"Say, 'Have you considered what you invoke besides Allah?'"—meaning their idols—"'Show me what they have created from the earth.'"—that is, they have not created anything from it—"'Or do they have partnership in the heavens?'"—did they create anything from them? Meaning, they did not create anything. "'Bring me a book before this'"—He says to the Prophet, tell them: "'Bring me a book before this,'" which contains that these idols created something from the earth or from the heavens, "'or a remnant of knowledge'"—regarding this—"'if you are truthful.'" That is: you do not have any book regarding this (nor a remainder of knowledge) according to the reading of al-Hasan. It is read as 'atharah' and 'atharah'. As for whoever read 'atharah', he means a narration, and whoever read 'atharah', he means a special tradition.
﴿قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دون الله﴾ يَعْنِي: أوثانهم ﴿أَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقُوا من الأَرْض﴾ أَي: لم يخلقوا مِنْهَا شَيْئا ﴿أم لَهُم شرك فِي السَّمَاوَات﴾ هَل خلقُوا مِنْهَا شَيْئا؟ أيْ: لم يخلقوا ﴿ائْتُونِي﴾ يَقُول للنَّبِي: قل لَهُم: ﴿ائْتُونِي بِكِتَابٍ مِنْ قبل هَذَا﴾ فِيهِ أَن هَذِه الْأَوْثَان خلقت من الأَرْض شَيْئا أم من السَّمَاوَات ﴿أَوْ أَثَارَةٍ مِنْ عِلْمٍ﴾ بِهَذَا ﴿إِن كُنْتُم صَادِقين﴾ أَي: لَيْسَ عنْدكُمْ بِهَذَا كتاب (وَلَا أَثَرة من علم) فِي مقرأ الْحسن، وَهِي تقْرَأ (أَثْرَة) و (أَثَارة) فَمن قَرَأَ ﴿أَثَارَةٍ﴾ يَعْنِي: رِوَايَة، وَمن قَرَأَ ﴿أَثَرَة﴾ يَعْنِي: خَاصَّة.
