Commentary
His bird is his work, and we have established the saying about it in Surah An-Naml. And from Ibn Uyaynah: it is from your saying: 'A arrow flew for him,' meaning: we have bound him to what he has done. The meaning is that his work is binding upon him, like the binding of a necklace or a collar that cannot be removed. From this is the saying of the Arabs: 'He wore it like the collar of a dove.' And their saying: 'Death is upon the necks.' This is a rope around his neck. From Al-Hasan: O son of Adam, a record has been spread out for you, and when you are resurrected, it will be placed around your neck: and it is recited 'in his neck' with the noon being silent. And it is recited 'we will bring out' with the noon. And 'it will be brought out' with the pronoun referring to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. 'And it will be brought out' in the passive form. 'And it will be brought out' refers to the bird. That is: the bird will bring out a book, and 'book' is in the accusative case as a state. And it is recited: 'he will meet it,' with emphasis, in the passive form. 'And he will meet it, spread out' are two descriptions of the book. Or 'he will meet it' is a description and 'spread out' is a state of the one who meets it. 'Read' is intended as a saying. And from Qatadah: that day, those who were not readers in this world will read. 'And by yourself' is the subject of 'is enough.' And 'enough' is a distinguishing term, meaning 'accountant,' like 'striker of arrows' meaning 'one who strikes them,' and 'cutting' meaning 'cutting,' as mentioned by Sibawayh. And it is related to it from your saying: 'he accounted for such and such.' It is also possible that it means 'the sufficient one,' placed in the position of 'the witness,' and is governed by 'upon' because the witness suffices the claimant in what concerns him. If you say: why mention 'enough'? I say: because it is like the witness, the judge, and the prince, for it is common that these matters are handled by men, so it is as if it were said: 'Your own self is enough as a man to account.' And it is possible to interpret 'self' as 'person,' as it is said: 'three selves.' And Al-Hasan, when he recited it, would say: O son of Adam, indeed Allah has given you justice by making you accountable for yourself.
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