being in a state of shelter and protection from Allah’s punishment. Allah’s decree regarding you is beyond your control; He does whatever He wills, as He says: “Speak to him gently; perhaps he may take heed or fear [Allah]” (Taha 20:44)—that is, call him to the truth and remain hopeful that he will take heed, while Allah’s decree concerning him does whatever He wills. Sibawayh said: “Laʿalla and ʿasā are particles of hope, but when used by Allah, they signify what is certain.”

“He who made the earth a resting place for you”: that is, a spread-out surface. It was also said: a place to sleep; and it was said: a bed—that is, He made it tractable for you and did not make it rough, such that it would be impossible to settle upon it. Al-Bukhari related: Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; Jarir narrated to us, from Mansur, from Abu Wa’il, from Amr ibn Shurahbil, from Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, ‘Which sin is gravest before Allah?’ He said, ‘That you set up a rival to Allah while He created you.’ I said, ‘Indeed, that is grave. Then which?’ He said, ‘That you kill your child for fear that he will share your food.’ I said, ‘Then which?’ He said, ‘That you commit adultery with your neighbour’s wife.’” (1) Here, making means creating.

“And the sky as a canopy”: that is, an elevated roof. “And He sent down from the sky”: that is, from the clouds, “water,” meaning rain, “then brought forth thereby fruits”: the various colours of fruits and kinds of vegetation, “as provision for you”: food for you and fodder for your animals. “So do not set up equals with Allah”: that is, likenesses whom you worship as you worship Allah. Abu Ubaydah said: “A rival is an opposite, and the term can bear opposite meanings; yet Allah, Most High, is free of any likeness or opposite.” “While you know”: that He is One, the Creator of these things.

“And if you (2) are in doubt”: that is, if you are uncertain—for Allah, Most High, knew that they were doubtful—“about what We have sent down,” meaning the Quran, “to Our servant,” Muhammad, “then produce”: a command issued as a challenge, “a sura.” A sura is a portion of the Quran with a known beginning and ending. It is derived from asʾartu, meaning, “I left a remainder,” with the hamzah omitted. It was also said that sura denotes a lofty rank; hence the wall of a building is called sūr because of its height. A sura is so called because, by reciting it, the reciter attains a lofty rank, until he completes the ranks by completing the suras of the Quran. 8/a “Like it”: that is, like the Quran; the particle min (from) is supplementary, as in His saying: “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze” (al-Nur 24:30). It was also said that the pronoun in “like it” refers to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him: that is, from one like Muhammad, an unlettered man unable to read or write. [Mahmud said: Here, unlike in the other suras, it says “from the like of it,” because min denotes partitivity, and this sura is the first of the Quran after al-Fatihah. Thus, min was included so that it might be known that the challenge applies to all the suras of the Quran. If min were included in the remaining suras, the challenge would apply to all the suras of the Quran; and if it were included in the remaining suras, the challenge would apply to only some of the suras.] (3)

“And call upon your witnesses”: that is, seek the help of the gods whom you worship “besides Allah.” Mujahid said: people who will testify on your behalf. “If you are truthful”: that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, speaks it of his own accord. When He challenged them, they were unable to do so.

So He said: “But if you do not do so,” with regard to what has passed, “and you will never do so,” ever in what remains. He said this only to demonstrate its inimitability and that the Quran