Verses 1–21
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful
This sūrah was revealed in Mecca and consists of 21 verses. The chapter’s objective is to warn. It does this by pointing out the differences between people’s striving. Some people spend their wealth [in the way of God], are conscious of God, and affirm what is good. Thus God will provide them with eternal happiness in the next life. Others are stingy, chase after wealth, and belie what is good. Thus, God will lead them to misery in the hereafter. The chapter places a special emphasis on financial charity [in the way of God].
The sūrah could have been revealed either in Mecca or in Medina; its contents are appropriate for either.
Commentary
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى ١
(92:1) By the night, when it covers!
This verse is an oath: it swears by nighttime, as it veils the day. It is similar to the verse: He makes the night cover the day (). What is covered by the night could be either the earth or the sun.
وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّى ٢
(92:2) By the day, when it has appeared (tajallā)!
Tajallá means “the appearance of something after it has been hidden.” Night is discussed in the present tense (covers), while day is discussed in the past tense (has appeared); we discussed the reason for this at the beginning of the previous sūrah [under verse ].
وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالأُنثَى ٣
(92:3) By the One (mā) Who created the male and the female!
The relative pronoun mā refers to the Almighty God. Mā (what) is used instead of man (who) to invoke a sense of ambiguity about the subject of discussion to give a sense of His grandeur. It means: “I swear by a wondrous thing—something that created the polarities of male and female in a single species!”
Some exegetes have argued that the particle mā serves to turn the verb that follows it into a verbal noun (called maṣdariyyah). The meaning would be: “I swear by the creation of male and female.” However, this is a weak interpretation.
The male and the female are meant in an unqualified sense, including any kind of male and female. Two other views held by some exegetes are:
- They refer to male and female humans specifically.
- They refer to Adam and his wife Eve.
Comment: What we said above is more plausible.
إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّى ٤
(92:4) Your efforts (saʿyakum) are diverse (la-shattá).
Saʿy (effort, endeavors, striving) means “walking fast.” Here, it means one’s actions in the sense that one deliberately strives and endeavors to perform them. Shattá (varied, diverse, dispersed) is the plural of shatīt, meaning “various.”
This sentence is the crux of the oath. It means: “I swear by the above mentioned aspects of creation, which vary in their nature and effects, that your endeavors are indeed varied, both in themselves and in terms of their consequence. Some of your endeavors involve giving, God-consciousness, and affirmation [of what is good, right, or true]. Others involve miserliness, avarice, and denying [what is good, right, or true]. Both have their own specific consequences.”
فَأَمَّا مَن أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى ٥
(92:5) As for the one who gives and is wary [of Allah]
This carries on from the discussion about the differing endeavors, and their different effects. Since “miserliness” [] is used in this sūrah as an antonym to “giving,” what is meant by “giving” is “spending wealth in the way of God,” just as “miserliness” refers to “refusing to spend in the way of God.” This is also indicated by the subsequent verse: And his wealth will avail him not when he perishes ().
… and is wary [of Allah]: This serves as an interpretation of the previous part, clarifying that what is intended by “giving” is spending money according to religious commitment.
وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَى ٦
(92:6) and affirms the good (bil-ḥusná),
Ḥusná (good, better, best) is an adjective for an omitted noun. The implied meaning is: “affirms the good reward.” That is, God has promised a reward for those who spend for His sake, which in turn requires confirming and believing in the resurrection. That itself necessitates believing in God’s oneness as the sole Lord and deity, as well as believing in the divine messengers, for that is the path to attaining the divinely promised reward.
Together, these two verses speak of believing in God, His messengers, and the Last Day; spending wealth for the sake of God; and seeking the reward which He has promised through via the tongue of His messengers.
فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى ٧
(92:7) We shall ease him (fa-sa-nuyassiruhu) into ease (lil-yusrá, from taysīr).
Taysīr means “preparation, arrangement,” and yusrá means “the condition of things being easy, without hardship.” Here, yusrá is used metaphorically, with two possible meanings:
- Such a person will be assisted by divine grace in performing good deeds, such that they find it easy to live righteously.
- Such a person will be prepared for eternal happiness and abiding in paradise with their Lord, because of the righteous deeds which they will have on their record.
The second view is more concordant with what the Qur’an promises.
وَأَمَّا مَن بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَى ٨
(92:8) But as for the one who is miserly (bakhila) and avaricious (istighná),
Bukhl (miserliness, stinginess) is the antonym of iʿṭāʾ (giving, spending). Istighnāʾ means “seeking wealth through holding onto it and hoarding.”
وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَى ٩
(92:9) and denies the good,
Denying the good means “denying the goodly promise and divine reward which was imparted via the prophets and messengers.” This effectively entails denying the resurrection.
فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَى ١٠
(92:10) We shall ease him into hardship.
This means leaving the person on their own without divine support. Such a person shall not be bolstered by God’s grace in doing good deeds. Instead, good deeds will weigh heavily on them, and their breast shall not be expanded to embrace faith. Alternatively, it means that the person will be prepared for divine punishment.
وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّى ١١
(92:11): And his wealth shall not (mā) avail him when he perishes (taraddá).
Taraddī (perishing, tumbling, collapsing) means “falling from a high place.” It is also used for death, destruction and perdition. Here, it can have three possible meanings: (1) the person’s fall into the hole dug as their grave; (2) the person’s collapse into hellfire; (3) the person’s destruction.
There are two possible functions for the particle mā in this verse: (1) It is interrogative, meaning: “What part of their wealth will help them when they have died and fallen into perdition?” (2) It is negative, meaning: “None of their wealth will help them when they have died and fallen into perdition.”
إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَى ١٢
(92:12) Indeed upon Us rests guidance.
This verse explains why God facilitates the journey of one group into ease, and that of the other into hardship, as stated above []. Alternatively, it clarifies why God is stating the above verses which outline His custom. The meaning is: “We ease the two parties—or We outline Our custom with respect to them—because doing so is part of guidance, and it is Our job to guide.” Furthermore, “doing so is not a burden for Us, and nothing can impede it,” as the next verse shows.
According to this verse, God shall certainly guide the people. He has made it an obligation upon Himself through the dictate of His wisdom. He has created people to serve Him, as He says: I have not created the humans and the jinn except to serve Me (). He made the goal of their creation to serve Him, and made this the straight path toward Himself: Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So serve Him; this is the straight path (, ); You guide to the straight path—the path of Allah (). He has taken it upon Himself to make the path clear and to guide the people to it—where guidance means showing them the way, whether they follow it or not: It is upon Allah to show the right direction, and some [paths] go astray (); Allah speaks the truth and guides to the [true] path (); We have guided him to the path, be he grateful or ungrateful ().
Of course, this does not preclude others—such as the prophets—to also guide the people to the straight path by God’s leave. He says [to Prophet Muḥammad]: You guide to a straight path (); Say: “This is my path. I call to Allah with insight—I, and those who follow me” (). This matter was discussed previously, in our discussion on the intellectual proofs for why God points prophets.
In this verse, guidance is meant in the sense of showing the way [which is exclusively God’s prerogative]. There is yet a second sense of guidance, which is taking a person to the desired goal. Here, the goal would be a wholesome worldly life or a felicitous afterlife, which are the good outcomes of following divine guidance and cladding one’s self in servitude. It is obvious that such guidance is a creational phenomenon which belongs to God only. God has equally taken it upon Himself to bestow this form of guidance, as promised in His Book: Whoever follows My guidance shall neither stray nor fall into misery (); Whoever acts righteously, be they male or female, while being a believer—We shall make them live a goodly life, and shall reward them for the best of what they did (); As for those who believe and do righteous deeds—We shall bring them into gardens with rivers flowing beneath them, to abide therein forever more. A promise of Allah, in truth! Who speaks more truly than Allah? ().
Although this [second] meaning of guidance is primarily attributed to God, it can still be carried out by others as intermediaries and subordinates between Him and His creation, by His will.
Hence, there are two possible meanings for the verse: (1) If “guidance” is taken to mean “showing the way,” the verse means: “We are giving you these instructions because they pertain to the path of servitude, and it is Our responsibility to show you this path.” (2) If “guidance” is taken to mean “taking a person to the desired goal,” it means: “We make it easy for them to perform righteous deeds—or to enjoy an easy eternal life and enter paradise—because this is how they are brought toward their goal, and it is Our responsibility to take every being toward its perfection.”
Easing the first group into ease [] hinges on easing the second group into hardship []. This is according to God’s words: So that Allah may separate the foul from the wholesome, and stack the foul atop each other, and abandon them all in hell (). Even concerning the Qur’an, which is a guidance for all humankind, God says: What We send down of the Qur’an is healing and mercy for the believers, but it only increases the wrongdoers in loss ().
The verse could refer to guidance in an unconditional sense, including both God’s legislative guidance [the first sense], as well as His creational and existential guidance [the second sense]. Indeed, the unqualified form of the word guidance in the verse implies an absolute sense of the term. Hence, both forms of guidance belong to God: (1) conventional guidance to the way: We have guided them to the path, whether they be grateful or ungrateful (); (2) real guidance to the destination, as He says: Who has given everything its form, then guided [it] ().
وَإِنَّ لَنَا لَلْآخِرَةَ وَالأُولَى ١٣
(92:13) And Ours is the afterlife and the prior.
This verse refers to two stages or realms: that of instantiation and that of returning. Everything that can be called a “thing” is a property of God in the truest sense of ownership: its existence is upheld by its Lord, who is al-Qayyūm (the All-Upright, the Upholder). Since He is the only real owner of anything, it follows that He is also the only conventional or legislative owner of all things. In fact, it is based on His ownership that He has allowed other beings to own, control and manipulate things.
So He owns all things in all ways. Nothing, other than Him, owns anything. No one can block, impede, or overcome Him in this. Thus He says: Allah judges; none repeals His judgment (); Allah’s command overrules (); Allah does what He wills ().
فَأَنذَرْتُكُمْ نَارًا تَلَظَّى ١٤
(92:14) So I have warned you (fa-andhartukum) of a blazing fire (talaẓẓá).
The letter fāʾ (so, then, therefore) at the beginning of this verse shows that this is a conclusion to the previous discussion. In other words: “Since Indeed upon Us rests guidance (), therefore I have warned you of about the fire of hell.” This should also clarify the reason for the shift from the first person plural in the last verse to the first person singular in this verse. Since God has ordained and decreed that there must be guidance, it follows that He is the true and primary warner, although He delivers that warning through the channel of His Messenger.
Talaẓẓī means the “flaming and flaring” of a fire. The blazing fire in this verse refers to the fire of hell, as God says: Never! Indeed it is a blazing fire (laẓá)! ().
لا يَصْلاهَا إِلاَّ الأَشْقَى ١٥ الَّذِي كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّى ١٦
(92:15-16) None shall enter it (yaṣlāhā, from ṣaly) except the most wretched who denies [the truth] and turns away.
The most wretched are all disbelievers who deny and turn away [from the truth and God’s message]. This is meant in a comparative sense [not in the superlative]: it is relative to anyone who experiences misery in this world. Those who suffer in their health, wealth, or children are miserable, as well as those who lose out on their afterlife. However, the second group are far more wretched than the first, because in worldly suffering there is always the possibility of termination and the hope of relief in the near future. On the contrary, otherworldly suffering means eternal damnation.
Hence, the most wretched are the disbelievers who deny the true call and oppose it, as is shown by the second verse: who denies [the truth] and turns away (). This interpretation is also supported by the unqualified form of “warning” in the last verse: I have warned you (). Saying that the most wretched refers only to “the most wretched person ever” is not supported by the context of the verse.
Ṣaly means “being perpetually bound and attached” to the fire. Therefore, it amounts to eternal burning. This is part of what God has decreed for the disbeliever: Those who disbelieve and deny Our signs—they shall be the inhabitants of the fire, abiding therein forever ().
According to some exegetes, this verse—none shall enter it except the most wretched—implies that corrupt believers will not go to hell. However, our interpretation of ṣaly (entering, abiding) refutes this idea, because the verse only restricts eternal torment to the most wretched disbelievers. Otherwise, other people may also enter hellfire [impermanently].
وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا الأَتْقَى ١٧
(92:17) But the wariest [of Allah] shall be distanced from it (sa-yujannibuhā, from tajanīb):
Tajnīb is synonymous with tabʿīd (distancing someone from something). The “it” in distanced from it refers to the fire (). It means: “Those who are conscious of God will be far from the fire.”
The wariest is meant in comparison to other forms of wariness and caution. Some people are very protective of their life against dying or being killed. Other people are protective of their possessions. Others are careful to guard themselves from poverty and financial loss by clinging to their wealth. Still others are cautious of God, and spend their wealth because of their Godwariness []. The highest form of prudence and regard among them is holding God in high regard, and spending for His sake. Those are the most awake. Alternatively, one could say that these people are alert lest they lose out on the hereafter, so they purify themselves through giving. Based on this, the wariest in this verse is specifically compared to anyone whose wariness does not result or manifest in giving away their wealth, even if they may be wary with respect to worldly dangers, or wary of God through performing other righteous deeds.
Given our interpretation, this verse has a general meaning and is not restricted to a specific situation or individual. This can be confirmed by the next verses—the one who gives his wealth, seeking purification… (ff)—which all provide general descriptions. Nevertheless, it is still possible that these verses—or the entire chapter—were revealed in reference to a specific circumstance, as mentioned in some narrations.
We cannot hold that the wariest in this verse is meant in comparison to all other people, whether good or bad. If so, the wariest would be limited to one individual ever, or at least one specific individual in each era. The meaning would then be: “The wariest person [of God] to ever have lived shall evade it.” Similarly, the previous verse would mean: “Only the most wretched human being in history shall burn in hell.” However, the verses at the outset of the sūrah do not support this; nor does the general warning above: so I have warned you of a blazing fire (). This would be meaningless, for it would be saying: “I have warned you all about a fire that only one of you will abide in it, and only one of you will escape.”
الَّذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّى ١٨
(92:18) the one who gives his wealth, seeking purification,
This verse describes the wariest [of Allah] () as being those who give away their wealth so that they might grow wholesomely.
وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِندَهُ مِن نِّعْمَةٍ تُجْزَى ١٩
(92:19) and it is not that anyone has any favor over him to be compensated (tujzá),
This verse reiterates the previous verse. It means: “These people do not feel indebted to others; they give not because they are obliged to pay back for a favor that someone has done for them. Rather, they give solely for the sake of God.” This is affirmed by the next verse: Other than seeking the face of his Lord, the Most Sublime ().
إِلاَّ ابْتِغَاء وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ الأَعْلَى ٢٠
(92:20) other than seeking the face of his Lord, the Most Sublime,
This verse acts as an unconnected exception. It means: “Rather, he gives away his wealth, seeking the face of his Lord, the Most Sublime.” We already discussed the meaning of God’s face, as well as His Most Sublime name.
وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَىٰ ٢١
(92:21) and he shall soon be pleased.
This means that those who are the wariest [of Allah] () will soon be pleased with the bounteous reward that their Most Sublime Lord will give them. By mentioning these two divine attributes—his Lord, the Most Sublime ()—the verses show that their recompense will be the highest and most precious reward, in accordance to God’s lordship and sublimity. It also explains the transition in the last verse, from referring to God in the first person singular to the third person: the transition is meant to describe Him with these two attributes: his Lord, the Most Sublime ().
Examining Narrations
- Muḥammad b. Muslim said: Once I asked Imam al-Bāqir about [the vows in] By the night, when it covers (), By the star when it sets () and similar verses. He said: The Almighty God may swear upon His creation as He wills, but His creation may not swear by anything other than Him.
- Regarding By the night, when it covers () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: It means when the night covers the day. This is an oath.
- Concerning the revelation of this chapter Imam al-Riḍā said: A man had a palm tree in another man’s land, and thus used to disturb the landowner. The landowner complained to the Messenger of God, who summoned the palm owner and proposed: “Give me your palm tree in exchange for a palm tree in paradise.”
The man refused. Then one of the Anṣār (Medinan Supporters) named Abū al-Daḥdāḥ heard of this, went to the palm owner and asked him to trade his palm tree for a plot of land, to which the man agreed. Then he [Abū al-Daḥdāḥ] went to the Messenger of God and said: “O Messenger of God! I have bartered my plot of land in exchange for so-and-so’s palm tree.”
“For that,” the Messenger of God said, “you shall have a palm tree in paradise.”
Thus God revealed to His Prophet: And by the One Who created the male and the female! Your efforts are diverse. As for the one who gives—that is, the palm tree—and is wary [of Allah] and affirms the good—that is, the offer of God’s Messenger—We shall ease him into ease… he perishes ().
Author’s comment: “The two sexes” is the Imam’s interpretation for the male and female ().
- Concerning the wariest [of Allah] shall be distanced from it () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: That is Abū al-Daḥdāḥ.
Author’s comment: The above are narrations through Shia chains of transmission, from the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt. The same story is narrated on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās with the following difference: The Anṣārī haggled with the owner of the palm tree over the tree, and eventually bought it in exchange for forty trees. Then, he gifted it to the Prophet, who in turn gave it to the owner of the house. According to ʿAṭāʾ, the name of the Anṣārī was Abū al-Daḥdāḥ.
There are some narrations in Sunni sources saying that the sūrah was revealed about Abū Bakr. Al-Rāzī says in al-Tafsīr al-kabīr:
Our [Sunni] exegetes concur that the wariest [of Allah] () refers to Abū Bakr. Know that Shias unanimously reject this narration, and say instead that the verse was revealed about the status of ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib. Their evidence for this is the verse: and they give zakāt while bowing down (). Therefore, the wariest [of Allah] who gives his wealth, seeking purification () alludes to that verse which says: and they give zakāt while bowing down ().
He [al-Rāzī] then interprets the wariest [of Allah] () as the best of people, meaning “a single individual who is the most conscious of God.” We already discussed the problems with this interpretation. Concerning what he [al-Rāzī] has ascribed to all Shias: they reject the narration about Abū Bakr based on the authentic narration related by al-Ḥimyarī, which we quoted above [number 3], and other similar narrations which show that the verses were revealed about Abū al-Daḥdāḥ al-Anṣārī. However, there is no unanimity about the verses being about Imam ʿAlī, notwithstanding some weak accounts like the next one.
- Imam al-Ṣādiq said: But the wariest [of Allah] shall be distanced from it (): This refers to the Messenger of God and those who follow him. And the one who gives his wealth, seeking purification (): This refers to the Commander of the Faithful [Imam ʿAlī], as per the verse: and they give zakāt while bowing down (). And it is not that anyone has any favor over him to be compensated (): This refers to the Messenger of God, who was not indebted to anyone’s favor, although his favor flows over to all of creation.
Author’s comment: This narration’s chain of transmission is weak. That aside, it certainly does not interpret the meaning of the verse (tafsīr), but only matches it with some application of it (jary wa taṭbīq). This is clearly reflected in matching the noun [the wariest ()] with the Messenger of God, and the adjective of that noun [the one who gives his wealth, seeking purification ()] with Imam ʿAlī. If that were an absolute exegesis and the primary meaning of the verses, the entire structure of the chapter would fall into disarray. This is assuming that the Imam said the word “And”—in “And the one who gives his wealth”—as part of his own words, not a part of the verse. If he said it as part of the verse, then the narration would be among those narrations that claim the Qur’an to have been distorted. Such narrations are not valid.
- Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Abī Naṣr said: I asked Imam al-Riḍā about the verse: Indeed upon Us rests guidance (). He said: “God guides whomever He wills and leads astray whomever He wills.”
“May God bless you!” I said. “Some of our companions believe that true knowledge can be acquired: that if they ponder on it properly, they will reach it.”
The Imam rejected that and said: “Then why don’t they acquire this good for themselves? Everyone would like to be better than those who are better than them. Look at Banū Hāshim: Their position and their nearness [to the Prophet] is known. They are more befitting for this matter [the caliphate] than you. Do you think that they do not ponder for themselves? That you have understood but they haven’t?”
[Then the Imam added:] “Imam al-Bāqir said: ‘All people would have loved us, if they could.’”
Author’s comment: In this narration, hidāyah (guidance) is meant in the sense of “taking one to the desired destination.” That is exclusively up to God to provide, for it is an element of His Lordship. Moreover, His ḍalālah (leading one astray, misguidance) is a punishment [subsequent to one’s misdeeds and ungratefulness]. That is when He ceases to send down His mercy and does not provide guidance for a person. Since bestowing guidance can is ascribable to God, withholding it can also be attributed to Him. Otherwise, taking the initiative to lead one astray from the very beginning cannot be ascribed to God, the Almighty.
The letter wāw (by, and) at the beginning of the verse adds a second vow to: By the night (). (Auth.) ↩︎
Like the last verse, this verse is also added to the initial vow: By the night (). (Auth.) ↩︎
Grammatically, saʿy is singular, but it takes on the meaning of a plural. Shatīt and shattá have the same form as marīḍ (an ill person) and marḍá (the ill). (Auth.) ↩︎
See volume 3, pp. 156ff of the English translation, under verse . (Ed.) ↩︎
In the first type of guidance, reaching the destination remains a potentiality that is yet to be achieved. It is like giving someone directions on how to get somewhere. In the second type of guidance, that potentiality is actualized. It is like taking one’s hand and walking them on the path, or driving them to where they need to get. (Ed.) ↩︎
That is, they are concomitants, interdependent, and two sides of the same coin. One necessitates the other. (Ed.) ↩︎
This is based on one of the principles of the author in Qur’anic exegesis: The context of revelation of a verse does not restrict its general meaning and application. (Ed.) ↩︎
What is meant by “compensated” (tujzá) is “compensated with it” (tujzá bihi), but the preposition “with it” is omitted to maintain the rhyme of the verses. This refutes the suggested view that the passive verb tujzá (compensated, rewarded) is used because no particular subject is intended here [as indicated by the word anyone]. (Auth.)
In the author’s interpretation, the passive voice indicates the ambiguity—and thus the inclusiveness—of any favor whatsoever. The meaning would be: “No one has any favor over the wary person so that the wary person may compensate them for their favor with his act of benevolence.”
In the suggested view, the passive voice indicates the ambiguity—and inclusiveness—of any benefactor whatsoever. The meaning would be: “No one has rewarded him a favor.”
The difference between the two meanings is not significant, and predominantly linguistic. (Ed.) ↩︎
For unconnected exception, see the first footnote under verse above. (Ed.) ↩︎
For God’s face, see volume 13, pp. 126-128 of the English translation, under verse . For His Most Sublime name, see verse above. (Ed.) ↩︎
Al-Kāfī, it is related via its chain of narration. This is also narrated from Imam al-Jawād in Man lā yaḥḍuruhu al-faqīh, via its chain of narration, on the authority of ʿAlī b. Mahziyār. ↩︎
Other narrations clarify that the two men were neighbors and the tree was in the tree owner’s land, but some of its branches hung over the neighbor’s walls. The disturbance was that he would climb his tree and invade his neighbor’s privacy, would sometimes enter his neighbor’s land to pick up the dates that had fallen, and would wrest the dates from the children’s hands and mouths. (Ed.) ↩︎
Al-Ḥimyarī, Qurb al-isnād, on the authority of Aḥmad b. Muḥammad, on the authority of Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Abī Naṣr. This is also reported in Tafsīr al-Qummī without naming the Imam and without a chain of narration. ↩︎
There is apparently a mistake here because the narration makes no mention of “the two sexes” (al-zawjayn). Perhaps the current verse was mixed with verse —the two sexes, the male and the female—by one of the transcribers or the author. (Ed.) ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of al-Wāḥidī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of ʿIkrimah. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. Al-Suyūṭī has also reported this story in al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Abī Ḥātim, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, though he considers the [chain of] narration to be weak. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-burhān, on the authority of al-Barqī, on the authority of Ismāʿīl b. Mihrān, on the authority of Ayman b. Muḥriz, on the authority of Abū Baṣīr. ↩︎
Ayman b. Muḥriz is unidentified. (Auth.) ↩︎
Al-Ḥimyarī, Qurb al-Isnād, on the authority of Aḥmad b. Muḥammad. ↩︎