Tafsir of Ash-Shu`ara' 26:25

[The Question]: If you ask: Who were those around him? [The Answer]: I say: The nobles of his people. It is said they were five hundred men wearing bracelets, which were exclusive to kings.

[The Question]: If you ask: The mention of the heavens, the earth, and what is between them encompasses all of creation, so what is the meaning of mentioning them, their forefathers, and the East and the West after that? [The Answer]: I say: He generalized first, then specified from the general to clarify. He mentioned them and their forefathers because the closest thing a rational person observes is himself and those born from him, and the signs of the Creator he witnesses and sees—the transition from one state to another and one condition to another from the time of his birth to the time of his death.

Then, He specified the East and the West because the rising of the sun from one horizon and its setting in the other, according to a precise measure in the seasons of the year and an even calculation, is among the most evident proofs. Because of its clarity, the Friend of God (Abraham) shifted to using it as an argument against Nimrod bin Canaan, after having used the argument of giving life and causing death, and thus the disbeliever was confounded. It is also recited: "Lord of the Easts and the Wests."

"The one who has been sent to you" (with a fatha on the hamza).

[The Question]: If you ask: Why did he say first, "If you are certain," and later, "If you are rational"? [The Answer]: I say: He was gentle at first. But when he saw their stubbornness in opposition and their lack of attention to the presentation of arguments, he became harsh. He countered their statement, "Your messenger is surely mad," with his words, "If you are rational."