Qul araaytum in asbaha maokum ghawran faman yateekum bimain maAAeenin
English
Ahmed Ali
Say: "Just think: If your water were to dry up in the morning who will bring you water from a fresh, flowing stream?"
30
Tafseer
'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī
تفسير : (say) to them, o muhammad: (have ye thought) o people of mecca: (if (all) your water) i.e. zamzam (were to disappear into the earth) out of your reach, (who then could bring you gushing water) within your reach? it is also said that this means: who could bring you gushing water save the creator of the whale and the pen'.
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī
تفسير : say: ‘have you considered: if your water were to sink deep into the earth, who then will bring you running water?’, which hands and buckets would be able to reach, like [they do] your water: in other words, none but god, exalted be he, would be able to bring it, so how can you reject that he will resurrect you? it is commendable for one to say allāhu rabbu’l-‘ālamīna, ‘god, lord of the worlds!’, after ma‘īn, ‘running water’, as is stated in a hadīth. this verse was recited before a certain tyrant who then replied, ‘hatchets and pickaxes will bring it!’, whereupon the water of his eyes dried up and he became blind. we seek refuge with god against that we should be insolent towards him or his verses.
