…the inscription (al-raqīm)…He said:Al-Raqīm is their leader who is called ‘the dog’ but they do not actually have a dog. God, Exalted is He, said Their dog [lay] stretching his two forelegs on the threshold [18:18]. That is, stretching his two forelegs in command and prohibition. ʿIkrima said, ‘al-raqīm is the word for inkwell in the Byzantine tongue.’ Ḥasan said, ‘al-Raqīm is the valley in which the Cave is situated’, while Kaʿb said, ‘al-raqīm is a lead tablet on which is inscribed their names, their genealogies, their religion and from whom they fled.’ Al-waṣīd, however, is the threshold.His words, Exalted is He:
