Tafsir of Al-Balad 90:3

"And a father" is a conjunction added to "this city" (al-balad), which is the subject of the oath, and likewise is the statement of the Almighty, "and what he begat."

The intended meaning of the first is Adam, peace be upon him, and of the second, all of his progeny, according to what Al-Hakim narrated and authenticated through the path of Mujahid from Ibn Abbas; it was also narrated from Mujahid, Qatadah, and Ibn Jubayr. It has been said that the intended meaning is Adam, peace be upon him, and the righteous among his offspring. Others said it is Noah, peace be upon him, and his progeny. Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Abu Imran that they are Abraham, peace be upon him, and all his children. It is also said that they are Abraham, peace be upon him, and his son Ishmael, peace be upon him—and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is claimed to be indicated by that which it is joined to, for it is the sanctuary of Abraham, the place where Ishmael grew up, and the birthplace of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—blessings be upon them all.

At-Tabari and Al-Mawardi said: It is possible that the "father" is the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, due to his prior mention, and "what he begat" refers to his nation, based on his statement, peace be upon him: "I am to you like a father," and due to the recitation of Abdullah (Ibn Mas'ud) [regarding the Prophet's wives]: "And his wives are their mothers," and he is a father to them. In swearing by this, there is an exaggeration in the honor of the Prophet, peace be upon him; yet it is as you see.

It is said that the meaning is every father and his child, among the rational beings and others, and this is attributed to Ibn Abbas. Ibn Abi Hatim and others narrated through the path of Ikrimah from him that he said: "The father is he who begets, and 'what he begat' is the barren one who does not beget, among men and women." This is also attributed to Ibn Jubayr. In this case, "ma" (what) would be a negation, which requires the estimation of a relative pronoun (mawsul) to make the intended meaning correct, as if it were said: "And a father, and he who did not beget." However, suppressing the relative pronoun in such a context is not permissible according to the Basrans, and furthermore, it contradicts the apparent meaning.

Perhaps the apparent nature of the wording is to leave the two conjoined subjects indefinite, and the apparent nature of the conjunction to "this city" is to intend those who have a connection to it and a reputation for being related to the city. Or, it refers to that which is famous: Abraham and Ishmael, peace be upon them. The indefiniteness of "father," as chosen by more than one scholar, is for glorification. The preference for "ma" (what) over "man" (who) is based on the idea that what is intended by "what he begat" is the rational being, intending to describe their qualities; thus, it conveys glorification in a context of praise, and it is something whose essence cannot be fathomed due to the intensity of its ambiguity. For this reason, it conveys wonder or amazement, even if it is not interrogative, as in the statement of the Almighty: "And Allah is most knowing of what she brought forth," meaning: "What a great-statured newborn she has brought forth!" The glorification and amazement, on the assumption that "what he begat" intends the progeny of Adam, peace be upon him, is said to be by way of dominance (taghlib) or by way of plurality. This is coupled with the unique characteristics bestowed upon the human, such as intellect and a beautiful form; whoever contemplates the affairs of the human—insofar as he is human—knows that from that perspective, he is glorified and one is amazed by him.