the Almighty: "And a barrier was placed between them and what they desire, as was done with their partisans before. Indeed, they were in a disquieting doubt."

17911 - From al-Hasan, may God be pleased with him, regarding His saying: "And a barrier was placed between them and what they desire," he said: A barrier was placed between them and faith.

17912 - From Mujahid, may God be pleased with him, regarding His saying: "And a barrier was placed between them and what they desire," he said: From wealth, or children, or flowers [of life], or family. "As was done with their partisans before," he said: As was done with the disbelievers before them.

17913 - From Ibn Umar, may God be pleased with him, that he drank cold water and wept. It was said to him: What makes you weep? He said: I remembered a verse in the Book of God: "And a barrier was placed between them and what they desire," and I realized that the people of the Fire do not desire anything except cold water. And God said: "Pour upon us some water."

His saying, the Almighty: "Indeed, they were in a disquieting doubt."

17914 - From Qatada, regarding His saying: "Indeed, they were in a disquieting doubt," he said: Beware of doubt and suspicion, for whoever dies upon doubt shall be resurrected upon it, and whoever dies upon certainty shall be resurrected upon it.