He named the meaning of the saying and its implication as the saying, which is what they were promised regarding the Day of Resurrection and the punishment, and its occurrence: its attainment. What is meant is the nearing of the Hour and the appearance of its signs at a time when repentance will not be beneficial. And the beast of the earth is [the jassasa]. It has been reported in the hadith that its length is sixty cubits, and it cannot be caught by a seeker, nor can it be escaped from by a fleeing person. [This was narrated by Al-Thalabi from the hadith of Hudhayfah without the phrase 'and it is the jassasa', and some of it will come in the narration of Al-Hakim and others in what follows.]

It is narrated that it has four legs, feathers, and wings. And from Ibn Jurayj in its description: a head like a bull, the eye of a pig, the ear of an elephant, the horn of a camel, the neck of an ostrich, the chest of a lion, the color of a tiger, the side of a cat, the tail of a ram, and the foot of a camel. And what is between its joints is twelve cubits by the cubit of Adam, peace be upon him.

It is narrated that it only shows its head, and its head reaches the clouds. [The phrase 'and its head reaches the clouds' in the authentic texts refers to the clouds and what obstructs from its regions, as if it is the plural of 'an'an'. The common people say: the clouds of the sky.] Or it reaches the sky. And from Abu Huraira:

It has every color, and between its two horns is a distance of a farsakh for the rider. And from Al-Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him: its emergence is not complete except after three days. And from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him: it emerges for three days, and the people watch, but only a third of it appears. And from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: he was asked: From where will the beast emerge? He said, 'From the most sacred mosque to Allah.' [This was narrated by Al-Tabari through the route of Rubai from Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman: 'The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, mentioned the beast, and I said, O Messenger of Allah, from where will it emerge? He said: From the most sacred mosque to Allah... the hadith.' Al-Hakim and Al-Bayhaqi narrated it in Al-Shu'ab, and Ishaq in his Musnad, and Ibn Mardawayh from the hadith of Abu Tufayl from Hudhayfah from Asid, raised to him, saying, 'The beast will have three exits - until he said: While the people are in the most sacred mosque and the best and most honored of it: the Sacred Mosque, they will be startled by it only while it is bellowing between the corner and the station... the hadith, and in it: then it will run in the earth, and no seeker will catch it, nor will it escape from a fleeing person.' And there is a narration from Ibn Abbas: narrated by Ibn Mardawayh in detail.]

He means the Sacred Mosque. It is narrated that it will have three exits: it will emerge from the farthest part of Yemen, then it will hide, then it will emerge in the desert, then it will hide for a long time. While the people are in the most sacred mosque and the most honored to Allah, they will be startled only by its emergence from between the corner adjacent to the house of the Banu Makhzum on the right side of the one exiting from the mosque, while some flee and some stand watching. It is said that it will emerge from Safa and speak to them in Arabic with a clear tongue [The phrase 'with a clear tongue' means eloquent, as in the authentic texts.] saying: 'Indeed, the people were in Our signs not believing.' This means that the people did not believe in its emergence, because its emergence is one of the signs, and it will say: 'O curse of Allah be upon the wrongdoers.' And from Al-Suddi: it will speak to them about the invalidity of all religions except for the religion of Islam. And from Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him: it will face the west and scream a scream that penetrates, then it will face the east, then the Levant, then Yemen, doing the same. And it is narrated that it will emerge from Ajyad [The phrase 'it will emerge from Ajyad' is a mountain in Mecca, named so for the place of the horses of Tubba, and it is called 'Qaiqaan' for the place of his weapons.]

And it is narrated that while Jesus, peace be upon him, was circumambulating the House with the Muslims, the earth shook beneath them, the lamp moved, and the rock of Safa split from the side of the Sa'i, and the beast will emerge from Safa with the staff of Musa and the ring of Sulayman, and it will strike the believer in his mosque, or between his eyes with the staff of Musa, peace be upon him, and it will mark a white mark that will spread on his face until his face shines or it will leave his face like a shining star, and it will be written between his eyes: 'Believer.' And it will mark the disbeliever with the ring on his nose, and the mark will spread until his face turns black, and it will be written between his eyes: 'Disbeliever.' And it is narrated that it will illuminate the believer's face with the staff and crush the disbeliever's nose with the ring, then it will say to them:

O so-and-so, you are of the people of Paradise. And O so-and-so, you are of the people of Hellfire. And it is recited: 'He speaks to them,' from الكلم [kalam], which is the wound. And what is meant by it is: the branding with a stick and a seal. It is also permissible that 'He speaks to them' is from الكلم [kalam] as well, in the meaning of abundance. It is said: So-and-so is a speaker, meaning one who inflicts wounds. And it is permissible to infer from the lightening that what is meant by 'speaking' is inflicting wounds, just as it is interpreted: 'We will surely burn him,' by the reading of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him: 'We will surely burn him.' And one can infer from the reading of Ubayy: 'They will inform them.' And from the reading of Ibn Mas'ud: 'He speaks to them' that it is about the people, on the basis that it is from الكلام [kalam]. And the reading with a broken 'إن' [in] is a narration of the saying of the beast, either because the speech means the saying, or by implying the saying, meaning: the beast says that. Or it is a narration of His saying, the Exalted, at that time. If you say: If it is a narration of the saying of the beast, then how does it say 'by Our signs'? I say: Its saying is a narration of the saying of Allah, the Exalted. Or in the meaning of 'by the signs of our Lord.' Or due to its exclusivity to Allah and its significance with Him, and that it is from the special characteristics of His creation: it attributed the signs of Allah to itself, just as some of the special ones of the king say: 'Our horses and our lands,' whereas they are actually the horses of their master and his lands. And whoever read with the opening did so on the basis of omitting the preposition, meaning: 'He speaks to them by.'