إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ الْبُكْمُ الَّذِينَ لا يَعْقِلُونَ ١وَ قَالَ وَ لَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ ٢ثُمَّ ذَمَّ الْكَثْرَةَ فَقَالَ وَ إِنْ تُطِعْ أَكْثَرَ مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ يُضِلُّوكَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ٣وَ قَالَ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لا يَعْلَمُونَ وَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ.

"Surely the worst of beasts with God are the deaf, the dumb, who do not understand" (1). And He said: "And if you ask them: who created the heavens and the earth? — they will surely say: God. Say: praise be to God. Nay, most of them do not understand" (2). Then He blamed the many, saying: "And if you obey most of those on earth, they will lead you astray from the way of God" (3). And He said: "Most people do not know", and "most of them do not perceive".

بيان: أَلْفَيْنا أي وجدنا قوله تعالى أَ وَ لَوْ كانَ الواو للحال أو العطف و الهمزة للرد و التعجب و جواب لو محذوف أي لو كان آباؤهم جهلة لا يتفكرون في أمر الدين و لا يهتدون لاتبعوهم إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ أي شر ما يدب على الأرض أو شر البهائم الصُّمُّ عن سماع الحق و قبوله الْبُكْمُ عن التكلم به و قوله بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لا يَعْقِلُونَ ليس في قرآننا و هذه الآية في سورة لقمان و فيها بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لا يَعْلَمُونَ و لعله كان في قرآنهم كذلك ٤و كذا ليس في هذا القرآن و أكثرهم لا يشعرون فإما أن يكون هذا كلامه عليه السلام أو أنه أورد مضمون بعض الآيات و الضمير راجع إلى كفار قريش و هم كانوا قائلين بأن خالق السماوات و الأرض هو اللّٰه تعالى لكنهم كانوا يشركون الأصنام معه تعالى في العبادة.

Elucidation: "we found" — that is, we came upon. His words, exalted be He, "what, even though" — the waw is for circumstance or for conjunction, and the hamza is for rejection and wonder; and the answer to law is omitted — that is, if their fathers were ignorant, not reflecting upon the matter of religion nor rightly guided, would they still follow them? "Surely the worst of beasts" — that is, the worst of what creeps upon the earth, or the worst of the beasts; "the deaf" — from the hearing of the truth and its acceptance; "the dumb" — from the speaking of it. And his words "nay, most of them do not understand" is not in our Qur'an; and this verse is in Surat Luqman, and in it is "nay, most of them do not know". And perhaps it was so in their Qur'an (4). And likewise "and most of them do not perceive" is not in this Qur'an. So either this is his own speech, peace be upon him, or he set down the purport of some of the verses. And the pronoun refers to the unbelievers of Quraysh; and they held that the creator of the heavens and the earth is God the Exalted, but they associated the idols with Him, exalted be He, in worship.

يَا هِشَامُ ثُمَّ مَدَحَ الْقِلَّةَ فَقَالَ وَ قَلِيلٌ مِنْ عِبادِيَ الشَّكُورُ ٥وَ قَالَ وَ قَلِيلٌ ما هُمْ ٦وَ ما آمَنَ مَعَهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ ٧يَا هِشَامُ ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ بِأَحْسَنِ الذِّكْرِ وَ حَلَّاهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ الْحِلْيَةِ فَقَالَ يُؤْتِي الْحِكْمَةَ مَنْ يَشاءُ وَ مَنْ يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْراً كَثِيراً وَ ما يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُوا الْأَلْبابِ ٨يَا هِشَامُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَقُولُ إِنَّ فِي ذلِكَ لَذِكْرى لِمَنْ كانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ ٩يَعْنِي الْعَقْلَ

Hisham, then He praised the few, saying: "And few of My servants are grateful" (5). And He said: "and few are they" (6); "and none believed with him but a few" (7). Hisham, then He mentioned the possessors of understanding with the fairest mention and adorned them with the fairest adornment, saying: "He gives wisdom to whom He wills; and whoever is given wisdom has been given much good. And none takes heed but the possessors of understanding" (8). Hisham, God says: "Surely in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart" (9) — meaning the intellect.