“To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. Indeed, Allah is the One Free of all need, the Praiseworthy. (26) And if all the trees on earth were pens, and the sea, replenished by seven more seas, were ink, the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Indeed, Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. (27)”

“To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. Indeed, Allah is the One Free of all need, the Praiseworthy.” His saying, Exalted is He: “And if all the trees on earth were pens,” to the end of the verse.

The exegetes said: When Allah’s words, “They ask you about the Spirit,” through His words, “and you have not been given knowledge except a little,” were revealed in Mecca, in Surah al-Isra, verse 85, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, later emigrated to Madinah, the Jewish rabbis came to him and said, “O Muhammad, we have heard that you say, ‘You have not been given knowledge except a little.’ Did you mean us or your people?” He said, “I meant both.”

They said, “Do you not recite among what has come to you that we were given the Torah, in which there is knowledge of everything?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Compared to Allah’s knowledge, it is little; yet Allah has given you that by which you may benefit, if you act upon it.”

They said, “O Muhammad, how can you maintain this when you say, ‘Whoever is granted wisdom has certainly been granted abundant good,’ in Surah al-Baqarah, verse 269? How can little knowledge and abundant good be reconciled?” So Allah revealed this verse. (1)

Qatadah said: The polytheists said, “The Quran and what Muhammad brings will soon be exhausted and come to an end.” So the verse was revealed: “And if all the trees on earth were pens.” (2) That is, if they were fashioned into pens.

Abu Amr and Yaqub recited “and the sea” in the accusative case, conjoining it to “whatever”; the remaining reciters read it in the nominative case, as the beginning of a new clause. “Replenished by it” means: increased by it, and poured into it. “After it” means: behind it—“seven seas. The words of Allah would not be exhausted.” There is an ellipsis in the verse, whose full sense is: if all the trees on earth were pens, and the sea were replenished by seven more seas, with which Allah’s speech were written, the words of Allah would not be exhausted.

“Indeed, Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” According to Ata ibn Yasar, this verse was revealed in Madinah; according to others, it was revealed in Mecca. They said that the Jews merely instructed a delegation of Quraysh to ask the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, about this and to say these words to him while he was still in Mecca. And Allah knows best.