And when He, glorified and exalted is He, indicated by this saying that the command is sometimes just and sometimes it exceeds, and that the excess is more appealing to those of high aspirations and noble souls, He began with a servant among the leaders of the repentant in a manner indicating the resurrection with complete authority over the two horizons and what is in them with matters witnessed by some of His servants sometimes by sight and sometimes by hearing. As for the people of the Book, it is clear, and as for the Arabs, by enabling them to ask about him, they used to ask them about him, blessings and peace be upon him. Abu Hayyan said: Some of that was revealed in their news and expressed in their poetry. So He, the Most High, said, swearing to indicate that their denial of the resurrection is a denial of what He informs them of the miracles, adding to what He decrees: 'Indeed, We have given this man whom you have attributed to lying or madness a favor with this news indicated by the miracle of the Qur'an. So far is [what you have attributed to him] from the truth: 'And indeed,' by Our might and what has been established for us of encompassing attributes of perfection by being characterized with praise, 'We have given' meaning We have granted a great giving indicating the ultimate capability by what We have of greatness, 'to Dawud.'

And when the one who is given may be a means for whom the giving comes from, He clarified that the matter is only from Him, saying: 'from Us a favor' and indicated that the tanween is for glorification and that the existence of anything does not depend on anything other than His will by His saying, placing the mountains in the position of the wise who hasten to comply with His commands, indicating the completeness of His power and the marvelous way He manages all things in response to one who might have said: What is that favor? Changing from 'We have given': 'O' meaning We said to the strongest of the earth: O 'Mountains, respond' meaning return the glorification and the recitation of the Psalms and other mentions of Allah 'with him' meaning whenever he glorified. So this is an earthly sign of what is the strongest of the earth by what is the duty of the wise, and for that reason He expressed it in the command indicating the greatness of the power.

And when the mountains were the heaviest and most solid of the earth, and the meaning was: We called the mountains to accompany him in the supplication, they hastened to respond to our call, due to the previous knowledge that they were among those who refused to carry the trust. He then turned to the lighter and gentler creatures, so that they would be a sign from the heavens, indicating that He does what He wills in the heavens. For if He were to kill a bird in the atmosphere of the sky, it would fall, and there is no difference in that between high and low. He said: 'And the birds,' meaning we also called them, and they were responding with him in remembrance. Thus, their connection with the birds indicated their remembrance in truth, like the remembrance of the birds, dispelling the assumption of those who think it is merely an echo. The reading of Ya'qub with the raising is an addition to the word 'mountains,' and the reading of others is an addition to its position, or the 'and' could mean 'with' or imply an action from the meaning of what has passed, like 'We made subservient.' Wahb ibn Munabbih said: He would say to the mountains: 'Glorify!' and to the birds: 'Respond!' Then he would take, while reciting the Psalms, and clarify that with his beautiful voice, and the people would not see a sight more beautiful than that, nor hear anything more pleasant than it. This is as the pebbles would glorify in the hand of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and in the hand of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. And as the food would glorify in his noble presence while being eaten, and as the stone would greet him, and the door's hinges and the walls of the house would affirm his supplication, and the groaning of the trunk is well-known. And as the lizard would testify for him, and the camel would complain to him and prostrate before him, and similar instances, and as the bird known as the redstart came to complain about the one who took its eggs, the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, commanded him to return them out of mercy for it.

And when he mentioned the obedience of the densest of the earth and the gentlest of the creatures which Allah created from it, he mentioned what He, glorified and exalted is He, created from that densest matter, which is the hardest of things. He said: 'And We made iron pliable for him,' meaning that which we produced from the mountains, We made it in his hand like wax, so he could work with it as he wishes without fire or hammer.