"Say: Who is the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the Great Throne? They will say: 'To Allah.'" If they say that, then "Say: Will you not then fear [Him]?" while you acknowledge that Allah is the Creator of these things and their Lord; and the polytheists of the Arabs used to acknowledge this.
Muhammad said: The reading of Yahya is "They will say: Allah," and it is the reading of the people of Basra according to what Abu Ubayd mentioned. He said: And the majority of the reciters read it: "They will say: To Allah."
﴿قل من رب السَّمَاوَات السَّبْعِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ سَيَقُولُونَ لله﴾ فَإِذَا قَالُوا ذَلِكَ فَ ﴿قُلْ أَفلا تَتَّقُون﴾ وَأَنْتُمْ تُقِرُّونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ خَالِقُ هَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ وَرَبُّهَا، وَقَدْ كَانَ مُشْرِكُو الْعَرَبِ يُقِرُّونَ بَهَذَا.
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: قِرَاءَةُ يَحْيَى (سَيَقُولُونَ اللَّهُ) وَهِيَ قِرَاءَةُ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ فِيمَا ذَكَرَ أَبُو عُبَيْدٍ. قَالَ: وَعَامَّةُ الْقُرَّاء يقرءونها: (سيقولون لله).
