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Al-Rāzī said: “Eighth: Allah’s statement, ‘Allah came upon their building from the foundations’ [al-Nahl 26]. This must be interpreted figuratively.”

The answer is that figurative interpretation means diverting an expression from its apparent meaning to another meaning on the basis of evidence. Neither the apparent sense of this verse nor the meaning understood from it is that Allah Himself, in His very essence, came from beneath the walls, as creeping creatures and insects emerge from beneath buildings, or as those besieging fortresses emerge from beneath them after tunnelling through their foundations. Rather, its intended apparent meaning is that Allah demolished their building from its very base. Qawāʿid (“foundations”) is the plural of qāʿidah, meaning a foundation.

Some used to say: “This is a figure of speech for eradication. It means simply that Allah eradicated them. The Arabs use this expression when something is eradicated.” This was reported by Ibn Jarīr. In works of lexicography, it is said: