192 - And Abu al-Rabi' said in his hadith: Lightning: the clapping of hail.

193 - My father narrated to us, Abu Salamah narrated to us, Hammad—meaning ibn Salamah—narrated to us, from 'Abd al-Jalil, from Shahr ibn Hawshab: 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr said to a man: "Ask Ka'b about lightning." Ka'b said: "Lightning is the clapping of the angel of hail." And Hammad gestured with his hand [saying]: "If it were to appear to the people of the earth, they would be struck dead."

194 - My father narrated to us, 'Ubayd Allah ibn Musa narrated to us, 'Uthman ibn al-Aswad informed us, from Mujahid, he said: Lightning is the work of an angel by which he drives the clouds.

The third interpretation:

195 - Abu al-Azhar Ahmad ibn al-Azhar informed us in what he wrote to me, Wahb ibn Jarir narrated to us, my father narrated to us, from 'Ali ibn al-Hakam, from al-Dahhak regarding His saying: "In which are darkness, thunder and lightning," as for the lightning, it is faith. He meant by that the People of the Scripture.

His saying: "They put their fingers in their ears"

196 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, 'Amr ibn Hammad narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi, regarding His saying: "They put their fingers in their ears from the thunderclaps," he said: When the hypocrites attended the gathering of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—they would put their fingers in their ears, fearing the speech of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—lest something be revealed concerning them or they be mentioned in something and thus be killed.

His saying: "From the thunderclaps"

197 - 'Ali ibn al-Mundhir al-Tariqi narrated to us, Ibn Fudayl narrated to us, 'Ata' ibn al-Sa'ib narrated to us, from al-Sha'bi, he said: Ibn 'Abbas wrote to Abu al-Jald asking him about the thunderclaps. He wrote back to him that the thunderclaps are fire-brands by which the clouds are driven.

His saying: "For fear of death"

198 - Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us, Abu Ghassan informed us, Salamah ibn al-Fadl narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, he said: In what Muhammad ibn Abi Muhammad narrated to me, from 'Ikrimah or Sa'id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn 'Abbas: "They put their fingers in their ears from the thunderclaps for fear of death," and the fear is of being killed for what they are upon of opposition and fearing for you just as he described of the one who is in the darkness of the rainstorm.