And when they informed about its condition at that time, because it was the most important to them, they were informed about its condition before. They said, confirming what is for humans [from the denial] of anyone reaching the sky: ﴿And we were﴾ meaning in the past ﴿sitting from it﴾ meaning the sky ﴿in many places﴾ that we knew, there was no guard in them, so they were suitable ﴿for hearing﴾ meaning so that we could hear from it some of what the angels speak regarding what they were commanded to manage. And it has come in the report that the description of their sitting is that one of them would be above the other until they reach the sky. Abu Hayyan said: So when the upper one was burned, the one beneath him took his place, and they would steal the word and throw it to the soothsayers, and they would add lies to it.

And when the estimation was: So we listen from it [So we hear what is estimated for us without any hindrance], he added to it his saying: ﴿So whoever listens﴾ meaning strives to reach the hearing ﴿now﴾ meaning at this time regarding what is to come. They divided time into [what] was from the release of hearing for them and into what the condition has become of guarding. They called the second one “now” entirely, because they wanted the time of their saying only, or they intended it because they know what comes after it, so they allow that the condition in it may be other than that ﴿he finds for him﴾ meaning for his sake ﴿a shooting star﴾ meaning a flame from a blazing fire.

And when the shooting star is in the meaning of the plural because the intended meaning is that every place from it is like that, he described it with the name of the plural and said: ﴿as a guard﴾ meaning it is being watched by those who throw it without any negligence. It may also be a source for exaggeration like a just man, and the guard is the waiting because when there is no delay in throwing it when approaching the sky, it is as if it is the one watching it, observing its matter, noticing it without any slackness or negligence at all, but it is the guard itself, and that is the meaning in itself. So whenever it ascends to listen, it is thrown at it, and it prevents it from hearing, and if it catches it, it burns it. As for the hearing, it has been prevented due to His saying: ﴿Indeed, they are excluded from hearing﴾ [Ash-Shu'ara: 212].