It is recited with a silent ر, as it is recited: 'Whoever fears', and there is a weakness in it. Allah struck a parable, relying on a parable and placing it. And 'a good word' is in the accusative case with an implied subject, meaning: He made a good word like a good tree. This is an explanation of His saying: Allah struck a parable, like saying: The prince honored Zayd: he clothed him in a robe and mounted him on a horse.

It is permissible for 'parable' and 'a good word' to be in the accusative case due to 'struck', meaning: He struck a good word as a parable, meaning: He made it a parable. Then He said: 'like a good tree' as if it were the news of a deleted subject, meaning it is like a good tree. Its root is firm, meaning in the ground, striking with its roots in it, and its branches and its top are in the sky. It is permissible that He means: and its branches, relying on the term of the genus. Anas ibn Malik read: 'like a good tree, its root is firm.' If you say: What is the difference between the two readings? I say: The reading of the majority has a stronger meaning, because in Anas's reading, the description is applied to the tree, and when you say: I passed by a man whose father is standing, it is a stronger meaning than saying: I passed by a man standing whose father is, because the subject being reported is the father, not the man. And the good word is the word of monotheism. It was said:

Every good word is like glorification, praise, seeking forgiveness, repentance, and calling. And from Ibn Abbas: The testimony that there is no deity except Allah. As for the tree, every fruitful tree with good produce, like the date palm, fig tree, grapevine, pomegranate, and others. And from Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said one day: 'Indeed, Allah struck the example of the believer as a tree, so tell me what it is.' The people began to mention the trees of the wilderness, and I was a boy, and it occurred to my heart that it was the date palm. I hesitated to say it to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, as I was the youngest of the people. It was narrated: I was prevented by the place of Amr, I felt shy, and Umar said to me: O my son, if you had said it, it would have been more beloved to me than red camels. Then the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'Indeed, it is the date palm.' And from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them: A tree in Paradise, and His saying: 'in the sky' means in the direction of elevation and ascent, and He did not mean the canopy, like saying: 'in the mountain': tall in the sky, meaning its height and loftiness. It gives its fruit at all times, it provides its fruit at every time that Allah has appointed for its fruiting by the permission of its Lord, by the facilitation of its Creator and His formation, so that they may remember. For in striking parables there is an increase in understanding, remembrance, and illustration of meanings.