"But We have provided for these [people]"—meaning: the Quraysh—"and their fathers until life grew long for them," meaning that no messenger came to them until Muhammad, peace be upon him, came to them. "Do they not see that We approach the land, reducing it from its borders?" Al-Hasan's interpretation: Do they not see that whenever the Messenger of Allah was sent to a land, he would prevail over it; meaning: he would reduce it by prevailing over it, land by land. "Are they then the victors?" meaning: they are not the victors, but rather the Messenger of Allah is the victor.
﴿بل متعنَا هَؤُلَاءِ﴾ يَعْنِي: قُرَيْشًا ﴿وَآبَاءَهُمْ حَتَّى طَالَ عَلَيْهِم الْعُمر﴾ لم يَأْتهمْ رَسُول حَتَّى جَاءَهُم مُحَمَّد عليه السلام ﴿أَفَلا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّا نَأْتِي الأَرْضَ ننقصها من أطرافها﴾ تَفْسِيرُ الْحَسَنِ: أَفَلا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كُلَّمَا بُعِثَ إِلَى أَرْضٍ ظَهَرَ عَلَيْهَا؛ أَيْ: يَنْقُصُهَا بِالظُّهُورِ عَلَيْهَا أَرْضًا فَأَرْضًا ﴿أَفَهُمُ الغالبون﴾ أَيْ: لَيْسُوا بِالْغَالِبِينَ، وَلَكِنَّ رَسُولَ الله هُوَ الْغَالِب.
