Verse. 4252

'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī

تفسير : (the good deed) the call to allah's divine oneness by the prophet (pbuh) (and the evil deed are not alike) and the call to idolatry by abu jahl are not alike; it is also said that this means: the testimony that there is no deity save allah and ascribing partners to allah are not alike. (repel) o muhammad, lest he tries, (the evil deed) idolatry from abu jahl (with one which is better) with "there is no deity save allah"; it is also said that this means: repel evil from abu jahl with that which is better, i.e. with good words, greetings and kindness, if you do that (then lo! he, between whom and thee there was enmity) regarding religion, i.e. abu jahl ((will become) as though he was a bosom friend) as though he is of the same religion or a close relative.

Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī

تفسير : and they are not equal, the good deed and the evil deed, [even] with respect to their subdivisions, because any number of such [good deeds] are [always] above any number of the latter. repel, the evil deed, with that, in other words, with that trait, which is better, such as [repelling] anger with endurance, ignorance with forbearance, and [the intention to inflict] harm with pardon, then, behold, he between whom and you there was enmity will be as though he were a dear friend, in other words, then your enemy will become like a close friend in terms of [his] affection [for you], if you act in such a way (alladhī, ‘he … whom’, is the subject; ka-annahu, ‘as though’, is the predicate; idhā is an adverbial particle for [expressing] the comparative import).