His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And Allah has struck a parable of two men; one of them is dumb, unable to do anything, and he is a burden on his master. Wherever he directs him, he does not bring any good. Is he equal to one who commands with justice while he is on a straight path?" "And to Allah belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth. And the matter of the Hour is nothing but a glance of the eye or it is nearer. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent." "And Allah brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you did not know anything. And He made for you hearing, sight, and hearts that perhaps you would be grateful." "Do they not see the birds subjected in the sky? None holds them except Allah. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who believe." This is a parable for Allah, the Most High, and the idols. They are like the dumb man; he has no speech and cannot do anything, and he is dependent on whoever supports him from a relative or friend. And "the burden" refers to the weight and the support. Everything that is carried is a burden, and the orphan is called a burden. From this is the saying of the poet: "A burden for the wealth of the burden before its youth, if the bones of the burden are not strong." Just as the idols need to be carried, served, and tortured with, then no good comes from them whatsoever. This is the saying of Qatadah. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: It is a parable for the disbeliever. Ibn Mas'ud read: "he directs," and Alqamah read: "he is directed," and the majority read: "he directs him," which is the text of the mushaf. Yahya ibn Thabith read: "he turned to," and Ibn Mas'ud also read: "you direct him" in the address. Abu Hatim weakened Alqamah's reading because it is necessary, and "the one who commands with justice" is Allah, the Most High. Ibn Abbas said: It is the believer, and "the straight path" is the way. And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And to Allah belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth," indicates that the unseen belongs to Him, and He knows it. And His saying: "And the matter of the Hour is nothing but a glance of the eye" is news of His power and a proof against the disbelievers. The meaning, according to what Qatadah and others said, is: "The Hour and its establishment is in the power of Allah, the Most High, except that He says to it: Be." So if it were to happen that a human being were to stand on that, it would be so quick that he would say: Is it like a glance of the eye or is it nearer than that? So "or" - in this case - is in the sense of doubt. It is said that it is for choice, and "the glance of the eye" is its occurrence upon the seen. This news is strengthened by His saying: "Indeed, Allah is over all things competent," meaning: over all things that are decreed. And whoever said: "And the matter of the Hour" means: And its coming and occurrence upon you, in the sense of warning of its occurrence - then there is much distance and excessive interpretation in it. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: From the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: "I was sent along with the Hour like these two," and from his mention of what he mentioned of the signs of the Hour and its time. The way of interpretation is that since the Resurrection is certainly coming, it was made to be near like a glance of the eye, as it is said: The year is but a moment, except that His saying: "or it is nearer" also refutes this statement.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "And Allah brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers". This verse enumerates a clear blessing that no rational person denies. It is a blessing that comes with its ingratitude and its diversion into associating partners with the One who bestowed it. Allah, glorified and exalted is He, informed that He brought forth the son of Adam while he knew nothing. Then He made his senses, which He had granted him in the womb, a means to perceive knowledge so that he may be grateful for that and believe in the One who has bestowed upon him. And "mothers" is originally "ummāt", and the letter 'h' was added for emphasis and confirmation, just as they added the 'h' in "You spilled the water", as Abu Ishaq said. In this example, there is discussion, and it was said otherwise. Hamzah and Al-Kisai read: "Your mothers" with a broken hamzah. Al-Amash read: "In the bellies of your mothers" by omitting the hamzah and breaking the 'm'. Ibn Abi Layla read by omitting the hamzah and opening the 'm' with emphasis. Abu Hatim said: "Omitting the hamzah is poor, but the reading of Ibn Abi Layla is more correct." The conjecture in "perhaps" is according to it. This verse enumerates blessings and is a place of consideration.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "Did they not see the birds". Talhah ibn Masrif, Al-Amash, and Ibn Hurmuz read: "Did you not see" with the 't'. The people of Mecca and Medina read: "Did they not see" with the 'y' as a reference to them. There is variation from Al-Hasan, Asim, Abu Amr, and Isa Al-Thaqafi. And "the atmosphere" is the distance between the heavens and the earth. It is said to be what is closest to the earth from it, and what is above that is the Tablet. The verse is a clear lesson in meaning; its interpretation is pure effort.