[It was] the doum-palm; it is the Daum (a type of palm tree). So Allah sent upon them heat for seven days, and nothing could protect them from it. Then Allah sent upon them a cloud, and they sought shelter beneath it, seeking relief. So Allah made it into fire, and it ignited upon them.
Muhammad said: Nafi' read: (Al-Aykah), and likewise he read the one in [Surah] Qaf. He read the one in [Surah] Ash-Shu'ara' and in [Surah] Sad: (Lykah) without the Alif and Lam, and he did not decline them (ghayr munsarif) according to what Abu 'Ubayd mentioned. He said: We found in some of the commentaries that (Lykah) is the name of the village in which they resided, while (Al-Aykah) refers to the entire land.
(ل ١٧١) الْمُقْلُ؛ وَهُوَ الدَّوْمُ، فَسَلَّطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْحَرَّ سَبْعَةَ أَيَّامٍ فَكَانَ لَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْهُ شيءٌ، فَبَعَثَ الله عَلَيْهِم سَحَابَة فلجأوا تَحْتَهَا يَلْتَمِسُونَ الرَّوْحَ، فَجَعَلَهَا اللَّهُ نَارًا فَاضْطَرَمَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ.
قَالَ محمدٌ: قَرَأَ نافعٌ: (الأيكة) وَكَذَلِكَ قَرَأَ الَّتِي فِي " قَافٍ " وَقَرَأَ الَّتِي فِي " الشُّعَرَاءِ " وَفِي " ص ": (لَيْكَةِ) بِغَيْرِ أَلِفٍ وَلامٍ وَلَمْ يَصْرِفُهُمَا فِيمَا ذَكَرَهُ أَبُو عُبَيْدٍ، وَقَالَ: وَجَدْنَا فِي بَعْضِ التَّفَاسِيرِ: أَنَّ (لَيْكَةَ) اسْمُ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِي كَانُوا فِيهَا، و (الأيكة): الْبِلَاد كلهَا.
