Then he said: "Do You see this one whom You have honored above me" and commanded me to prostrate to him? "If You postpone me until the Day of Resurrection, I will surely master/uproot his offspring, except for a few." The interpretation of al-Hasan is: I will surely destroy them by misguidance. "Except a few," meaning: the believers.
Al-Hasan said: This statement was a conjecture on his part, as he whispered to Adam and found no resolve in him, meaning: no patience. He said: The children of this one are like him in weakness.
Muhammad (Ibn Abi Zamanin) said: The Arabs say: "The year (drought) has 'ihtanakat' (uprooted/consumed) their wealth," when it has eradicated it; and "So-and-so 'ihtanaka' (exhausted) what so-and-so has of knowledge," when he has mastered it entirely.
His saying: "Ara'ayta-ka" (Do you see) is in the meaning of: "Tell me," and the answer is omitted. The meaning is: Tell me, who is this whom You have honored above me? Why have You honored him over me when You created me from fire and created him from clay?! So he omitted this because there is an indication of it in the speech.
ثُمَّ ﴿قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَكَ هَذَا الَّذِي كرمت عَليّ﴾ وأمرتني بِالسُّجُود لَهُ ﴿لَئِن أخرتني إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ لأَحْتَنِكَنَّ ذُرِّيَّتَهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلا﴾ تَفْسِيرُ الْحَسَنِ: لَأُهْلِكَنَّهُمْ بِالْإِضْلَالِ ﴿إِلا قَلِيلا﴾ يَعْنِي: الْمُؤْمِنِينَ.
قَالَ الْحَسَنُ: وَهَذَا الْقَوْلُ ظَنٌّ مِنْهُ؛ حَيْثُ وَسْوَسَ إِلَى آدَمَ فَلَمْ يَجِدْ لَهُ عَزْمًا أَيْ: صَبْرًا، قَالَ: بَنُو هَذَا فِي الضَّعْفِ مِثْلُهُ.
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: تَقُولُ الْعَرَبُ: قَدِ احْتَنَكَتِ السَّنَةُ أَمْوَالَهُمْ؛ إِذَا اسْتَأْصَلَتْهَا، وَاحْتَنَكَ فُلَانٌ مَا عِنْدَ فُلَانٍ مِنَ الْعِلْمَ؛ إِذَا اسْتَقْصَاهُ.
وَقَوْلُهُ: ﴿أَرَأَيْتَكَ﴾ هُوَ فِي مَعْنَى: أَخْبِرْنِي، وَالْجَوَابُ مَحْذُوف، الْمَعْنى: أَخْبِرْنِي مَنْ هَذَا الَّذِي كَرَّمْتَ عَلَيَّ؛ لِمَ كَرَّمْتَهُ عَلَيَّ وَقَدْ خَلَقْتَنِي مِنْ نَارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِنْ طِينٍ؟! فَحَذَفَ هَذَا؛ لِأَنَّ فِي الْكَلَام دَلِيلا عَلَيْهِ.
