867 - al-Muthannā b. Ibrāhīm narrated it to me, he said: Ādam narrated to us, he said: Abū Jaʿfar narrated to us, from al-Rabīʿ, from Abū al-ʿĀliya regarding His statement: {and that to Him they will return}, he said: They are certain that they will return to Him on the Day of Resurrection.
And others said: The meaning of that is that they return to Him by their death.
The more appropriate of the two interpretations for the verse is the statement which Abū al-ʿĀliya said; because God, exalted be His mention, said in the verse before it: {How can you disbelieve in God when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you back to life, and then to Him you will be returned} [al-Baqara: 28]. So He, glorious be His praise, informed that their return to Him is after their resurrection and bringing them to life from their death, and that is undoubtedly the Day of Resurrection, so likewise is the interpretation of His statement: {and that to Him they will return}.
The statement regarding the interpretation of His, the Exalted's, statement: {O Children of Israel, remember My favor which I have bestowed upon you}
Abū Jaʿfar said: And the interpretation of that in this verse is similar to its interpretation in the one before it in His statement: {remember My favor which I have bestowed upon you and fulfill My covenant} [al-Baqara: 40]. And I have mentioned it there (1).
The statement regarding the interpretation of His, the Exalted's, statement: {and that I preferred you over the worlds (47)}
Abū Jaʿfar said: And this is also from what He, glorious be His praise, reminded them of His bounties and favors upon them. And He means by His statement: {and that I preferred you over the worlds}: that I preferred your ancestors, so He attributed His favors upon their fathers and ancestors to being favors from Him upon them, since the glorious deeds of the fathers are glorious deeds for the sons,
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