َ أَمَّا مَنِ اسْتَغْنَى ﴿۵﴾ فَأَنْتَ لَهُ تَصَدَّى ﴿۶﴾ وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلَّا يَزَّكَّى ﴿۷﴾ وَأَمَّا مَنْ جَاءَكَ يَسْعَى ﴿۸﴾ وَهُوَ يَخْشَى ﴿۹﴾ فَأَنْتَ عَنْهُ تَلَهَّى ﴿۱۰﴾ كَلَّا إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ ﴿۱۱﴾ فَمَنْ شَاءَ ذَكَرَهُ ﴿۱۲﴾ فِي صُحُفٍ مُكَرَّمَةٍ ﴿۱۳﴾ مَرْفُوعَةٍ مُطَهَّرَةٍ ﴿۱۴﴾

﴾5﴿ Amma manis taghnaa
﴾6﴿ Fa-anta lahu tasaddaa
﴾7﴿ Wa ma 'alaika allaa yaz zakka
﴾8﴿ Wa amma man jaa-aka yas'a
﴾9﴿ Wahuwa yakhshaa,
﴾10﴿ Fa-anta 'anhu talah haa.
﴾11﴿ Kalla innaha tazkirah
﴾12﴿ Faman shaa a zakarah
﴾13﴿ Fi suhufim mukar rama,
﴾14﴿ Marfoo'atim mutah hara,

﴾5﴿ But as for the one who considers himself self-sufficient
﴾6﴿ So you attend to him
﴾7﴿ And there is no blame upon you if he does not purify himself
﴾8﴿ But as for the one who came to you rushing
﴾9﴿ And he fears
﴾10﴿ So you neglect him
﴾11﴿ This should not be done; surely, this is a lesson
﴾12﴿ So whoever wills may remember it
﴾13﴿ It is written on honored sheets
﴾14﴿ Raised high, kept pure

[5,6,7] This refers to the obstinate one. (اسْتَغْنَى) — meaning, due to his wealth, he considers himself independent of the religion of Allah the Exalted. The verb is in the istifʿāl form because man cannot truly become free of need (as true independence means being without any need), but he shows himself as if he is without need intentionally. (وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلَّا يَزَّكَّى) — this is a consolation to the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace), meaning that their purification is not your responsibility, and the sin of not accepting purification is not upon you. Your duty is only to invite and convey — whether someone accepts it or not.
[8,9,10] These are the qualities of one who turns to Allah. (يَسْعَى) — he strives in seeking guidance and knowledge. (وَهُوَ يَخْشَى) — meaning, this effort is due to fear of Allah, not for any worldly purpose.
[11,12] These verses encourage turning toward the Qur’an. (كَلَّا) — either it means “no,” implying that due to the obstinacy of the opponent, there is no turning away from the one who turns to Allah; or kallā means “truly.” (إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ) — Ibn Kathir said this refers to the previous quality, that treating the rich and poor, the low and high equally is a reminder (tadhkira). The use of the indefinite form (tadhkira) is for magnification. (ذَكَرَهُ) — he takes admonition from the Qur’an, or he remembers it along with its commands, prohibitions, and lessons. The pronoun (هُوَ) refers back to tadhkira, interpreted as dhikr, Qur’an, or revelation.
[13,14,15,16] This passage highlights the greatness of the Qur’an, which is the reason it serves as a means of reminder. Three attributes of the ṣuḥuf (scriptures) and three of the angels who carry the Qur’an are mentioned. (فِي صُحُفٍ) — this Qur’an is conveyed from the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ) and written in the scriptures of the angels; or it refers to the scriptures of Abraham and Moses (peace be upon them), based on Surah Al-A‘lā (verses 18–19). (مُكَرَّمَةٍ) — its honor is due to the honor of the One who revealed it, meaning Allah the Exalted is Most Generous, so His revelation is also honored. The honor here is that these scriptures are full of knowledge and wisdom. (مَرْفُوعَةٍ) — their rank and status is high, or they exist in the seventh heaven. (مُطَهَّرَةٍ) — they are protected from doubts, ambiguities, the hands of devils, and any addition or deficiency. (سَفَرَةٍ) — the plural of sāfir, which refers to writing, meaning the angels write these scriptures, or it is the plural of safīr (messenger), meaning the angels are messengers between Allah and the prophets. (كِرَامٍ) — noble in the sight of their Lord; someone who guards himself from sins and prefers the benefit of others over his own — these are all aspects of nobility. (بَرَرَةٍ) — plural of bār, those who are fully obedient to Allah the Exalted and sincere in their deeds. Ibn Kathir wrote that the one who carries the Qur’an must ensure that all his actions and speech are in the path of righteousness — fully in accordance with the Sunnah.