When the miraculous nature of the Qur'an became evident and other miracles and clear signs joined it, and the proof became obligatory upon them and they were overwhelmed, they began to make excuses by proposing signs: like the bewildered, defeated one who stumbles in the tails of confusion. They said: We will not believe you until ... and until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth. It has been read: 'you cause to gush', with the lightening of the 'f' from the earth, meaning the land of Mecca, a spring of abundant water that is capable of flowing without interruption: 'yaf'ul' from the spring of water, like 'ya'boob' from 'a'ba' the water, as you claimed. They mean the saying of Allah, the Exalted: 'If We will, We could cause the earth to swallow them or send down upon them pieces from the sky.' It has been read: 'pieces', with the 's' silent, the plural of 'piece', like 'sidra' and 'sidr'. And with the opening, 'qabilan' is sufficient as a witness to the truth of what you say. The meaning is: or you come to Allah with a 'qabilan', and with the angels 'qabilan', as in the saying: ... I was innocent of it and my father ... innocent [[He threw me with a matter I was innocent of and my father ... innocent and from the side of the well he threw me. For Al-Farazdaq. He says: He accused me of a matter I am innocent of, along with my father, so it was: stripped of the past, and the mention of the father was omitted to indicate him, and the conjunction is from the conjunction of sentences. And 'bariyan': in the intention of precedence, so it is not necessary for anything of the conjunction to precede the conjunction: this is the view of the majority. Some permitted that 'my father' is conjoined to the name of 'was', so 'bariyan' would be its predicate, and the predicate of its name is omitted or vice versa, and the conjunction is from the conjunction of singulars. And it is possible that 'bariyan' is a predicate for both of them, because 'fa'il' is said for one and for the plural, in comparison to the source: like 'sahil', 'dajij', 'naheeb', and 'nasib', and although its usage in that meaning as a doer is rare. And 'joul al-taw' - with the 'd' -: the side of the well that is folded. The meaning is: he threw me with a matter that returns to him, as if he threw me while I was at the bottom of the well with a stone that returns to him, a metaphor for retaliating with a matter greater than what he threw me with. And it is possible that the matter he threw me with is characterized by the thrower, which is more appropriate for the comparison. And it is narrated: 'and because of the taw'. So let it be clarified.]] ... For I and Qayyār in it are strange [[The explanation of this witness has been presented in the first part, page 629, so refer to it if you wish, the corrector said.]]) or opposite, like 'al-‘ashir' meaning 'the companion', and similar to it: 'If only the angels were sent down to us or we see our Lord or a group of angels from adornment of gold in the sky in the ascensions of the sky', so the addition is omitted. It is said: he ascended in the ladder and in the degree, and 'we will not believe for your ascension' and 'we will not believe for the sake of your ascension until you bring down to us a book from the sky in which is your confirmation.' From Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them: Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah said: We will not believe you until you make a ladder to the sky. Then you ascend in it while I look until you reach it, then you come with a published document, with you four angels who witness for you that you are as you say. And they did not intend by these proposals except stubbornness and obstinacy, and if every sign came to them, they would say: This is magic, as Allah, the Exalted, said: 'And if We had sent down to you a book in a parchment, and if We had opened for them a door from the sky, and they remained therein ascending.' And when they denied the remaining sign, which is the Qur'an and other signs that are not less than what they proposed - rather, they are greater - there was no way for their insight. Say: 'Glorified is my Lord.' And it has been read: 'He said: Glorified is my Lord,' meaning the Messenger said. And 'Glorified is my Lord' is astonishment at their proposals to him. 'Was I not a messenger like other messengers, a human like them?' And the messengers do not come to their people except with what Allah shows them of signs, so the matter of the signs is not up to me, rather it is up to Allah. So why do you choose them over me?