Tafsir of Al-Insan 76:4

(Indeed, We have prepared): We have readied for the disbelievers, among those individuals of mankind whom We guided to the path, chains with which they shall be led, and shackles with which they shall be bound, and a blazing fire with which they shall be burned.

The forewarning of them is placed before the mention of the believers, despite the latter’s delay in sequence, to combine both in the discourse, as in the Almighty’s saying: “On the Day when some faces will turn white and some faces will turn black. As for those whose faces will turn black...” (3:106). Furthermore, warning is more suitable for the situation and worthy of primary attention. Moreover, initiating and concluding the discourse with the mention of the believers is more aesthetic, as describing them in detail might disrupt the flow.

Hamzah, al-Kisa’i, Abu Bakr, and al-A’mash read salasilan (سلاسلا) with tanwin in conjunction (wasl) and with an exchanged alif in pause (waqf). Al-Zamakhshari stated: There are two aspects to this. First, that this nun is a substitute for the vowel of absolute release (harf al-itlaq), treating the state of conjunction like the state of pause. Second, that the reciter was someone accustomed to the narration of poetry, and whose tongue was exercised in declining that which is indeclinable (ghayr al-munsarif). Regarding the first, substitution from the letters of absolute release outside of poetry is rare, let alone adding to it the treatment of conjunction as a pause. Regarding the second, it suggests allowing recitation based on whim without a sound basis in Arabic. The correct view is that it is for the purpose of parallelism and stylistic matching (al-mushakalah). It has been permitted for this reason to decline that which is indeclinable—especially the plural—as it is a weak cause due to its resemblance to the singular in its structure, like sawahibi Yusuf (companions of Joseph) and nawakisi al-absar (those casting down their eyes). For this reason, some have permitted its declension absolutely, as it has been said: "Declension in the plural has come frequently, until some have claimed there is a choice in it."

Al-Akhfash narrated from some Arabs that their dialect is to decline everything that is indeclinable, except for the form af’alu min. The declension of salasilan is confirmed in the codices of Medina, Mecca, Kufa, and Basra, as well as the codices of Ubayy and Abdullah ibn Mas’ud. It is narrated from Hisham, on the authority of Ibn ‘Amir, that it is read as salasila (سلاسل) in conjunction and as salasila (سلاسلا) with an alif without tanwin in pause.