'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' Allah, the Exalted, says: ﴿And if We had willed, We would have elevated him by it, but he inclined to the earth and followed his desire. So his example is like that of a dog: if you drive it away, it pants, and if you leave it, it pants. That is the example of the people who denied Our signs. So relate the stories, perhaps they will reflect.﴾ ﴿Evil is the example of the people who denied Our signs, and they were wronging themselves.﴾ ﴿Whomever Allah guides, he is the rightly guided, and whomever He leads astray, those are the losers.﴾ ﴿And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind.﴾ Allah, the Exalted, says: ﴿And if We had willed, We would have elevated him by it.﴾ A group said: Its meaning is: We would have taken him, as you say: 'The oppressor was elevated' when he perishes. The pronoun in 'by it' refers back to the sin in the act of disobedience. He began describing his state by saying: ﴿But he inclined to the earth.﴾ This is a phrase about Allah's delaying and granting him respite. Ibn Abi Najih said: 'We would have elevated him' means: We would have taken his soul before he fell into sin and elevated him away from it. The pronoun - on this - refers back to the signs. Then he began describing his state. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and a group with him said: 'We would have elevated him' means: We would have honored his mention and raised his status with Us by these signs which We gave him. ﴿But he inclined to the earth.﴾ The speech is connected, in which the reason for not being elevated or honored is mentioned, as was done with others who were given this. 'And inclined' means: he persisted and hesitated and remained. The one who inclines is the one whose youth remains and does not face old age. From it is the word 'khuld,' and from it is the saying of Zuhair: 'To whom do the abodes you have covered with the faddafid belong, like the revelation in the stone of the everlasting stream?' And His saying: ﴿to the earth﴾ it is possible that he means: to its desires and pleasures and what is in it of delights, as said by Al-Suddi and others. It is possible that he means by it the expression of the lower and the lesser, as it is said: 'So-and-so is in the depths.' This is supported from the perspective of the rational meaning, as the earth and what is established in it is this world, and everything upon it is perishable. Whoever inclines towards it has been deprived of the share of the everlasting Hereafter.

And His saying, the Most High: "So his example is like the example of the dog." Al-Suddi and others said: This man was punished in this world by panting like the panting of a dog, so he was likened to it in form and appearance. The majority said: He was likened to it in that he was misguided before he was given the signs, then he was given them and was still misguided; the signs did not benefit him. So he is like the dog in that he does not cease panting in a state of bearing hardship upon him and leaving him without burden upon him. The clarification of the meaning is that the thing which the souls conceive of his state is like that which they conceive of the state of the dog. With this estimation, it is appropriate for the "kaf" to enter upon "example." And panting is rapid breathing and the movement of the parts of the mouth with it, and the extension of the tongue. This most often occurs with heat and fatigue. And in the horse, it is called "dabh." And the nature of the dog is that it pants in every state. Al-Tabari mentioned that the meaning of: "If you drive him away, he will pant" is that you expel him. And he narrated it from Mujahid and Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And this falls within the generality of the hardship that we mentioned.

And His saying, the Most High: "That is the example of the people" means: This example, O Muhammad, is the example of these people who were misguided before you came to them with guidance and the message. Then you came to them with that, but they remained upon their misguidance and did not benefit from it. So their example is like the example of the dog. And His saying: "So relate the stories" means: Narrate to them what they know to be of the unseen that only the people of the previous scriptures know, and you are not one of them. "Perhaps they will reflect" on that and believe.

And His saying, the Most High: "Evil is the example," Al-Zajjaj said: The estimation is: Evil is an example, the example of the people, because what follows "evil" and "good" is interpreted from its type, as you say: Evil is a man, Zayd. And when "example" was omitted, "the people" took its place, and the raising in that is by the beginning, and the news is in what has preceded. And Al-Jahdari read: "Evil is the example of the people," and the raising of "example" in this reading is by "evil." And "evil" does not run like "good" unless what follows it is in the accusative. Abu Amr Al-Dani said: Al-Jahdari read: "Example" with a kasra on the meem and raising of the lam. And Al-Amash read: "Example" with a fatha on the meem and raising of the lam.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And this is contrary to what Abu Hatim mentioned, for he said: Al-Jahdari and Al-Amash read: "Evil is the example" with raising.

And these verses, which included the misguidance of peoples and the saying about it, were concluded with the fact that all of that is from Allah. Guidance is from Him and by His creation and invention, and likewise misguidance. And in the verse, there is astonishment at the state of those mentioned. And whoever is led astray has been judged to be in loss, and reward and punishment are related to the deeds of the son of Adam.

'And His saying, exalted is He: "And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind" is news from Allah, exalted is He, that He created many for the dwelling of Hell and the burning in it. Within it is a warning for the disbelievers. And "ذَرَأ" means: created and brought into existence with spreading and dispersing. A group said: The لام in His saying, exalted is He: "لِجَهَنَّمَ" is the لام of consequence, meaning: for their affair and end to be for Hell.

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

And this is not correct. The لام of consequence can only be imagined if the action of the doer was not intended for what the affair leads to. And this لام is like that in the poet's saying:

O mother of Farwa, cease the blame and confess, for every mother gives birth to the one destined to be.

As for here, the action was intended for what the affair leads to, which is their dwelling in Hell. Al-Tabari narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubair that he said: "The children of fornication are among what Allah created for Hell," then he attributed a hadith from Abdullah ibn Amr from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. And His saying, exalted is He: "كَثِيرًا" although it is not explicitly stated that the disbelievers are more than the believers, it refers to that in the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: "Allah said to Adam: 'Bring forth the batch for the fire,' and he brought forth from every thousand, ninety-nine and nine hundred."