Tafsir of Al-Kahf 18:96

The word zubar (pieces) is the plural of zubrah, like ghuraf is the plural of ghurfah, meaning a great mass. The root of zabr is "gathering"; from this comes zabartu al-kitab (I wrote the book), meaning I gathered its letters, and the zubrah (mane) of a lion is so called because of the hair that gathers on its shoulders. Al-Tasti narrated from Ibn Abbas that Nafi’ ibn al-Azraq asked him about zubar al-hadid, and he replied: "It is a mass," and cited the verse of Ka’b ibn Malik:

It blazed upon them when its heat intensified With masses of iron, and the stones were interlocked.

The request for the zubar does not contradict that he accepted nothing from them, because the intended meaning of "bringing" commanded is bringing them for a price, or merely the act of handing over and delivery. Even if what they brought was not a gift, it was still requested assistance. If we concede that the "bringing" meant giving as a gift rather than mere delivery, it is said: giving tools for work does not necessitate transfer of ownership; and even if ownership were transferred, it would not be considered a wage (payment), for that is the giving of money, not the giving of something like this.

Indicating that the meaning is only that of "bringing" is the reading of Abu Bakr from ‘Asim: (radman ituni) with a kasra on the tanwin and connecting the hamza (in ituni), derived from atahu bi-kadha when one brings something to another. According to this reading, zubaran is in the accusative case due to the omission of the preposition, meaning: "Bring me (the) pieces of iron."

The specification of iron pieces, rather than rocks, firewood, and the like, is because the need for them was more pressing, as they are the strong pillar in the dam, and their availability is rarer. Al-Hasan read zubar with a damma on the ba’, similar to the zay.

There is an ellipsis in the speech; it means: they brought him the iron, and he began to build little by little until, when he had made what was between the two sides of the mountains from the construction equal to them in height. The object of sawa (leveled) is the dam, and its subject is the pronoun referring to Dhu al-Qarnayn. It is also said that the subject is the pronoun referring to the dam understood from the context—that is, they brought him the iron, and he began to block [the gap] with it until the dam leveled the space between the two sides. From this, the equality of the dam in height to the two mountains is understood.

The sadaf (side), as we have indicated, is the side of a mountain, and its root, as it is said, is "inclination." It is reported in al-Kashf that a single side is not called a sadaf unless it faces another, and it is therefore among the correlative nouns, like "pair" and its likes. Abu Ubaydah said: it is any tall, great building, but it is clear that this is not what is intended here. Some have claimed that what is intended here is the mountain, but this contradicts the view of the majority. Qatada read sawwa (leveled) from the root taswiya.

Ibn Abi Umayya narrated from Abu Bakr from ‘Asim (the reading suwwiya) in the passive voice. Ibn Kathir, Abu ‘Amr, Ibn ‘Amir, al-Zuhri, Mujahid, and al-Hasan read al-sudafayn with a damma on the sad and the dal, which is the dialect of Himyar, just as their fathas in the reading of the majority is the dialect of Tamim. Abu Bakr, Ibn Muhaysin, Abu Raja’, and Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman read al-sudfayn with a damma followed by a sukun. Ibn Jandab read it with a fatha followed by a sukun; the same is narrated from Qatada, and in another narration from him, he read it with a damma followed by a fatha. This is the reading of Aban from ‘Asim, and al-Majishun read it with a fatha followed by a damma.

[He said] to the workmen: "Blow!"—meaning with the bellows upon the pieces of iron placed between the two sides. They did so "until, when he had made it [the iron] like fire"—meaning like fire in heat and appearance. This is from the category of eloquent simile. Attributing this action to Dhu al-Qarnayn, even though it was the workmen who performed the deed, is to alert [the reader] that he was the primary agent in this matter, and they were like tools.

"He said" to those in charge of the copper regarding the melting and other tasks—and it is said [he spoke] to those blowers—after they had blown upon it until it became like fire and what he had first intended from them was accomplished: "Bring me molten copper to pour over it." He omitted the first [mention of molten copper] because the second indicates it. The Basrans used this as evidence that the application of the second verb in the chapter of "contention" (verbal competition for an object) is better; for if qitran (molten copper) were the object of atuni (bring me), the object of ufrigh (I pour) would have been implied, and its omission, although permissible as it is an extra detail, would lead to confusion.

Al-Qitr, as we have indicated, is molten copper, which is the view of the majority. It is also said it is molten lead, and it is said it is molten iron, though that is not the case. Al-A’mash, Talha, Hamza, and Abu Bakr (with a difference of opinion from him) read ituni with a connecting hamza, meaning "Bring me," as if he were summoning them to provide manual assistance at the time of pouring. Attributing the pouring to himself is for the same secret that you have perceived just now, and the same applies to his saying "make" and his saying "leveled" according to one of the two opinions.