'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' He, exalted and glorified is He, said: "Or have they taken gods from the earth while they create? If there had been in both of them gods except Allah, they would have certainly been corrupted. So glorified is Allah, the Lord of the Throne, above what they describe. He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned." "Or have they taken besides Him gods? Say, 'Bring your proof. This is a reminder of what is with me and a reminder of what was before me. But most of them do not know the truth, so they turn away.'" This "Or" is like the alif of questioning. Here, it is an affirmation and a stopping point. Sibawayh's view is that it is like "but" with the alif of questioning. It is as if in the saying there is a pause from the first, and Allah, exalted and glorified is He, has stopped them with His saying: "Have they taken gods that give life and create?" That is: your gods are not like that, for they are not gods; because one of the attributes of a god is the ability to give life and cause death. A group read: "they create" with a dammah on the ya, meaning: they give life to others. Another group read: "they create" meaning they themselves live and their lives continue. It is said: the dead has come to life and Allah has given him life. Then He, blessed and exalted, clarified the matter of contradiction with His saying: "If there had been in both of them gods except Allah, they would have certainly been corrupted." This is because some of them would seek to overpower others and take away what they created. The essence of the saying here is that if two gods were assumed, the difference between them would cause a distinction in moving a body and stilling it. It is impossible for both wills to be fulfilled, and it is impossible for them not to be fulfilled together. If one is fulfilled, the owner of the other is incapacitated, and this is not a god. The possibility of disagreement between them is like the occurrence of it from both. Another consideration is that every part that comes from non-existence to existence cannot be related to two powers. If the power of one of them brings the other into existence, then there is no meaning for that part. Then the consideration continues like this part by part. Then He, blessed and exalted, declared Himself free from what the people of ignorance and disbelief describe. Then He described Himself, exalted is He, as: "He is not questioned about what He does." This description carries two meanings: either He means that by right of His dominion and sovereignty, He is not opposed nor questioned about anything He does; for He has the right to do in His dominion as He wishes, or He means that He is the perfect doer and places everything in its proper place, so there is no questioning or objection in His actions. And these humans are questioned for these two reasons; because they are not possessors, and because there is much flaw in their actions. Then He, exalted and glorified is He, confirmed again their taking of gods. In repeating this confirmation, there is an exaggeration in His denial and clarification of its corruption. In this confirmation, there is an addition to the first, which is His saying: "besides Him." It is as if He confirmed them here for the purpose of disbelief in Allah, exalted and glorified is He, then called them to the proof and to bring forth the evidence.

'And His saying, exalted is He: "This is a reminder of those with me and a reminder of those before me" may mean by "this" all the revealed books, both ancient and recent. That is, there is no proof in them for taking deities besides Allah, but rather there is the opposite of that. It may also mean by His saying: "this" the Qur'an. The meaning is: in it is the mention of the former ones and the mention of the latter ones. The mention of the latter ones is through the call and the clarification of the law for them and guiding them on the path of salvation. The mention of the former ones is by recounting their stories and mentioning the unseen matters concerning them. The meaning of the words - according to this interpretation - is the presentation of the Qur'an in the context of proof. That is: bring your proof, for this is my proof, which is evident in the mention of those with me and the mention of those before me. A group read: "This is a reminder of whom and a reminder of whom" with the addition in both. Another group read: "This is a reminder of those with me" with the addition and "and a reminder from before me" with the noun "reminder" being indefinite and the 'm' in "from before me" being broken. Yahya ibn Sa'id and Ibn Musarif read with the noun "reminder" being indefinite in both instances and the 'm' in "from" being broken in both instances. Abu Hatim weakened this reading, the breaking of the 'm' in the first instance, and did not see a basis for it. (p-161) Then He, exalted is He, judged that most of them do not know the truth due to their turning away from it. The meaning is not that they turn away because they do not know, but rather the meaning is that they turn away and therefore do not know the truth. Al-Hasan and Ibn Muhaisin read: "the truth" in the nominative meaning: this saying is the truth, and the pause on this reading is at "do not know."