So He spreads it out continuously at times and makes it into pieces at times. You see the rain coming out from between them in both instances. The intended meaning of the sky is the height of the sky and its expanse, as in His saying, 'And its branches are in the sky.' And by the affliction of the servants, it means the affliction of their lands and territories from Him, as a matter of repetition and emphasis, like His saying, 'So their consequence was that they were in the Fire, abiding therein.' The meaning of the emphasis here is to indicate that their time without rain has prolonged and extended, so their distress has intensified and their despair has continued. The joy was proportional to their grief over that.