His saying, the Exalted: "It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which is a cloud."

14687 - Muhammad ibn Sa'd informed us in what he wrote to me, [saying]: My father narrated to me, my uncle narrated to me, my father narrated to me, from his father, from Ibn 'Abbas, regarding His saying: "It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which is a cloud," he means by that the covering that is upon the heart, the hearing, and the vision. It is like His saying: "Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing, and over their vision is a veil, and for them is a great punishment."(1) And like His saying: "Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire, and Allah has sent him astray due to knowledge and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide him after Allah? Then will you not be reminded?"(2)

His saying: "Darknesses, one above another."

14688 - Muhammad ibn 'Ammar ibn al-Harith narrated to us, [saying]: 'Ubayd Allah ibn Musa reported to us, [saying]: Abu Ja'far al-Razi reported to us, from al-Rabi' ibn Anas, from Abu al-'Aliyah, from Ubayy ibn Ka'b, regarding this verse: "Darknesses, one above another," he said: He turns about in five kinds of darkness: his speech is darkness, his deed is darkness, his entrance is darkness, his exit is darkness, and his final destination on the Day of Resurrection is to the darknesses, to the Fire.

14689 - My father narrated to us, [saying]: Murrah ibn Rafi' reported to us, [saying]: Sulayman ibn 'Amir reported to us, [saying]: I heard al-Rabi' ibn Anas regarding His saying: "Darknesses, one above another," he said: Thus is the parable of the disbeliever in the sea, in the darkness of the night, in the depth of the sea. They are darknesses, one of which is the night in a deep sea, covered by waves, above which are waves, up to His saying: "for him there is no light." He turns about in five kinds of darkness; that is because his work is like the darkness of the night in the depth of the sea, covered by waves, above which are waves, above which is a cloud, darknesses, one above another. These are five kinds of darkness, and he turns about in five kinds of darkness: his entrance is in darkness, his exit is in darkness, his speech is in darkness, his work is in darkness, and his final destination is to the darknesses on the Day of Resurrection. Just so is the "dead among the living," walking among the people not knowing what he has or what is against him. Indeed, Allah has made His obedience a light and His disobedience a darkness. Indeed, faith in the world is the light on the Day of Resurrection. Furthermore, there is no good in a statement or a deed that has no root and no branch.

14690 - 'Abd Allah ibn Sulayman narrated to us, [saying]: al-Husayn ibn 'Ali reported to us, [saying]: 'Amir ibn al-Furat reported to us,