His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "Say, have you considered if Allah took away your hearing and your sight and sealed your hearts, who is a god other than Allah that could bring it to you? Look how We diversify the signs, then they turn away." "Say, have you considered if the punishment of Allah came to you suddenly or openly, will anyone be destroyed except the wrongdoing people?" "And We do not send the messengers except as bringers of good tidings and warners. So whoever believes and reforms, there will be no fear upon them, nor will they grieve." "And those who denied Our signs, the punishment will touch them because they used to transgress." This is the beginning of an argument against the disbelievers; and "Allah took away" means: He removed it; and took it away by His power, glorified and exalted is He; and He singled out hearing because it is a singular source that indicates a plural; and the pronoun in "by it" refers back to what was taken away; and it was said: to hearing; and it was said: to the guidance that is implied by the meaning; and Al-A'raj and others read: "by it look" with the 'h' pronounced; and it was narrated by Al-Musayyabi and Abu Wajzah from Nafi'; and "they turn away" means: they turn away; and they flee; and from it is the saying of the poet: (p-364)

When we mention a story, we say it is good And they are protected from every evil.

Al-Naqqash said: In the verse is evidence for the preference of hearing over sight; for it is mentioned first here; then he argued for that with His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "Indeed, only those who hear will respond" [Al-An'am: 36]; and with other than that.

And the questioning in His saying: "who is a god" means: it is a stopping; that is: "there is no god besides Him; so what is your attachment to the idols; and your clinging to them; while they do not avert harm; nor do they bring good?"; and the diversification of the signs is the establishment of lessons; and the coming of the verses of the Quran with warning; and admonition; and good tidings; and similar to it.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "Say, have you considered..." [Al-An'am: 40]; is a threat and a warning; and "suddenly" means: there is no prior knowledge of it with you; and "openly" means: its forms and beginnings become apparent to you; then it continues until it descends; Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan said: "suddenly": unexpectedly; and "openly": during the day; Mujahid said: "suddenly": unexpectedly, while they are secure; and "openly": while they are looking.

And Ibn Muhaisin read: "will anyone be destroyed" in the form of the verb for the doer; and the meaning is: "will you be destroyed except you?; for wrongdoing has become clear in your midst"; and "will" appears to be a question; and its meaning is the implied equivalence for negation; and equivalence cannot be except in negation; and it is in affirmation.

And His saying, exalted is He, "And We do not send the messengers"; the meaning is: "We only send the prophets who are specifically chosen for the message; to bring good tidings of Our grace and mercy to those who believe; and to warn of Our punishment and retribution to those who deny and disbelieve; and We do not send them to have signs proposed to them; nor to follow the deviations of every obstinate and overreaching one"; then He promised those who follow the path of good tidings and believe; and rectify themselves; in adhering to acts of obedience; and He warned those who followed the path of warning; who denied the signs of Allah, exalted is He; and committed sin; meaning: they exceeded the limit in their disbelief and disobedience; and Ibn Zayd said: "Every sin in the Qur'an means lying"; this was mentioned by al-Tabari, as narrated from him; and "He touches them"; meaning: He directly engages with them; and it is attached to them; and al-Hasan and al-A'mash read: "the punishment with"; by merging the ب in باء; and it was narrated from Abu Amr; and Yahya ibn Thab and al-A'mash read: "they commit sin"; with a kasra on the س; and this is a dialect.