Tafsir of Ash-Shu`ara' 26:128

**"Do you build upon every ri’"**: Meaning every road, as narrated from Ibn Abbas and Qatadah. Ibn Jarir and a group have recorded from Mujahid that al-ri’ is the mountain pass between two mountains. From Abu Sakhr, it is the mountain and the place elevated from the land. From ‘Ata’, it is a water spring. The majority hold that it is the elevated place, which is also a narration from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both); from this is the ri’ of a plant, meaning its rising through growth and increase.

Ibn Abi ‘Ablah read it as ra’ (with a fathah on the ra’).

"...a sign": Meaning a landmark, as narrated from the Scholar (Ibn Abbas) (may Allah be pleased with him). It is said: a high, reinforced palace as if it were a landmark; this is the view of al-Naqqash and others, and Ibn al-Munir deemed it the most apparent. It is possible to interpret what was narrated from the Scholar in light of this. In that case, the words of the Exalted, "...you engage in vanity", refer to your vanity in building them, because they were not in need of them, but rather built them for the sake of boasting. Vanity is that which has no benefit, whether in reality or in legal judgment. Indeed, raising a structure for a purpose other than a legitimate one is condemned in our Sharia as well.

It is said that their vanity therein lies in the fact that they built them to guide themselves in their travels, while the stars would have sufficed for that purpose. This has been objected to on the grounds that the need may arise due to overcast clouds or similar conditions. The response is that clouds are rare, especially in the lands of the Arabs, and even if they were needed, there would be no need to place them upon every ri’, thus their construction in such a manner is vanity.

Al-Fadil al-Yamani said: The elevated places themselves would have sufficed for that purpose, so they are vanity. It is said: They used to build these to look down upon passersby and travelers to mock them and treat them with vanity. This is narrated from al-Kalbi and al-Dahhak. From Mujahid and Ibn Jubayr, it is said that the "sign" refers to pigeon towers, as they used to build towers upon every ri’ to play with pigeons and amuse themselves. It is also said that they were guardhouses built at every intersection, where they would sit to exact tithes from the wealth of those who passed by them. It has a parallel in our lands today, and there is no help sought except from Allah, the Most High, the Almighty.

The sentence is in the position of a circumstantial qualifier (hal), and it is a "prospective" circumstantial qualifier according to some opinions.