His saying, exalted is He: "They do not listen to the highest assembly and are cast from every side. They have a lasting punishment. Except for one who snatches a fragment, and there follows him a piercing flame." "The highest assembly": the inhabitants of the lower heaven and what is above it. All of them are called "highest" in relation to the assembly of the earth, which is lower. The pronoun in "they do not listen" refers to the devils. The majority of the reciters and people read: [they listen] with the 's' of 'sami' being silent and the 'm' being lightened. Hamzah, Aasim - in the narration of Hafs - Ibn Abbas - with a difference from him - Ibn Wathab, Abdullah ibn Muslim, Talhah, and Al-A'mash read: "They do not listen" with the 's' and 'm' being stressed, meaning: they do not listen, thus their listening is negated according to the first reading even if they are listening. This is the correct meaning, supported by His saying, exalted is He: "Indeed, they are prevented from hearing" [Ash-Shu'ara: 212]. And according to the last reading, it is negated that they have any listening or hearing. The apparent meaning of the hadiths is that they listen even now, but they do not hear. If one of them hears something, he does not escape before he conveys that hearing to the one who comes to him; because since the time of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, the heavens have been filled with strict guards and shooting stars. It was reported in this regard authentic hadiths that include: "The devils used to ascend to the heavens and sit to listen, one above the other. The boldest among them would advance towards the heavens, then the one next to him. Allah, exalted is He, would decree matters on earth, and the inhabitants of the heavens would speak of it. That nearest devil would hear it from them and convey it to the one below him. Sometimes a shooting star would burn him as he conveyed the words, and sometimes it would not burn him at all, so he would deliver that word to the soothsayers, and they would lie with it a hundred lies, and that word would be true, thus the ignorant would believe all of it." When Allah, exalted is He, brought Islam, the heavens were guarded strictly, and no devil could escape hearing at all. It is narrated that they do not hear anything now. The shooting stars are those that people see falling. Al-Naqqash and Makki said: They are not the wandering stars in the sky, because those do not show their movement, while these shooting stars show their movement because they are close to us. In this, there is consideration. And "they are cast" means: they are stoned. "Duhur" means: humiliation and disgrace; because "zajr" is to push away violently. Mujahid said: They are driven away. The majority read with a dammah on the 'd', while Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami read: [duhur] with a fatha on the 'd'. And "the lasting" means: the continuous, as stated by Mujahid, Qatadah, and Ikrimah. Al-Suddi and Abu Salih said: The lasting means: the painful, and from it is "wasb", and the meaning is: this is the prevailing state over all the devils, except for one who deviates and snatches news or tidings, and a shooting star follows him and burns him.

And the majority of the people read: "خَطِفَ" with a فتح on the خاء and a كسر on the طاء lightly. Al-Hasan and Qatadah read: [خِطِّفَ] with a كسر on the خاء and طاء and with a shaddah on the طاء. Abu Hatim said: It is said to be the language of Bakr ibn Wa'il and Tamim ibn Murrah. It was narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, with a كسر on the خاء and طاء lightly. And "الثاقِبُ" means the one that penetrates with its light and radiant rays, as said by Qatadah, Al-Suddi, and Ibn Zayd. "حَسَبٌ ثاقِبٌ" means if it is brilliant and illuminating.