His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "They used to sleep but little of the night" and "And in the early hours, they seek forgiveness" and "And in their wealth is a right for the beggar and the deprived" and "And in the earth are signs for the certain" and "And in yourselves, do you not see?" and "And in the heaven is your provision and that which you are promised" and "So, by the Lord of the heaven and the earth, it is indeed the truth, like what you speak" and "Has the story of the honored guests of Ibrahim come to you?" when they entered upon him and said, "Peace." He answered, "Peace, a people unknown." Then he went to his family and came with a fat calf.

The meaning of His saying, the Most High: "They used to sleep but little of the night" is that their sleep was little due to their engagement in prayer and worship. The intended meaning is from every night, and "al-hujū'" means sleep. Al-Ahnaf ibn Qais said: "I am not among the people of this verse," and this is fairness from him. It was said to some of the Tabi'in: Allah, the Most High, praised a man who slept when he became drowsy and obeyed his Lord when he awoke. Anas ibn Malik explained this verse by saying that they used to pray between Maghrib and Isha. Al-Rabi' ibn Khaytham said: The meaning is that they used to take a portion of the night. Al-Mutarrif ibn Abdullah said: There was rarely a night that came upon them in which they slept all of it. Ibn Abi Najih and Mujahid said: The intended meaning among these people by His saying, the Most High: "of the night" is: of the nights. The apparent meaning of the verse to me is that they used to stand for most of their night, that is, from every night. Al-Hasan said in the interpretation of this verse: They struggled with the night prayer, not sleeping from it except a little.

As for the grammatical analysis of the verse, Al-Dahhak said in the book of Al-Tabari that it implies that the meaning is: they were few in number, and the report of "they were" is complete, then he began with "of the night, they sleep." So, "ma" is negating, and "qaleelan" is a good pause. Some grammarians said: "ma" is extra, and "qaleelan" is a fronted object for "they sleep." The majority of grammarians said: "ma" is a source, and "qaleelan" is the news of "they were," and the meaning is: they were few in their night sleep. And "al-hujū'" is raised by "qaleelan" as it is a subject. According to this grammatical analysis, the saying of Al-Hasan and others comes - and this is the apparent meaning to me - that the intended meaning is: their sleep from the night was little. Ibn Umar and Al-Dahhak explained "they seek forgiveness" as "they connect (with Allah)," and Al-Hasan said: Its meaning is: they call for seeking forgiveness. The early hours are a time for seeking forgiveness, and it is narrated that the gates of Paradise are opened at dawn every day. In the story of Yaqub, peace be upon him, in his saying: "I will surely ask forgiveness for you from my Lord" [Yusuf: 98], he delayed seeking forgiveness for them until the early hours. Abu Zayd said in the book of Al-Tabari: The early hours are the last sixth of the night.

His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And in their wealth is a right﴾, the correct view is that it is definitive, and that this right is in the form of recommendation, not obligation. And 'known' means: customary. Likewise, the night prayer that He praised is not one of the obligatory acts. Most of the time, the obligation occurs through the performance of recommended acts. And Munthir ibn Sa'id said: It is the obligatory zakat. This is weak because the surah is Meccan and the obligation of zakat was established in Medina. And a group of the interpreters said: This was then abrogated by zakat. This is not strong, and what Allah, glorified and exalted is He, legislated in Mecca before the Hijrah was nothing regarding taking wealth.

People have differed regarding 'the deprived' with a difference that, in my view, is a mixture from the later scholars; for the meaning is one. The scholars of the predecessors expressed this in terms of examples, and the later scholars made it into sayings. A Meccan scholar limited it to eight. And 'the deprived' is one from whom the means of sustenance are distant after being close to him, so he experiences deprivation and poverty. Yet, he is not asked. This is the one who has a right in the wealth of the rich, just as the beggar has a right. Al-Shabi said: I have been informed to know what 'the deprived' is. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The deprived is the fighter who has no share of wealth in Islam; he is of limited means. Abu Qilabah said: A flood came in Yamamah and took the wealth of a man. A man from the companions of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: This is the deprived. Zayd said: He is the one whose fruits have been affected. Others said: He is the one whose livestock has died. Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, may Allah be pleased with him, said: He is the dog.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The dog can be deprived at certain times and situations. Do you not see the one who eats the dust from thirst? The hadith; and other than this from the sayings that merely mention an example, as if he is saying: The one whose fruits have been affected is among the deprived. The comprehensive meaning of these sayings is that he is the one who has no wealth due to deprivation that has struck him. Otherwise, the one whose fruits are affected and has much wealth besides it is not included in this verse by consensus.

After this, there is a portion of speech whose estimation is: So be like them, O people, and on their path, for the contemplation leading to that is directed. Indeed, in the earth are signs for those who reflect and are certain. And this is a reference to the subtleties of wisdom and the wonders of creation that are in the earth, the mountains, the minerals, the springs, and other than that. And Qatadah read: 'a sign' in the singular.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "And in yourselves" is a reference to contemplating the person of man. For he is the most of the creatures that we have a lesson from what Allah, blessed and exalted is He, has placed in him - despite being made of clay - from the subtleties of the senses, and from the matter of the soul, its life, and its speech. And the connection of this part of it to the intellect, and from the shape of the organs and their readiness to benefit, carry, or assist. Ibn Zayd said: The heart is merely a piece of flesh in the interior of the son of Adam, in which Allah has placed the intellect. Does anyone know what that intellect is? And what its description is? And how it is? And Al-Rummani said: The soul is specifically that thing which, if everything else that is not included in it were to cease, it would not cease. And this is a depth I do not commend. And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "Do you not see?" is a pause and a reprimand.

His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "And in the heaven is your provision," said Al-Dahhak, and Mujahid, and Ibn Jubair: He meant, glorified and exalted is He, the rain and the snow. And Al-Dahhak and Mujahid said: He meant the decree and predestination, meaning: the provision with Allah, glorified and exalted is He, comes as He wills, there is no Lord other than Him. And Ibn Muhaisin read: "And in the heaven is your sustainer."

And "You are promised" may be from the promise, and it may be from the warning, and all is in the heaven. Al-Dahhak said: What is meant is from paradise and hell. And Mujahid said: From good and evil. And Ibn Sirin said: What is meant is the Hour. Then Allah, glorified and exalted is He, swore by Himself to the truth of this saying and report, and He likened it in certainty to the speech of man. And it is with Him in the utmost clarity, and it cannot be that there occurs in it the confusion that occurs in vision and hearing. Rather, speech is more free from this. And the readers differed in His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "Like what" - Hamzah, Al-Kisai, and Asim - in the narration of Abu Bakr - read: "Example" in the nominative. And it was narrated from Al-Hasan, and Ibn Abi Ishaq, and Al-Amash - with a difference from them. And Nafi, Abu Amr, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Amir, Abu Ja'far, and the people of Medina, and most of the people read: "Examples" in the accusative. The first reading is in the nominative as an adjective for "truth." And it is permissible to describe the indefinite with that which has been added to the definite, as "like" is common for many faces. So it is not known by the addition to the definite; for when you say: "I saw like Zayd," you do not know anything because the faces of similarity are many. So when the commonality remains, the ruling of the indefinite applies to it, and it is described by it. And "what" is extra, giving emphasis. And the addition of "like" has built for what has been added to a non-established one, and it is in the position of the nominative as an attribute for "truth." And it has been followed by the building because the added to it may impart some of its attributes to the added, such as femininity in His saying:

.....................The breast of the channel has risen....

And like the definition in "the boy of Zayd" and other than that. And "like" then runs in the manner of "the punishment of that day" according to the reading of the one who opened the mim, and from it is the saying of the poet:

Drinking from it was not prevented except that it called out. So 'except' is the subject, but he opened it.

The second view - and it is the saying of al-Mazini - is that 'like' is built for being with 'what' as one thing. And it comes - on this - in a context: 'woe to him, and wherever.' And from it is the saying of Humayd ibn Thawr:

'Oh, let me be from what I encountered, and let me be from it. Woe to whoever does not know what they are, woe to him.'

If it were not for the construction, it would have to be indefinite. And likewise is the saying of the poet:

'................... So honor us with an uncle and honor us with a son.'

The third view is that 'like' is to be in the accusative as a state from His saying, the Exalted: 'It is a truth.' And it is a state from an indefinite noun, and there is a disagreement in it. However, al-Jurmi permitted that. As for others, they see it as a state from the raised mention in His saying, the Exalted: 'It is a truth'; because the estimation is 'It is a truth.' And in this is a consideration. And the 'utterance' in this verse is the speech with letters and sounds in the arrangement of meanings. It has been narrated that some of the eloquent Arabs heard this verse and said: 'Who makes the noble swear?' And the narration occurred in the book of al-Thalabi and 'The Paths of Goodness' is completed from al-Asma'i. It has been narrated that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'May Allah fight a people who their Lord swore to them by Himself, yet they did not believe Him.' And Abu Sa'id al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'If one of you were to flee from his provision, it would follow him just as death follows.' And the hadiths about provision and poetry in it are numerous.

His saying: "Has the news come to you?" is a confirmation for the soul of the addressed, just as one begins with a person when you want to tell him something amazing, asking: Did he hear from you or not? It is as if it necessitates from him to say: No, and to request the story from you. And "guest" is a common noun that applies to all, singular and plural. It has been narrated that the guests of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, were Jibril, Mikail, and Israfil, along with others from the angels, peace be upon them. And Allah, glorified and exalted is He, made them honored either because they were like that with him, and this is the statement of Al-Hasan, or because Ibrahim, peace be upon him, honored them and served them, he and Sarah, and slaughtered for them the calf. It is said: because he raised their seats. And "peace" is in the accusative as a verbal noun, as if they said: We greet with peace, or I greeted with peace. It is also possible that "they said" is implied, making "peace" equivalent to "saying," and the meaning then would be that they said a greeting, and its meaning is peace. This is the statement of Mujahid. And "peace" is elevated on the news of the beginning, meaning: My affair is peace, or it is obligatory for you to have peace, or it is on the beginning and the news is omitted as if he said: Peace be upon you. And Ibrahim, peace be upon him, greeted with the best; for their saying is a supplication and his saying is an obligation that has been fulfilled for them. Ibn Wathab, Al-Nakhai, Hamzah, Al-Kisai, Talhah, and Ibn Jubair read: "He said: Peace" with a broken 's' and a silent 'l,' and the meaning is: We are peace, or you are peace. And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "A people unknown" means: We do not distinguish them and we have no prior knowledge of them. This is also on the assumption: You are a people unknown. Abu Al-Aliya said: He denied their peace in that land and at that time.

And "he hurried" means: He went during his speech, concealing his departure, hastening as if he did not want to part from them, so he went to a direction of his house hastily and returned at his time. This is a comparison to the well-known evasiveness; for the evasive one suggests that he has not left. And "the calf" is what he slaughtered for them. It is enough for you that he, peace be upon him, established for the guests endowments that nations carry out according to their different religions and races.