42.24
Abbas - Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs
(Or say they) in fact they do say: (He hath invented) Muhammad has invented (a lie concerning Allah?) The Prophet (pbuh) was saddened because of this, and so Allah, glorious and Exalted is He, said: (If Allah willed, He could have sealed) tied (thy heart (against them). And Allah will wipe out the lie) Allah will destroy idolatry and all the idolaters (and will vindicate the Truth by His words) and will manifest the religion of Islam through His enhancement. (Lo! He is aware of what is hidden in the breasts (of men)) He knows what is in people's hearts whether it is good or evil.
Or am here is like bal do they say ‘He has invented a lie against God?’ in ascribing the Qur’ān to God exalted be He. For if God will He can seal He can fortify your heart with patience to endure the hurt they cause you by such sayings and otherwise — and God did this. And God will efface the falsehood which they speak and vindicate confirm the truth with His words the ones revealed to His Prophet. Truly He is Knower of what is in the breasts of what is in the hearts of people.
(That is whereof Allah gives glad tidings to His servants who believe and do righteous good deeds.) meaning, this will undoubtedly come to them, because it is glad tidings from Allah to them.
(Say: "No reward do I ask of you for this except to be kind to me for my kinship with you.'') means, `say, O Muhammad, to these idolators among the disbeliever of Quraysh: I do not ask you for anything in return for this message and sincere advice which I bring to you. All I ask of you is that you withhold your evil from me and let me convey the Messages of my Lord. If you will not help me, then do not disturb me, for the sake of the ties of kinship that exist between you and I.' Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, was asked about the Ayah:
إِلاَّ الْمَوَدَّةَ فِى الْقُرْبَى
(except to be kind to me for my kinship with you.) Sa`id bin Jubayr said, "To be kind to the family of Muhammad.'' Ibn `Abbas said, "No, you have jumped to a hasty conclusion. There was no clan among Quraysh to whom the Prophet did not have some ties of kinship.'' Ibn `Abbas said, "Except that you uphold the ties of kinship that exist between me and you.'' This was recorded by Al-Bukhari. It was also recorded by Imam Ahmad with a different chain of narration.
(And whoever earns a good righteous deed, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof) means, `whoever does a good deed, We will increase him in good for it, i.e., in reward.' This is like the Ayah:
(Surely, Allah wrongs not even of the weight of a speck of dust, but if there is any good, He doubles it, and gives from Him a great reward.) (4:40)
إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ
(Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate.) means, He forgives many bad deeds and increases a small amount of good deeds; He conceals and forgives sins and He multiplies and increases the reward of good deeds.
The Accusation that the Prophet fabricated the Qur'an -- and the Response to that
(Or say they: "He has invented a lie against Allah'' If Allah willed, He could have sealed up your heart.) means, `if you had invented any lies against Him, as these ignorant people claim,'
يَخْتِمْ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ
(He could have sealed up your heart.) means, `and thus caused you to forget what had already come to you of the Qur'an.' This is like the Ayah:
(And if he had forged a false saying concerning Us (Allah), We surely would have seized him by his right hand, and then We certainly would have cut off his life artery, And none of you could have withheld Us from (punishing) him.) (69:44-47) which means, `We would have wrought the utmost vengeance upon him, and no one among mankind would have been able to protect him.' And Allah said:
وَيُحِقُّ الْحَقَّ بِكَلِمَـتِهِ
(and establishes the truth by His Word.) means, He establishes it and strengthens it and makes it clear by His Words, i.e., by His evidence and signs.
إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ
(Verily, He knows well what are in the breasts.) means, all that is hidden in the hearts of men.
42.24-26
Maududi - Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an
In this interrogative sentence the style is of severe reproach. It means: "O Prophet: Have these people become so bold and fearless that they do not feel any shame in accusing you of inventing a lie, and that too of a heinous sin against Allah? They calumniate you that you are forging the Qur'an yourself and then falsely attributing to Allah. "
That is, "Such big lies are only uttered by those whose hearts have been sealed up. If Allah wills, He may include you also among them, but it is His mercy that He has kept you away from them. This answer contains a seven satire against the people who were so accusing the Holy Prophet. It means this: "O Prophet, they think that you are a man like them. Just as they are in the habit of uttering any big lie only for the sake of a selfish motive, so they thought you also must have forged a lie for selfish ends. But it is Allah's mercy that He has not sealed up your heart as He has sealed up theirs."
That is, "It is Allah's way that He does not grant stability to falsehood, and in the long run proves the truth to be true. Therefore, O Prophet, you should go on doing your mission, without paying any attention to their false accusations. A time will come when this whole falsehood will vanish like dust, and the truth of that which you are presenting will become visible and manifest."
That is, "He knows why you are being thus falsely accused and what are the actual motives that are working behind all this struggle that is being made to frustrate and defeat you. "
Calling the people's attention to repentance immediately after the preceding verse by itself gives the meaning, as if to say: "O wicked people: Why are you making yourselves still more worthy of God's punishment by falsely accusing the true Prophet? If you desist from your misdeeds even now, and offer true repentance Allah will forgive you." Repentance means that one should feel remorse for the evil one has done, and should refrain and desist from it in the future. Moreover, it is also an inevitable demand of true repentance that one should try one's utmost to compensate for the evil one has done in the past, and wherever compensation is not possible, one should seek Allah's forgiveness and should do more and more good to wipe off the blot from oneself. But no repentance can be true repentance unless it is offered with the intention of pleasing Allah. Giving up an evil for some other reason or intention is no repentance at All."
…For if God so wishes, He can seal your heart…He said:He could place the seal of longing (shawq) and love (maḥabba) on your hearts, so that you would cease to notice people and you would not occupy yourselves with love for them and visiting them anymore.His words, Exalted is He:
