And when the Qur'an described the gathering and the distinction, it necessitated the clarification of the people of success and failure. The state of the disbelievers is that they receive their disbelief, which is in the utmost [foolishness], either from the devils who are in the utmost of evil, or from their forefathers who are in the utmost of [ignorance]. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, was described in contrast to their state. He mentioned the greatness of the one who was revealed to him and the one who revealed it, so that it would be more likely to be accepted. He said, adding to the saying: "Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter" [An-Naml: 4] "And indeed you" meaning: and you are the noblest of creation, the most knowledgeable of them, the most forbearing of them, and the wisest of them "will certainly receive the Qur'an" meaning: you will be made a receiver of it from the King. He omitted the intermediary here and built it for the object to elevate it.

And when the matters that come from Allah are sometimes according to wisdom and are attributed to their causes, and at other times they are extraordinary and are attributed to Him, glorified and exalted is He. The extraordinary [sometimes] is in the first ranks of strangeness, and it is expressed by "near"; at other times it is in its highest form, and it is expressed by "from with Him." He, glorified and exalted is He, alerted that this Qur'an is at the peak of strangeness among the types of extraordinary events, so He said: "from with Him."

And when he proceeded in the last of the poets with what preceded of the numerous wisdoms in its revelation in this tongue and upon the heart of the master of the children of Adnan, through the trustworthy spirit, distinguishing it from the states of the devils, and other than that which preceded until it was concluded with a threat to the oppressors, (p-129) the oppressor was more in need of wisdom than he was of [absolute] knowledge. He presented in this that it is guidance, and the guide cannot be followed nor can his guidance be relied upon unless he is wise in his knowledge. The context necessitated the precedence of the description of wisdom, and the state necessitated the indefinite article for greater emphasis, so he said: "wise" meaning: possessing profound wisdom, so nothing from His actions is except that it is in the utmost perfection. "Knowledgeable" meaning: possessing great knowledge, complete and encompassing. He is very far from what they claimed about Him that it is the speech of creation, who have no knowledge or wisdom except what Allah has given them. The proof of that is the inability of all creation to bring forth anything like it, and to comprehend something of its meanings as it truly deserves.

And when He described it as complete in wisdom and comprehensive in knowledge, it indicated both of the two descriptions, and on the clarity of the Qur'an and what it has of the greatness that was referred to at the beginning of the surah with what comes in the surah from the stories and others. He limited himself in this surah to these stories due to the great correspondence [suitable] for the purpose of the surah. So he began with a story in which the distant ones were united upon disbelief, and they were destroyed, while the close ones were united upon faith, and they were saved. Then he followed with a story in which the distant ones were united upon faith, with not a single person among them remaining behind. And he thirdly mentioned another story that occurred among the close ones in which there was a distinction, with the division of disbelief and faith. And he concluded with a story in which the distant ones conspired against disobedience, and they insisted upon disbelief, (p-130) so the earth swallowed them, then they were covered with water as the water reached the first ones, and there was a twist in it.