So for their breaking fa-bi-mā naqdihim the mā is extra; the bā’ is causative and connected to a missing element such as sabab ‘reason’ in other words it should be understood as la‘annāhum bi-sabab naqdihim ‘We cursed them for the reason of their breaking’ their covenant and disbelieving in the signs of God and slaying the prophets wrongfully and for their saying to the Prophet s ‘Our hearts are covered up’ and cannot grasp what you say — nay but God sealed them for their disbelief and so they cannot heed any admonition; so they do not believe except for a few among them like ‘Abd Allāh b. Salām and his companions.
