And when these actions are of the utmost severity, the soul longs to know the day in which it will be. Allah, the Most High, answered this question, increasing the terror of that day for those who have awareness: ﴿The Day﴾ meaning these things will occur on the day of ﴿We fold﴾ meaning by our magnificent greatness ﴿the heavens﴾ in folding, so that they will be as if they had never existed. Then He depicted its folding in a way they understand, saying, likening it to the source indicated by the verb: ﴿like the folding of a scroll﴾ meaning the book that has superiority and power over what is written in it ﴿for the books﴾ meaning the parchment that one writes on and sends (p-488) someone. I mentioned this because the term 'scroll' is applied to both the book and the writer - this was stated in the dictionary. The term 'scroll' was chosen for the doer because this material revolves around superiority, and for the folded, the term 'book' indicates plurality, as it is necessary for folding. Although this is more appropriate for what each of them was made an example of, the reading of the singular is to correspond to the term 'the heavens,' and the plural is to indicate that the intended meaning is the genus, so all the heavens will be folded. Ibn Kathir said: Ibn Abi Hatim narrated to us, my father informed us, Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Hajjaj al-Raqi narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Salamah from Abu al-Wasil from Abu al-Malih from al-Azdiy from Abu al-Jawza al-Azdiy from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, who said: Allah will fold the seven heavens with what is in them of creation, and the seven earths with what is in them of creation. He will fold all of that with His right hand until it will be like a mustard seed.

And when this is with one who does not know, it is the greatest improbability of their improbability of the resurrection of the dead. He said, indicating it and bringing it closer to the minds by likening the resurrection to the beginning, in that the ability to do both is equal. Just as He brought him out with knowledge from the treasures of His ability, so He will return him with His knowledge in the treasures of His ability, just as is done with the light of the lamp and similar things when it is extinguished. So it is with all other things - 'as' means like what (p-489) 'We began' means with what has been known to us of greatness. 'First creation' - meaning the estimation of any estimation that it was, He made it indefinite to indicate the detailing one by one, meaning that every creation, whether great or small, is equal in this ruling, which is that 'We will return him' means with that very greatness, not forgetting him nor being heedless nor incapable of it. What was composed of parts, we will gather it after its extension, and what was dead, we will bring it to life after its death, and what was alive, we will cause to die, we will bring him back after his death, and we will return from them from the dust whom We began from it. The result is that whoever has created something, it is not far from Him to act in it however He wishes; Al-Bukhari narrated in the tafsir from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: 'The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, gave a sermon and said: Indeed, you will be gathered to Allah naked and uncircumcised, 'as We began the first creation, We will return it' - the verse. The first to be clothed on the Day of Resurrection will be Ibrahim, peace be upon him. Indeed, men from my nation will be brought and taken to the left side, and I will say: O Lord! My companions! It will be said: You do not know what they innovated after you. I will say as the righteous servant said, 'And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them' [Al-Ma'idah: 117] - up to His saying - 'a witness' [Al-Ma'idah: 117]. It will be said: Indeed, these have continued to turn back on their heels since you left them.' Then he informed that this is a matter that must be expressed in the source (p-490) to emphasize what they denied and they exaggerated in denying it, so he said: 'A promise' and he confirmed it by saying: 'upon Us' and he added to it by saying: 'Indeed, We were' meaning eternally and forever, in a state that does not change. 'Acting' means our affair is to do what we want, there is no burden upon us in anything of that in any way.