'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And recite to them the news of Noah when he said to his people, 'O my people, if my standing and my reminding you of the verses of Allah has been burdensome upon you, then upon Allah I have relied. So devise your plan and your partners; then let not your plan be obscure to you. Then carry out against me and do not give me respite.'" It has preceded in 'Al-A'raf' the discussion on the term 'Noah'. The term 'maqam' refers to a man's standing for a speech or sermon or similar. The 'maqam' also, with the letter 'm' pronounced, refers to his establishment as a resident in a place or country. It is not read here with the letter 'm' pronounced. And his 'tadhkirah' means his admonition and warning. The meaning is: 'O my people, if you consider my state and my calling you to Allah as weak, then I do not care about you due to my reliance on Allah, the Exalted. So do what you are capable of.' The seven reciters and the majority of the people, including Al-Hasan, Ibn Abi Ishaq, and 'Isa, read: 'So devise' from 'ajma'a' meaning when a man is determined upon something. From this is the saying of the poet: 'Will I rise one day while my matter is determined?' And from this is the saying of another: 'They devised their matter by night, and when they became morning, they had a tumult.' And from this is the hadith: 'What has not been determined is prolonged.' And from this is the saying of Abu Dhuhayyib: 'He mentioned the arrival, so he devised... with longing, and his time approached as he followed.' Nafi' read, as narrated by Al-Asma'i, which is the reading of Al-A'raj, Ibn Abi Rajaa, 'Asim Al-Jahdari, Al-Zuhri, and Al-Amash: 'So gather' with the letter 'm' opened from 'jama'a' meaning to bring something together with something. And 'your matter' refers to your ability and your lives. This reading is supported by His saying, exalted is He: "So Pharaoh turned away and gathered his plan." [Ta-Ha: 60] And all of these have 'partners' in the accusative case. The accusative of His saying: 'your partners' may be considered as an addition to His saying: 'your matter'. This is based on the reading of 'So gather' with connection. As for the one who read: 'So devise' with the separation of the alif, then the accusative of 'partners' is due to an implied verb as if he said: 'And call your partners.' This is from the type of the poet's saying: 'A drinker of milk and dates and curds.' And from the saying of another: 'And I saw your husband in battle, carrying a sword and spear.' And from the saying of another: 'I fed her straw and cold water until her eyes became heavy with sleep.'

And in the Mushaf of Ubayy ibn Ka'b: "So gather your affair and call your partners," Abu Ali said: And "partners" may be in the nominative case by the waw of "with," as they say: "The mail came and the couriers." And Abu Abdur-Rahman, Al-Hasan, Ibn Abi Ishaq, Isa, Salam, and Ya'qub, and Abu Amr read in what was narrated from him: "And your partners" in the nominative case, in conjunction with the pronoun in "So gather," and it was conjoined to the pronoun before its confirmation because the kaf and mim in "your affair" take the place of "you" which confirms the pronoun, and also due to the length of the speech. This expression is better than the speech being long without a pronoun, and it is correct that it may be in the nominative case with the subject being implied, its implication being: "And let your partners gather." And a group read: "And your partners" in the genitive case in conjunction with the pronoun in His saying: ﴿your affair﴾, and the implication is: "And the affair of your partners," as in the saying of the poet:

"Do you think every man is a man, And a fire that burns at night is a fire?"

That is: and every fire. The intended meaning of "partners" in this verse are the rivals besides Allah, for they have been attributed to them since they make them partners by their claim.

And His saying: ﴿Then let not your affair be a confusion for you﴾ means: confused and problematic. From it is His saying: blessings and peace be upon him in the crescent: "If it is confusing for you," and from it is the saying of the poet:

"But if you witness the people when you are confused, If it does not clear up, it will remain confused."

And His saying: ﴿Then execute your plan towards me﴾ means: Carry out your judgment towards me. And Al-Suddi ibn Yan'am read: "Then hasten" with the fa and cutting the alif, and its meaning is: Hurry, and it is taken from the open land, meaning: Approach me with your schemes and come out with me to spaciousness. And His saying: ﴿And do not delay me﴾ means: And do not postpone me, and the delay is the postponement.