The hamzah, even if it leads to the meaning of affirmation, is originally in the meaning of inquiry. Therefore, it was said: 'So ask them' meaning: inquire of them, 'Are they stronger in creation?' and it was not said: 'So affirm to them.' The pronoun refers to the polytheists of Mecca. It is said:

It was revealed concerning Abu al-Ashad ibn Kulthum, who was nicknamed so for the severity of his might and strength. 'Or who created' refers to what has been mentioned of His creations: the angels, the heavens and the earth, the east, the stars, the shooting stars, and the rebellious devils. The possessors of reason have superiority over others, so He said: 'Who created us?' The evidence for this is His saying after counting these things: 'So ask them, are they stronger in creation or who created us?' with the conjunction that follows. And His saying: 'Or who created us?' is unrestricted without specification, sufficing with the clarification of what preceded it, as if He said: 'We created such and such of the wonders of creation and its novelties, so ask them, are they stronger in creation or the one whom We created from that?' This is supported by the reading of those who recited: 'Or who created us from those counted,' with both the light and heavy forms. 'Stronger in creation' may imply stronger in might from their saying: 'Severe in creation.' And in His creation is severity, and it may imply more difficult and more arduous in response to their denial of resurrection and the other creation. The one who found it easy to create these great creations and did not find it difficult to invent them, the creation of humans is easier for Him. And their creation is from sticky clay, either as a testimony against them of weakness and softness, because what is made from clay is not described with hardness and strength, or as an argument against them that the sticky clay from which they were created is dust. So from where did they deny that they could be created from dust like it, when they said: 'What! When we are dust?' This meaning is supported by what follows from mentioning their denial of resurrection. And it is said: 'Who created us from the past nations,' but this saying is not appropriate. And it is read: 'lazib' and 'latib,' and the meaning is the same. 'Thaqib' means of strong illumination.