and the like, which provide shade but not shelter, unlike caves in the mountains, which provide both shade and shelter.

This concerns places. Then, regarding clothing, He says:

“He has provided you with garments that protect you from the heat and garments that protect you in battle.”

This concerns clothing. Clothing and dwellings both protect people from the harm of heat, cold, and enemies, and both conceal them from the eyes of onlookers. Houses, in particular, provide them with rest, as He says:

“Allah has made your homes a place of rest for you, and has made for you dwellings from the hides of livestock, which you find light to carry when you travel and when you encamp.”

When He mentions the houses in which people live, He reminds them of His favor in making them places where they can rest from the weariness of movement. He also mentions that He has provided them with other dwellings that they carry with them and find light to carry when they travel and when they encamp. Thus He mentions both the heavy dwellings that cannot be carried and the light ones that can. It is therefore clear that the example they cited is evidence against them.

Thus His words,

“if the reminder is beneficial,”

retain their ordinary conditional meaning, as the early exegetes and the majority have stated. Al-Hasan al-Basrī said:

“A reminder for the believer and evidence against the disbeliever.”