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in the Day of Reckoning.’”
Such statements are frequent in the words of the early generations: they describe the people of their time and their departure from the ways of their predecessors. What, then, are we to think of the people of our own time? Those who did not understand this said that the preposition bi- is redundant. Ibn Qutaybah and others held this view.
There are many such examples, as in His words:
“Tomorrow they will know who is the insolent liar.”
“Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend?”
And the following verses.
“If you ridicule us, we will ridicule you just as you ridicule us.”
“Soon you will know whom a punishment will befall.”
To the end of the verse.
بِيَوْمِ الْحِسَابِ. وَهَذَا كَثِيرٌ فِي كَلَامِ السَّلَفِ؛ يَصِفُونَ أَهْلَ زَمَانِهِمْ وَمَا هُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ مُخَالَفَةِ مَنْ تَقَدَّمَ فَمَا الظَّنُّ بِأَهْلِ زَمَانِنَا. وَاَلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَفْهَمُوا هَذَا. قَالُوا الْبَاءُ زَائِدَةٌ قَالَهُ ابْنُ قُتَيْبَةَ وَغَيْرُهُ.
وَهَذَا كَثِيرٌ كَقَوْلِهِ:
{سَيَعْلَمُونَ غَدًا مَنِ الْكَذَّابُ الْأَشِرُ}
{هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ عَلَى مَنْ تَنَزَّلُ الشَّيَاطِينُ}
الْآيَاتِ.
{إنْ تَسْخَرُوا مِنَّا فَإِنَّا نَسْخَرُ مِنْكُمْ كَمَا تَسْخَرُونَ}
{فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ}
الْآيَةَ.