Overall meaning : The Almighty says: We have sent down the Qur’an step by step and made clear in it Our promise of bliss for the believers and warning of punishment for the unbelievers, so that the Arab unbelievers and the People of the Book may reflect and pay heed. Those to whom We gave the Torah and the Gospel before the Qur’an and did not pervert them believe in the Qur’an. When the Qur’an is recited to them they say, ‘We believe in it; it is the truth from our Lord. Even before it was revealed to Muhammad we declared Allah’s oneness and surrendered ourselves to Him.’
These will be given a double reward for persevering in following the teachings of both scriptures and patiently bearing the harm they suffer, and for repaying evil with good and spending in charity out of what We have given them. And when they hear vain, frivolous talk, they avoid listening to it and say to those who are engaged in such idle talk, ‘We have our religion and you have yours. We will not harm you in word or deed, for we do not wish to argue with the ignorant.’
You, Muhammad, cannot guide to the truth whomever you like; it is Allah who guides whomever He wills, for He knows best, according to His foreknowledge, those who deserve guidance and are willing to accept it, and thus He inspires them to follow it.