"And say, 'The truth is from your Lord'" — Qatada said: Meaning, the Quran.
Muhammad said: The meaning is, 'Say: That which I have brought to you is the truth from your Lord.' "So whoever wills - let him believe; and whoever wills - let him disbelieve" — this is a threat; meaning: whoever believes shall enter Paradise, and whoever disbelieves shall enter the Fire.
His saying: "Whose walls will surround them" — meaning: its barrier. "And if they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like molten copper (al-muhl)" — the interpretation of Zayd ibn Aslam is: like the dregs of oil.
Muhammad said: Whatever is melted of gold, silver, brass, lead, and the like is considered by the linguists to be 'muhl'. "It scalds the faces" — meaning: it burns them when he moves it to drink it. "Wretched is the drink, and evil is the resting place" — meaning: a dwelling and a place of refuge; and this is a threat to those who disbelieve.
﴿وَقل الْحق من ربكُم﴾ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: يَعْنِي: الْقُرْآنَ.
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: الْمَعْنَى: وَقُلِ الَّذِي آتَيْتُكُمْ بِهِ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ. ﴿فَمَنْ شَاءَ فَلْيُؤْمِنْ وَمَنْ شَاءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ﴾ هَذَا وَعِيدٌ؛ أَيْ: مَنْ آمَنَ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ، وَمَنْ كَفَرَ دَخَلَ النَّارَ.
قَوْلُهُ: ﴿أَحَاطَ بِهِمْ سُرَادِقُهَا﴾ يَعْنِي: سُورُهَا ﴿وَإِنْ يَسْتَغِيثُوا يُغَاثُوا بِمَاء كَالْمهْلِ﴾ تَفْسِيرِ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ: كَعَكَرِ الزَّيْتِ.
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: مَا أُذِيبَ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ، وَالصُّفْرِ وَالرَّصَاصِ وَمَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ اللُّغَةِ: مُهْلٌ. ﴿يَشْوِي الْوُجُوهَ﴾ أَيْ: يَحْرِقُهَا إِذَا أَهْوَى لِيَشْرَبَهُ ﴿بئس الشَّرَاب وَسَاءَتْ مرتفقا﴾ أَيْ: مَنْزِلًا وَمَأْوًى؛ وَهَذَا وَعِيدٌ لِمَنْ كَفَرَ.
