His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "Are they better or the people of Tubba' and those before them? We destroyed them; indeed, they were criminals." "And We did not create the heavens and the earth and what is between them in play." "We did not create them except in truth, but most of them do not know." "Indeed, the Day of Judgment is their appointed time, all together." "On a Day when no ally will avail an ally at all, nor will they be helped." "Except for whom Allah has mercy upon; indeed, He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful." "Indeed, the tree of Zaqqum" "is the food of the sinful."

His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "Are they better or the people of Tubba' and those before them?" is a confirmation in it and a warning. Tubba' is the king of Himyar, and it was said to every king among them: "Tubba'"; however, the one referred to in this verse is a righteous man among the Tubba'. Ka'b al-Ahbar said: Allah, exalted and glorified is He, condemned his people but did not condemn him, and the scholars prohibited cursing him. It has been narrated from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, through Sahl ibn Sa'd: "This Tubba' embraced Islam and believed in Allah, exalted and glorified is He, and it has been narrated that this was at the hands of the people of the Book who were in his presence." Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Tubba' was a prophet." Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, that he said: "I do not know whether Tubba' was a prophet or not." Ibn Jubair, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "He is the one who clothed the Ka'bah," and Ibn Ishaq mentioned him in the Sirah, and Allah knows best.

And His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "Indeed, they were criminals" means: by disbelief. And a group read: "that they were" with a fatḥah on the alif, while the majority read it with a kasrah.

And His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "And We did not create the heavens and the earth" is a verse... it is a statement in it that serves as a warning and an admonition. And His saying: "except in truth" means: by the necessary that leads to goodness and the outpouring of gifts. And "the Day of Judgment" is the Day of Resurrection, and this is the news of resurrection. It is a matter that reason has permitted and the Shari'ah has affirmed by this verse and others. And the ally in this verse encompasses all allies, including relatives, freed slaves, and friends. And His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "nor will they be helped": if the pronoun refers to the world, it is correct that "from" in His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "except for whom Allah has mercy" is in the position of an exception that is connected. And if the pronoun refers to the disbelievers, then the exception is disconnected, and it is correct that it is in the position of a subject with the predicate being implied, its implication being: "Indeed, some of them will avail others in intercession and similar things," or its implication being: "Indeed, Allah will help him."

And His saying, exalted is He: "Indeed, the tree of Zaqqum" is "the food of the sinful." It has been narrated from Ibn Zayd that "the sinful" referred to is Abu Jahl. Then it is, in meaning, applicable to every sinful person, which is every trader who earns sin. It has been narrated from Hammam that Abu Darda recited to a Bedouin, and he would say: "the food of the orphan." Abu Darda repeatedly corrected him, but he was not taught. He said to him: "Say: 'the food of the wicked.'" And it was recited like that. It is indeed for interpretation, and it is the accursed tree in the Qur'an, which grows at the root of Hellfire. It has been narrated that when this verse was revealed, and the people pointed it out to Abu Jahl, he gathered dates with butter, then called people to it, saying to them: "Eat Zaqqum, for Zaqqum is the dates of Yathrib with butter, and it is my food that Muhammad has spoken of."

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And he intended by that a kind of deception and confusion for the ignorant.