Commentary
'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' He, exalted and glorified, said: "Did not man see that We created him from a drop of fluid? Then he is a manifest adversary." "And he struck for Us a parable and forgot his creation. He said, 'Who will revive these bones while they are decayed?'" "Say, 'He will revive them who created them for the first time, and He is, of all creation, Knowing.'" "He who made for you from the green tree, fire, and from it you ignite." Ibn Jubair said: These verses were revealed because 'Al-As ibn Wa'il as-Sahmi came to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, with a decayed bone, and he crushed it and said, 'O Muhammad, who will revive this?' Mujahid and Qatadah said: The one who brought the decayed bone was Ubayy ibn Khalaf. This was also mentioned by Al-Hasan, as reported by Al-Rummani. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: It is Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is an error from those who attributed it to Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, because the Surah is Makki, and the verse is Makki by consensus. And because Abdullah ibn Ubayy never openly made such a declaration, and the name 'Ubayy' is what was confused among the narrators. The correct narration is what was reported by Ibn Wahb from Malik, and Ibn Ishaq and others said: 'Ubayy ibn Khalaf, the brother of Ubayy ibn Khalaf, is the one who brought the decayed bone in Makkah and crushed it in front of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and said, 'Who will revive this, O Muhammad?' Ubayy had with the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, positions and statements until he was killed by his hand on the day of Uhud with a wound in his neck. It was narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to him when he crushed the bone: 'Allah will revive it and revive you and admit you to Hell.' Then the verse was revealed, clarifying the proof that man is a drop of fluid and then becomes a manifest adversary. Is this not revival after death and the absence of life? And His saying: "And he forgot" can be understood as forgetting due to distraction, or it can be understood as forgetting due to neglect. And 'the decayed' refers to the old and crumbled, which is the remains. Then He, blessed and exalted, guided them to reflect on the first creation. Then He followed that with a third proof in the creation of fire from the green, water-saturated wood. This is the kindling of the Arabs, and fire exists in every piece of wood, but it is more present in the porous, open-pored wood. Likewise, it is with the marakh and the 'afar. And He returned the pronoun to the tree, masculine in consideration of the wording, so it came like dates and pebbles and others.
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