And from his chain of transmitters on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that he said in explanation of Allah's saying (Alif. Lam. Ra.): '(Alif. Lam. Ra.) He says: I am Allah, and I see; it is also said that this is an oath, Allah swore by the Alif and by the Lam and by the Ra. (These are verses of the Scripture) this surah consists of verses from the Scripture (and a plain Reading) He says: I swear by the Qur'an which makes plain the lawful and the prohibited, the commands and prohibitions.