"And when Moses said to his people, 'O my people, indeed you have wronged yourselves'"—Muhammad [Ibn Abi Zamanin] said: The preference in Arabic is 'ya qawm' with the omission of the ya for the vocative, and the kasra remains to indicate it. "'So kill yourselves; that is best for you in the sight of your Creator'"—your Creator. "'Then He accepted your repentance.'"
Muhammad said: The meaning is: So you did [it], then He accepted your repentance, and it is a form of conciseness.
﴿وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قوم إِنَّكُم ظلمتم أَنفسكُم﴾ قَالَ مُحَمَّد: الِاخْتِيَار فِي الْعَرَبيَّة يَا قوم بِحَذْف الْيَاء للنداء، وَبقيت الكسرة لتدل عَلَيْهَا. ﴿فَاقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ عِنْدَ بارئكم﴾ خالقكم ﴿فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُم﴾
قَالَ مُحَمَّد: الْمَعْنى: ففعلتم فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُم، وَهُوَ من الِاخْتِصَار.
