We have explained in various ways all things to men in this Qur'an; but of all things man is most contentious.
54
Tafseer
'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī
تفسير : (and verily we have displayed) we have explained (for mankind) for the people of mecca (in this qur'an all manner of similitudes) all forms of threats and promises in order that they take heed and, hence, believe, (but man) ubayy ibn khalaf al-jumahi (is more than anything contentious) in respect to falsehood; it is also said that this means: no one is more contentious than man.
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī
تفسير : and verily we have dispensed, we have explained, for mankind in this qur’ān [an example] of every kind of similitude (min kulli mathalin is an adjective qualifying an omitted clause, in other words, ‘[we have dispensed therein] a similitude from every kind of similitude), that they may be admonished. but man is most disputatious, [he is] most contentious in matters of falsehood (jadalan is a specification derived from [al-insān, ‘man’] the subject of kāna) in other words, the meaning is that the disputatiousness of man is what can be found in him most.
