So they were arrogant in the land, meaning they exalted themselves over its people with what they did not deserve to be exalted for, which is strength and the greatness of bodies. Or they were superior in the land and took control over its people without deserving authority. Who is stronger than us? They were tall in stature and had great physique, and their strength reached a point where a man could remove a rock from the mountain and uproot it with his hand. If you say: strength is the intensity and firmness in the body, and it is the opposite of weakness. As for ability, it is what makes the action of the doer valid, distinguished by essence or by soundness of structure. [The phrase 'distinguished by essence or by soundness of structure' is similar to the upcoming statement: He is able by His essence. This is an attempt to apply the verse according to the view of the Mu'tazila, that He, the Exalted, is able by His essence. However, the view of Ahl al-Sunnah is that He is able by an ability that is inherent in His essence, as are the other attributes as in Tawhid.] And it is the opposite of incapacity. And Allah, glorified and exalted is He, is not described by strength except in the sense of ability. So how is His saying, 'He is stronger than them'? It is only valid if strength in both instances refers to one thing. I say: The ability in a human is the soundness of the body and its balance, strength, intensity, and firmness in the body. Its reality is an increase in ability. [Mawlana said: 'Strength is intensity in the body and its opposite is weakness, and ability is what makes the action of the doer valid, and it is the opposite of incapacity. If Allah is described with strength, then that is in the sense of ability and not strength in its true sense. So how is His saying, 'He is stronger than them' valid, and it must refer to one thing in both instances? The response is that ability in a human is soundness of the body, balance, and intensity, and strength is an increase in ability. Just as it is correct to say: Allah is more able than them, it is permissible to say: He is stronger than them, meaning that He is able by His essence to do what they cannot do by the increase of their ability. They deny, although they knew it was true, but they denied it as a depositor denies the trust. This is connected [The phrase 'this is connected to 'they were arrogant' means the statement of Allah, 'And they were...'] to their arrogance, meaning they were disbelievers and sinners. The 'sarsar' is the storm that makes a sound in its blowing. It is said to be the cold that burns with its intense cold. The repetition of the structure of 'sarsar' is the cold that gathers and constricts. 'Nuhas' is read with a broken 'h' and with it being silent. 'Nuhas' is the opposite of 'sa'ad' (good fortune). As for 'nuhas', it is either a softened form of 'nuhas' or an adjective like 'dhakham' (large) and similar. Or it is described by a source. And it is read: 'to make them taste', regarding the tasting of the wind or the ill-fated days.

And he added the punishment to disgrace, which is humiliation and submission, as if he said: a punishment of disgrace, just as you say: an evil deed, meaning: the bad action. The evidence for this is His saying, 'And the punishment of the Hereafter is more disgraceful,' and it is from metaphorical attribution. Describing the punishment with disgrace is more eloquent than describing them with it. Do you not see the difference between your saying: he is a poet, and 'he has the poetry of a poet'?