b. Abi Hammad, from Asbat, from al-Suddi, from Abu Malik regarding His saying: "news" (anba') means: narratives.

3499 - My father narrated to us, al-Hasan b. al-Rabi' reported to us, 'Abd Allah b. Idris reported to us, Muhammad b. Ishaq reported to us regarding His saying: "That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you," then you have brought it to them as evidence for your prophethood and as an argument for you against them.

His saying, the Exalted: "And you were not with them."

3500 - My father narrated to us, al-Hasan b. al-Rabi' reported to us, 'Abd Allah b. Idris reported to us, Muhammad b. Ishaq reported to us regarding: "And you were not with them," he says: You were not present, nor were you involved.

His saying, the Exalted: "When they cast their pens."

[The first aspect]

3501 - Muhammad b. Sa'd al-'Awfi reported to us in what he wrote to me, my father narrated to me, my uncle al-Husayn narrated to me, my father narrated to me, from my grandfather, from Ibn 'Abbas: "When they cast their pens, [as to] which of them should be responsible for Mary." And when Mary was placed in the mosque, the people of the prayer area drew lots over her—and they were the ones who wrote the revelation—so they drew lots with their pens [to see] which of them would be responsible for her. So Allah, the Exalted, said to Muhammad (peace be upon him): "And you were not with them when they cast their pens as to which of them should be responsible for Mary, and you were not with them when they were disputing."

3502 - al-Hasan b. Abi al-Rabi' narrated to us, 'Abd al-Razzaq reported to us, Ma'mar reported to us, from Qatadah regarding: "When they cast their pens," he said: They drew lots over Mary [as to] which of them would be responsible for her, and Zakariya won the lot against them. Abu Muhammad said: It is also narrated from Mujahid and al-Dahhak that they both said: They drew lots with their pens.

3503 - Abu Sa'id al-Ashaj narrated to us, Abu Usamah and Waki' reported to us, from al-Nadr b. 'Arabi, from 'Ikrimah regarding His saying: "When they cast their pens," he said: They cast their pens into the water; they went with the current, while Zakariya's pen went up, overcoming the current, so Zakariya became responsible for her.

3504 - al-Husayn b. al-Hasan narrated to us, Ibrahim b. 'Abd Allah reported to us, Hajjaj reported to us, he said: Ibn Jurayj said, 'Ata' said: "their pens" means: their arrows [used for lots].

3505 - And from 'Ata' via Ibn Jurayj, he said: So they cast the pens they used to write the Torah.