His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "Indeed, they fold their chests to hide from Him. But when they cover themselves with their garments, He knows what they conceal and what they declare. Indeed, He is Knowing of that which is in the chests." "And there is no creature on earth but upon Allah is its provision, and He knows its dwelling place and its repository; all is in a clear Book."

It is said that this verse was revealed about the disbelievers who, when the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, met them, would hunch down and fold their chests as if to hide, turning their backs to him, and covering their faces with their garments, distancing themselves from him and disliking to meet him. They thought that this would be hidden from him and from Allah, exalted and glorified is He. Thus, the verse was revealed regarding that. And "their chests" is accusative in this context due to "they fold."

It is also said that it is a metaphor for the malice and hatred they concealed within themselves, as one might say: "So-and-so folds his side against his enmity, and he folds his chest upon it." So the meaning of the verse is: Indeed, they conceal enmity and keep it hidden so that it may be hidden - in their assumption - from Allah, while He, exalted is He, when they cover themselves and convey their concealment, knows what they conceal.

Sa'id ibn Jubayr read: "they fold" with a dammah on the ya and the noon, from 'athna. Ibn Abbas read: "they will fold." Ibn Abbas also read, along with Mujahid, Ibn Yamir, Ibn Abzi, Nasr ibn Asim, Al-Jahdari, Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Razin, Ali ibn Al-Husayn, Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali, Yazid ibn Ali, Ja'far ibn Muhammad, Abu Al-Aswad, and Al-Dahhak: "their chests fold" with the chests in the nominative. This can carry the two meanings mentioned in "they fold," and its form is taf'ul, which is a form of exaggeration for the repetition of the action, as one might say: "the land has become lush," and "the world has become pleasant," and similar to that. Al-Tabari reported from Ibn Abbas - regarding this reading - that this verse was revealed about a people who would not approach women and the young except that they would cover their garments, disliking to expose their private parts to the sky. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, read - as narrated by Ibn 'Uyaynah -: "they fold" with the thaa preceding the noon and without a noon after the waw. Abu Hatim said: This reading is an error and does not hold. Nasr ibn Asim, Yahya ibn Yamir, and Ibn Abu Ishaq read: "they fold" with the noon preceding the thaa. 'Urwah, Ibn Abu Abzi, and Al-A'sha read: "they fold" with a thaa that is doubled followed by a noon that is open and then a waw that is broken. They also read, as did Mujahid in what was narrated from him: "they fold" with a hamzah replacing the waw. These two are derived from "thinn," which is the grass that folds easily, so they likened their chests to it as they are inclined to this folding upon deceit and trickery. The original of "they fold" is "they folden," the noon that is broken is made silent, and its vowel is transferred to the waw before it, and it is assimilated into the noon that follows it. As for "they fold," its original is "they folden" like "they turn red," then they said: "folden" just as they said: "turn red" and "turn white."

The pronoun in "from Him" refers back to Allah, glorified and exalted is He. This is the clearest and most comprehensive in meaning. According to some interpretations, it can refer to Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. And "they cover" means: they make it coverings and veils. From this is the saying of Al-Khansa:

I tend the stars, though I am not tasked with tending them, And sometimes I cover the virtue of my garments.

Ibn Abbas read: "at the time they cover," and from this usage is the saying of Al-Nabigha:

At the time I reproached old age for youth, And I said: Did I not awaken while old age was a deterrent?

And "the hearts' contents": what is in them. The term "contents" can be used in various ways in speech; this is one of them. Like the saying of the Arabs: "The wolf is envious of what is in its belly," meaning of what is in it from the nourishment. And like the saying of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him: "It is only one with an external belly." The essence, which is the reality of the thing and its self, is restless in this context. It is possible to differentiate between "what is in its belly" and "the essence," but the meaning connects them both.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "And there is no creature..." The verse continues in describing Allah, blessed and exalted is He, in a manner similar to His saying: "He knows what they conceal and what they declare." The creature is whatever moves among animals, and what is meant is all animals that require sustenance. This includes birds, insects, and others; all of them are creatures. Al-A'sha said:

A young one like the branch of the balsam tree, it trembles when it walks, The creeping of the quail in every watering place.

And Alqamah ibn Ubaidah said about a bird:

.......................... For its birds, there is creeping.

And in the hadith of Abu Ubaidah: "So if there is a creature like the thorn," meaning from the sea animals. The specification by His saying: "on the earth" is only because it is closest to their senses. The bird and the swimmer are only on the earth, and whatever dies of the animal before it is nourished has indeed been nourished in the belly of its mother in some way.

And this verse indicates that sustenance is everything that is valid for benefit, contrary to the Mu'tazilah in their saying: "It is the lawful that can be owned."

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "upon Allah" indicates a favor, for He, glorified and exalted is He, is not obligated to anything by reason. The "settled place" is the solid part of the father, and the "deposited place" is the belly of the mother. It is said: the "settled place" is the dwelling, and the "deposited place" is the grave. Thus, they are both contexts. It is said: the "settled place" is what exists as a living being, and the "deposited place" is what will exist later.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

The "settled place" in this context is the source of "settled," and it is not a passive form like "deposited," because "settled" does not take an object. And His saying: "in a book" refers to the preserved tablet. Some people said: This is metaphorical, and it refers to the knowledge of Allah.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

This is weak, and taking it in its apparent meaning is preferable.