by what you see and what you do not see. Qatada said: “Allah swore by all things; thus all [created beings] and all existent things are included in this.” He also said: “He swore by this world and the Hereafter.” It was also said that “what you see” is what is upon the face of the earth, while “what you do not see” is what lies within it. Another view is that “what you see” refers to bodies, and “what you do not see” to spirits. It was also said that “what you see” means humankind, while “what you do not see” means the angels and the jinn. Another interpretation is the outward and inward blessings. It was also said that “what you see” is what Allah has disclosed to the angels, the Preserved Tablet, and the Pen, while “what you do not see” is that knowledge which He has reserved exclusively for Himself and has not disclosed to anyone.

“Indeed, it is the word of a noble Messenger (40). It is not the word of a poet—little do you believe (41)—nor the word of a soothsayer—little do you take heed (42). It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds (43). Had he fabricated against Us any sayings, (44) We would have seized him by the right hand; (45)”

“It” refers to the Quran: “the word of a noble Messenger,” that is, the recitation of a noble Messenger—meaning Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. “It is not the word of a poet—little do you believe—nor the word of a soothsayer—little do you take heed.” 174/A. Ibn Kathir, Ibn Amir, and Yaqub recited both verbs in the third person: “they believe” and “they remember,” while the others recited them in the second person. By “little,” what is intended is the complete negation of their belief, just as you might say to someone who never visits you, “How seldom you come to us,” while meaning, “You do not come to us at all.”

“It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds. Had he fabricated”: that is, had Muhammad invented and fabricated against Us some sayings, bringing something from himself, “We would have seized him by the right hand.” It was said that the word “from” is supplementary, and that the meaning is: We would have seized him and exacted vengeance upon him by the right—that is, by the truth—just as Allah says, “You used to come to us from the right” (al-Saffat, 28), meaning: from the direction of the truth. Ibn Abbas said: “We would have seized him with strength and power.” Al-Shammakh said concerning Urabah, the king of Yemen:

“When a banner is raised for glory, ...
Urábah receives it with the right hand.” (2)

That is, with strength. Strength is expressed by “the right hand,” because the strength of everything lies in its right side.

It was also said that its meaning is: We would have seized him by his right hand. This is akin in meaning to: We would have humbled and disgraced him, as a ruler does when he wishes to show contempt