222 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, 'Amr ibn Hammad narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi: "[He] who made for you the earth a bed [spread out]." As for "a bed [spread out]," it is a bed that is walked upon, and it is a resting place (mihad) and a settled abode (qarar). It has been narrated from Qatadah and al-Rabi' ibn Anas something similar.

His saying: "And the heaven a ceiling (building)"

223 - My father narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us, Wahb ibn Jarir narrated to us, my father narrated to us, he said: I heard Muhammad ibn Ishaq narrating from Ya'qub ibn 'Utbah and Jubayr ibn Muhammad ibn Jubayr ibn Mut'im, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Woe to you! Do you know what Allah is? Verily, Allah is upon His Throne, and His Throne is over His heavens, and His heavens are over His earths, like this." And he gestured with his finger like a dome.

224 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, 'Amr ibn Hammad narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi: "And the heaven a ceiling (building)." As for "the heaven a ceiling (building)," the structure of the heaven over the earth is in the shape of a dome, and it is a roof over the earth. It has been narrated from Qatadah something similar.

His saying: "And [He] sent down from the sky, rain"

225 - Ahmad ibn al-Fadl al-'Asqalani narrated to us, Bishr ibn Bukayr narrated to us, Umm 'Abd Allah—meaning the daughter of Khalid ibn Ma'dan—narrated to me, from her father, who said: Indeed, rain is water that emerges from beneath the Throne, then descends from one heaven to another until it gathers in the lowest heaven. Then it falls into something called the al-ibzam (vessel), where it collects. Then the black clouds come and enter it and drink it up like the drinking of a sponge, and Allah drives them wherever He wills.

226 - My father narrated to us, Ahmad ibn Hanbal narrated to us, 'Abbad ibn al-'Arra' narrated to us, Sufyan ibn Husayn narrated to us, from al-Hakam, from Abu Zabyan, from Ibn 'Abbas, who said: Allah sends the wind, which extracts the water from the clouds; then the clouds pass by, and it [the water] pours forth as a female camel pours milk, and it falls in torrents (thajjaj) like thread-spun wool, except that it is dispersed.

His saying: "And brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you"

227 - My father narrated to us, 'Ali ibn Ja'far al-Ahmar narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Asbahani narrated to us, from his uncle 'Abd al-Rahman, from 'Ikrimah, who said: Allah has never sent down a drop of water from the sky except that He caused a herb to grow with it on the earth or a pearl in the sea.