"And whoever turns away from the remembrance of the Most Merciful," meaning: whoever becomes blind to the remembrance of the Most Merciful, meaning: the polytheist.
Muhammad said: The reading of Yahya is "yaghshu" with a fathah on the sheen. As for whoever read "ya'shu" with a dammah on the sheen, the meaning is: and whoever turns away from the remembrance of the Most Merciful. This is the statement of al-Zajjaj. Ibn Qutaybah said: The meaning is that his vision becomes dim, as in His saying: "Those whose eyes were within a cover from My remembrance." He said: The Arabs say "'ashawtu ila al-nar" (I sought the fire with my eyes) when one is guided to it with weak vision, and he cited verses by al-Hutay'ah.
﴿وَمن يَعش عَن ذكر﴾ أَي: وَمن يعم عَن ذكر ﴿الرَّحْمَن﴾ أَي: الْمُشرك.
قَالَ محمدٌ: قِرَاءَة يحيى ﴿يغش﴾ بِفَتْح الشين، وَمن قَرَأَ ﴿يَعْشُ﴾ بِضَم الشين فَالْمَعْنى: وَمن يعرض عَن ذكر الرَّحْمَن، هَذَا قَول الزّجاج، قَالَ ابْن قُتَيْبَة المعني: يظلم بَصَره كَقَوْلِه: ﴿الَّذِينَ كَانَتْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ فِي غِطَاءٍ عَنْ ذِكْرِي﴾ قَالَ: وَالْعرب تَقول: عشوت إِلَى النَّار؛ إِذا استدللت إِلَيْهَا ببصر ضَعِيف، وَأنْشد للحُطيْئة.
