He said: So they intended to seize me, but I said: 'You cannot do that; I am your mufti (one who provides fatwa) and your guest,' so they left me alone.

His saying: 'Inspiring one another'

7790 - My father narrated to us, Ibrahim ibn Musa narrated to us, Hisham ibn Yusuf informed us, from Ibn Jurayj, from 'Ata', from Ibn 'Abbas: 'Inspiring one another,' meaning the devils of the jinn inspire the devils of mankind. He said: For Allah says: 'And indeed, the devils do inspire their allies.'

7791 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, Minjab ibn al-Harith narrated to us, Bishr ibn 'Umarah informed us, from Abu Rawq, from al-Dahhak, from Ibn 'Abbas, regarding His saying: 'And thus We have made for every prophet an enemy – devils from mankind and jinn, inspiring one another with adorned speech as a deception,' he said: The jinn have devils who lead them astray, just as the humans have devils who lead them astray. He said: Then the devil of mankind meets with the devil of the jinn, and one says to the other: 'Mislead him with such and such, and mislead him with such and such.' He said: This is His saying: 'Inspiring one another with adorned speech as a deception.'

It was narrated from 'Ikrimah and 'Ata' al-Khurasani similarly to the statement of 'Ata' from Ibn 'Abbas. It was also narrated from al-Suddi similarly to the statement of Abu Rawq from al-Dahhak.

His saying, Exalted is He: 'Adorned speech as a deception'

7792 - Muhammad ibn Sa'd informed us, in what he wrote to me, my father narrated to me, my uncle narrated to me, from his father, from 'Atiyyah, from Ibn 'Abbas, regarding His saying: 'Adorned speech as a deception,' he said: They make speech fair-seeming to one another so that they may follow them in their trial.

It was narrated from Mujahid and 'Ikrimah that they both said: It is the beautification of falsehood with the tongue.

7793 - Ahmad ibn 'Uthman ibn Hakim al-Awdi informed us, in what he wrote to me, Ahmad ibn Mufaddal narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi, regarding His saying: 'Adorned speech as a deception,' as for 'al-zukhruf' (adornment), they adorned it and beautified it, as a deception, deceiving people and jinn with it.