“Whether you conceal your words or speak them aloud, He surely knows what lies within the hearts. Does He who created not know, when He is the Most Subtle, All-Aware? He is the One who has made the earth manageable for you, so travel through its regions and eat from His provision; and to Him is the resurrection. Do you feel secure from Him who is in heaven, that He will cause the earth to swallow you up, whereupon it will begin to shake?” (13–16)

“Indeed, those who fear their Lord in the unseen will have forgiveness and a great reward. Whether you conceal your words or speak them aloud, He surely knows what lies within the hearts.” Ibn Abbas said: “This was revealed concerning the idolaters. They used to speak ill of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and Gabriel, peace be upon him, would inform him of what they had said. So some of them said to others, ‘Conceal your words, lest Muhammad’s god hear.’” (1)

Then Allah—exalted is His mention—said: “Does He who created not know?” That is, does not the One who created the hearts know what is within them? “And He is the Most Subtle, All-Aware”: His knowledge reaches the innermost recesses of hearts, and He is fully aware of the good, evil, and whisperings within them. It was also said that “he who created” refers to the created being; that is, does Allah not know His own creature?

“He is the One who has made the earth manageable for you”: easy to traverse, such that walking upon it is not impeded by its ruggedness. “So travel through its regions.” Ibn Abbas and Qatadah said: “Through its mountains.” Al-Dahhak said: “Through its hillocks.” Mujahid said: “Through its roads and broad passes.” Al-Hasan said: “Through its pathways.” Al-Kalbi said: “Through its extremities.” Muqatil said: “Through its various parts.” Al-Farra said: “Through its sides.” (2) The fundamental meaning of the word is “side,” from which come the shoulder of a man, a crosswind, and the expression, “So-and-so turned aside”—that is, kept to one side. (3)

“And eat from His provision”: that is, from what He created in the earth as provision for you. “And to Him is the resurrection”: that is, you will be raised to Him from your graves.

Then He warned the disbelievers, saying: “Do you feel secure from Him who is in heaven?” Ibn Abbas said: that is, from the punishment of Him who is in heaven, should you disobey Him. “That He will cause the earth to swallow you up, whereupon it will begin to shake.” Al-Hasan said: “It will move with its inhabitants.” It was also said: “It will plunge down with them.” The meaning is that Allah, Most High, causes the earth to move as it swallows them, until it casts them down to the lowest depth, then rises over them and passes above them. The verb means “to come and go.”