His saying, exalted and majestic is He:

﴿And they said, 'Why was this Qur'an not sent down to a great man from one of the two cities?'﴾ ﴿Are they the ones who divide the mercy of your Lord? We have divided among them their livelihood in the worldly life, and We have raised some of them above others in degrees, so that some of them may take others in service. And the mercy of your Lord is better than what they amass.﴾ ﴿And if it were not that the people would become one community, We would have made for those who disbelieve in the Most Merciful roofs of silver for their houses and stairways on which they ascend.﴾ ﴿And for their houses, doors and couches on which they recline.﴾ ﴿And adornments. And all of that is nothing but the enjoyment of the worldly life, and the Hereafter with your Lord is for the righteous.﴾

(p-544) The pronoun in "they said" refers to Quraysh. This is because they initially dismissed the idea that Allah, the Exalted, would send a human being. When the matter of Musa, 'Isa, and Ibrahim, peace be upon them, was established, and they had no argument against that, they returned to contradict what pertained specifically to Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. They said: Why was Muhammad, peace be upon him, not sent down with the revelation to a great man from one of the two factions? They specified their words: to a man from one of the two men from the two cities. The two cities are Mecca and Ta'if. The man from Mecca whom they referred to, Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: It is al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi. Mujahid said: It is 'Utbah ibn Rabiah. Qatadah said: We have been informed that there was not a clan from Quraysh except that it was claimed. As for the man from Ta'if, Qatadah said: It is 'Urwah ibn Mas'ud. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: It is Habib ibn Abd ibn Umayr. Mujahid said: It is Kinana ibn Abd al-Yalil.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

They intended to refer to someone whose mention was great due to age and seniority. Otherwise, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was at that time greater than these, but since those were esteemed before the time of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and in his youth, that continued for them.

Then Allah, the Exalted, addressed them in a manner of reprimand with His saying: ﴿Are they the ones who divide the mercy of your Lord?﴾ The meaning is: Do the virtues and status before Allah, the Exalted, divide according to their choice and desire? And "mercy" is a name that encompasses all of this. Then Allah, the Exalted, informed them with a decisive statement that He is the One who divides the livelihoods and degrees in this world so that some people may take others in service. The meaning is: If our concern for them is to divide this insignificant, fleeting matter, then it is more appropriate that we divide the more important, serious matter. In His saying, the Exalted, ﴿We have divided among them their livelihood﴾, there is a discouragement from pursuits and assistance in relying upon Allah, the Exalted. And how excellent is the saying:

When it came to "We have divided among them," the dispute ceased.

And the majority read: "their livelihood," while Ibn Mas'ud and al-Amash read: "their livings." The majority of the people read: "in service" with a dammah on the sīn, while Abu Rajaa and Ibn Muhaisin read: "in service" with a kasrah on the sīn. Both are two dialects in the meaning of servitude, and there is no implication of mockery in this verse.

'And the saying of Allah, the Most High: ﴿And the mercy of your Lord is better than what they gather﴾. Qatadah and al-Suddi said: It means Paradise. (p-545) The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: There is no doubt that Paradise is the ultimate goal. And the mercy of Allah, blessed and exalted is He, in this world through guidance and faith is better than all wealth. This wording belittles the world. Then the saying continues in belittling it with His saying, the Most High: ﴿And if it were not that the people would become one community﴾. The meaning of the verse is that Allah, the Most High, has preserved for His servants and bestowed upon them the consideration of the preservation of goodness and faith, and He willed to safeguard it for a group among them for the remainder of time. If it were not for the dislike that all people would be disbelievers and the people of love for this world and its indulgence, Allah, the Most High, would have greatly expanded for the disbelievers and enabled them in this world, as its belittlement in His sight necessitates that, because it has no worth or weight due to its perishing and the disappearance of its forms. So His saying, the Most High: ﴿One community﴾ means: in disbelief. This was said by Ibn Abbas, al-Hasan, Qatadah, and al-Suddi. From this meaning is His saying, blessings and peace be upon him: 'If this world were to be equal in the sight of Allah to the wing of a mosquito, He would not give a disbeliever a sip of water from it.' Then the meaning of the verse is compounded with the meaning of this hadith. The 'lam' in His saying, the Most High: ﴿For whoever disbelieves﴾ is the 'lam' of ownership, and the 'lam' in His saying, the Most High: ﴿For their houses﴾ is the 'lam' of specification, as you say: This garment is for Zayd for his animal, meaning: it is for his animal a covering and for Zayd a possession. Al-Mahdawi said: And this verse indicates that the roof is for the owner of the lower house; for it is attributed to the houses. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And this understanding is weak. The majority of the reciters read: 'roofs' with a dammah on the seen and qaf. Mujahid read: 'roof' with a dammah on the seen and a sukoon on the qaf. These are two plural forms. Ibn Kathir and Abu Ja'far read: 'roof' with a fathah on the seen and a sukoon on the qaf in the singular. And 'the ma'arij' are the stairs by which one ascends, as said by Ibn Abbas, Qatadah, and the people. Talhah read: 'and ma'arij' with an added ya. And 'they ascend' means: they rise. From this is the hadith of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her: 'And the sun in her chamber before it rises.' (p-546) And 'the thrones' is the plural of 'sarir'. And the people differed regarding 'the adornment'. Ibn Abbas, al-Hasan, Qatadah, and al-Suddi said: The adornment is the gold itself. It has been narrated from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, that he said: 'Beware of the red color, for it is one of the most beloved adornments to the devil.' The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him:

Beauty is red, and desires follow it. Ibn Zayd said: Al-Zukhruf refers to the furnishings of the house and what is made for it from curtains, cushions, and similar items. A group said: Al-Zukhruf refers to the decorations and engravings and similar things of adornment. The evidence for this saying is: "Until when the earth has adorned itself with its adornment and has beautified itself" [Yunus: 24]. The majority of the reciters read: "And indeed all of that is" with the lightening of the meem from "lamma," so "indeed" is lightened from the heavy form, and the lam in "lamma" is included to separate between negation and affirmation. Al-Asim, Hamzah, Hisham - with a difference from him - Al-Hasan, Talhah, Al-Amash, and Isa read: "lamma" with the emphasis on the meem from "lamma," for "if" is negating in the meaning of "not," and "lamma" means "except." Sibawayh narrated: "I beseech you by Allah, when you did it," and he interpreted it as "except." In the Mushaf of Ubayy ibn Ka'b: "And that is nothing but the enjoyment of the worldly life." Abu Rajaa read: "lima" with a kasrah on the lam and lightening of the meem, so "ma" means "that which," and the referent is omitted, and the estimation is: And indeed all of that is for that which is the enjoyment of the worldly life. And in His saying, the Exalted: "And the Hereafter with your Lord is for the righteous" is a noble promise and an encouragement towards piety, for in the Hereafter is the distinction in the ranks.