His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "And remember when He made you successors after 'Aad and settled you in the land, you take from its plains palaces and carve from the mountains houses. So remember the favors of Allah and do not commit abuse in the land, causing corruption." "The elite who were arrogant from his people said to those who were oppressed, to those who believed among them, 'Do you know that Salih is a messenger from his Lord?' They said, 'Indeed, we believe in what he has been sent with.'" "Those who were arrogant said, 'Indeed, we are disbelievers in that which you have believed.'"

"And 'settled you' means: He enabled you; it is used in the context of place; and its circumstances; you say: 'So-and-so settled in a good home'; and from it is His saying, 'You give the believers places for fighting.' (Aal 'Imran: 121); and Al-A'sha said:

'So what the Most Merciful has settled your home in a place ∗∗∗ in the eastern parts of the mountains of Safa and Al-Muharram.'

And 'the palaces' is the plural of 'palace'; they are the houses that are limited to specific areas of the land; unlike the houses of columns; and they are completely limited from the people.

And 'carving' means: cutting; and peeling from something solid; like stone; and wood; and similar to them.

And Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan read: 'And you carve' with a فتح on the حاء; and the majority of people read with a كسر; and with a تاء from above; and Ibn Musarif read with a ياء from below; and a كسر of the حاء; and Abu Malik read with a ياء from below; and a فتح of the حاء; and they were carving from the mountains for the length of their lives.

And 'you commit abuse' means: you cause corruption; it is said: 'عَثَا; يَعْثِي' and 'عَثَا; يَعْثُو' and 'عَثِيَ; يَعْثَى' like 'نَسِيَ; يَنْسَى'; and upon it is the wording of the verse; and Al-Amash read: 'you commit abuse' with a كسر of the تاء; and 'causing corruption' is a حال.

And the saying about 'the elite' has preceded; and Ibn 'Amir alone read in this place: 'And the elite said' with a و of conjunction; and it is omitted by all.

And those who were arrogant are the nobles and the great disbelievers; and 'arrogant' may mean: they sought a status for themselves from arrogance; or it may mean 'they became great'; wealth and status made them great; thus it would be - on this - 'great' and 'arrogant' meaning; like 'amazed' and 'astonished'; and the first is the form of 'استفعل' like 'استوقد' and 'استرفد'; and those who were oppressed are the common people and the weak in this world; they are the followers of the messengers.

And their saying: 'Do you know' is a question in the meaning of mockery; and belittlement; so the believers responded with affirmation; and firmness in the religion of Allah, glorified and exalted is He; so the arrogance of the nobles led them to contradict the believers in their statement; and they continued in their disbelief.