the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky or bring us a painful punishment." Then it was revealed: "But Allah would not punish them while you are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness" [up to the end of the verse].
[The Second Interpretation]
9008 - My father narrated to us, Isa ibn Ja'far (the judge of al-Rayy) narrated to us, Sufyan narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from a man, from Sa'id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, regarding His saying: "O Allah, if this is the truth from You," he said: It is al-Nadr ibn al-Harith.
9009 - Ahmad ibn Uthman ibn Hakim informed us—in what he wrote to me—Ahmad ibn al-Mufaddal narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi, he said: Al-Nadr ibn al-Harith said: "O Allah, if what Muhammad says is the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky." And the like of this has been narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr.
[The Third Interpretation]
9010 - Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us, al-Abbas ibn al-Walid informed us, Yazid ibn Zuray' narrated to us, from Sa'id, from Qatadah regarding His saying: "And when they said: 'O Allah, if this is the truth from You'"—he said: The fools and the ignorant ones of this nation said that, so Allah extended His benevolence to the fools and the ignorant ones of this nation.
9011 - Muhammad ibn al-Abbas narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Amr Zunayj narrated to us, Salamah narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, he said: And Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn al-Zubayr narrated to me, from Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, "And when they said: 'O Allah, if this is the truth from You,'" meaning: that which Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) brought.
[The Words of the Almighty: "Then rain down upon us stones from the sky"]
9012 - And with the same chain from Urwah ibn al-Zubayr: Then he mentioned the elite of Quraysh and their calling for judgment upon themselves, and when they said: "O Allah, if this is the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky," meaning: just as You rained them upon the people of Lot.
[The Words of the Almighty: "Or bring us a painful punishment"]
9013 - My father narrated to us, Isa ibn Ja'far (the judge of al-Rayy) narrated to us, Sufyan narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from a man, from Sa'id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, regarding His saying: "Then rain down upon us stones from the sky or bring us a painful punishment," he said: It is al-Nadr ibn al-Harith—meaning ibn Kaladah—he said: So Allah the Almighty and Majestic revealed: "A demander demanded a punishment befalling the disbelievers, which none can avert."
