His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "And this is a Book that We have sent down, blessed, confirming that which is before it, and to warn the Mother of Cities and those around it. And those who believe in the Hereafter believe in it, and they are maintaining their prayers."

His saying, the Most High, "And this"; refers to the Qur'an; and "blessed"; is an attribute of it; and "confirming"; likewise; and the nunation has been omitted from "confirming"; due to the addition; and it is a non-pure addition; as "confirming" has not been defined; and therefore it is permissible for it to be a description of an indefinite noun; and "that which"; is in the position of the object; and the agent in it is a verbal noun; and it is not appropriate for "confirming" - with the omission of the nunation from it - to govern "that which"; and the omission of the nunation is estimated for the sake of meeting; and this has only occurred as an exception in poetry; in his saying:

I found him not seeking to be excused, And he does not remember Allah except a little.

And it cannot be compared to it; and "before it"; is the state of the Torah and the Gospel; because what has preceded is before what has come after; and a group said: "that which is before it" is the Day of Resurrection.

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: This is not correct; because the Qur'an is before the Day of Resurrection.

And the majority read: "And to warn the Mother of Cities"; meaning: "You, O Muhammad"; and Abu Bakr - may Allah be pleased with him - read from Asim: "And to warn"; meaning the Qur'an; with its admonitions; and its commands; and the lam in "And to warn"; is related to a delayed action; its estimation is: "And to warn the Mother of Cities; and those around it, We have sent it down."

And the Mother of Cities: is Mecca; it is named so for four reasons: among them is that it is the origin of religion; and the law; and among them is what has been narrated that the earth was spread out from it; and among them is that it is the center of the earth; and among them is what has been reported from the law that it is the qibla of every village; thus it is - for all of this - a mother; and the other cities are daughters; and the estimation of the verse is: "to warn the people of the Mother of Cities"; and "and those around it"; refers to the people of the rest of the earth; and "around it"; is an adverb; the agent in it is an implied action, its estimation is: "and whoever has settled around it."

Then He - blessed and exalted is He - began to praise a people and described them and informed about them that they believe in the Hereafter; and resurrection and revival; and they believe in the Qur'an; and they affirm its truth; then He - blessed and exalted is He - strengthened His praise of them by stating that they maintain their prayers, which are the foundation of worship; and the mother of obedience.

And Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan; and Abu Bakr - may Allah be pleased with him - read from Asim: "their prayers"; in the plural; and whoever read in the singular, then it is singular indicating the plural; and if the prayer is added to a pronoun, it is only written with an alif and it is not written in the mushaf with a waw unless it is not added to a pronoun.