He sees at times, then the blindness of the heart overtakes him. It was narrated from 'Ikrimah, al-Hasan, al-Suddi, and al-Rabi' ibn Anas similar to the saying of 'Ata' al-Khurasani.

His saying, the Exalted: "And when it illuminated what was around him."

161 - Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Sabah narrated to us, Shababah narrated to us, Warqa' narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid: "And when it illuminated what was around him," as for the illumination of the fire, it is their turning toward the believers and guidance.

162 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, 'Amr ibn Hammad narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi: "And when it illuminated what was around him," it is claimed that a people entered into Islam upon the arrival of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Medina, then they became hypocrites. Their example was like a man who was in darkness and kindled a fire; when it illuminated what was around him of impurities or harm, he saw it and knew what to guard himself against. While he was in that state, his fire was extinguished, so he turned [about] not knowing what to guard against regarding the harm. Such is the hypocrite; he was in the darkness of polytheism, so he accepted Islam and knew the lawful from the unlawful, and the good from the evil. While he was in that state, he disbelieved, and thus he came to not know the lawful from the unlawful, nor the good from the evil.

His saying: "Allah took away their light."

[The first interpretation]

163 - Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Sabah narrated to us, Shababah narrated to us, Warqa' narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid: "Allah took away their light," and the taking away of their light [is]: their turning toward the disbelievers and misguidance.

The second interpretation:

164 - Al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Rabi' narrated to us, 'Abd al-Razzaq informed us, Ma'mar narrated to us, from Qatadah: "Until they died"—meaning the hypocrites—"[Allah] took away their light."

The third interpretation:

165 - Abu al-Azhar Ahmad ibn al-Azhar al-Naysaburi informed us in what he wrote to me, Wuhayb ibn Jarir narrated to us, my father narrated to us, from 'Ali ibn al-Hakam, from al-Dahhak, regarding His saying: "Allah took away their light," it is the faith they spoke with.