Tafsir of Ash-Shu`ara' 26:11

Abdullah ibn Muslim ibn Yasar, Shaqiq ibn Salamah, Hammad ibn Salamah, and Abu Qilabah recited it with the second-person address (ta). In such instances, both the second person and the third person are permissible; one may say: "Tell Zayd that you give Amr such-and-such," and "that he gives Amr such-and-such." It has also been recited with a kasra on the nun (in both the address and third-person forms); the origin was tattaqunani (do you not fear Me?), but one of the two nuns was dropped due to the convergence of similar letters, and the ya of the first-person pronoun was dropped, with the kasra serving as a sufficient indicator. That Moses—peace be upon him—said this is by way of deputyship from Him—Exalted is He—akin to the saying of the Almighty: "And when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near." It is as if it were said: "Go to them, saying—My words to them—'Do you not fear Me?'"

Al-Zamakhshari said: "It is an initiated sentence (must'anafah) which the Almighty followed with his sending [Moses] to them for the purpose of warning and documenting their wrongdoing, to elicit wonder from Moses—peace be upon him—regarding their state, which was heinous in its oppression and tyranny, and their sense of security from the consequences, and their lack of fear and caution regarding the days of Allah—the Almighty."

The recitation of the address is a method of turning towards them (iltifat), confronting them, and striking their faces with denial and anger. Carrying this out while addressing the one sent to them is effectively the same as carrying it out in their presence and casting it into their hearing, for he is the one who conveys it, fulfills it, and spreads it among the people. Thus, the fact that they are truly absent at the time of the discourse does not matter. In this, there is an incitement to piety for those who ponder and reflect.

It was said that this initiation is explanatory, implying: "Why was this command given?" Others said it is grammatical, as there is no need for this question after they have been described as "wrongdoers," yet this is dismissed by the emphasis [on their character]. Perhaps what we have mentioned is the most immediate to the understanding.

He [al-Zamakhshari] also said: "It is possible that 'do they not fear' is a circumstantial clause referring to the pronoun in 'the wrongdoers'; that is, they commit wrong while not fearing Allah—the Almighty—or His punishment." Thus, the interrogative hamza of denial is prefixed to the circumstantial clause to indicate the rejection of their lack of piety and to reprimand them for it, so that it may imply the rejection of their wrongdoing a fortiori (by way of priority). The benefit of bringing this circumstance is to signal that it is this lack of piety that emboldened them to commit wrong.

Abu Hayyan critiqued this as a gross error, because it necessitates the operation of what is before the hamza upon what is after it, while separating the operator and the operand with an alien element. It was answered by denying that the separator is "alien" and by suggesting that there is flexibility regarding the hamza. And it is as you see.

It was also suggested regarding "Do they not fear" (ala yattaqun), with the ya and a kasra on the nun, that it could mean: "O people, fear [Me]," similar to the saying of the Almighty: "Should they not prostrate?" In this view, ala is a single word for exhortation (‘ard), and ya (the vocative particle) has had its alif dropped due to the convergence of two quiescent letters, with the vocative being omitted, and what follows is an imperative verb. However, the dropping of the two alifs is contrary to the rules. It is clear that this is a far-fetched interpretation and that the manifest meaning is that ala is for exhortation, which implies a urging toward piety in all the recitations.