“Say, ‘He is the Most Merciful,’” whom we worship. “‘We believe in Him, and upon Him we place our trust. You will come to know’”—al-Kisa’i recited it in the third-person plural, while the remaining reciters read it in the second-person plural—“‘who is in clear error.’” That is, when you behold the punishment, you will know which of us is astray: we or you?

“Say, ‘Have you considered: if your water were to sink into the earth, then who could bring you flowing water?’” (30)

“Say, ‘Have you considered: if your water were to sink into the earth’”: that is, if it were to disappear into the ground, beyond the reach of hands and buckets. Al-Kalbi and Muqatil said: This refers to the water of Zamzam. “‘Then who could bring you flowing water?’”: water that is visible, seen by the eyes and reached by hands (1) and buckets. ‘Ata’ related from Ibn ‘Abbas: Flowing water means running water.

Abu Sa‘id al-Shurayhi informed us; Abu Ishaq al-Tha‘labi informed us; Abu al-Hasan al-Farisi informed me; Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Yazid narrated to us; Abu Yahya al-Bazzaz narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Yahya (2) narrated to us; Abu Dawud narrated to us; ‘Imran narrated to us, from Qatadah, from ‘Abbas al-Jushami, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Indeed, there is a surah in the Book of Allah consisting of only thirty verses. It interceded for a man, bringing him out of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection and admitting him into Paradise. It is the surah that begins, ‘Blessed is He.’” (3)