The commentators side by side

وعصر المدى العصر الدهر والمدى الغاية وأشار بعصر المدى الى الدهر وهو الزمان الطويل الذى هو من مبد اخلق العالم الى حيث لامنتهى

Wa-ʿaṣr al-madā: al-ʿaṣr is time (al-dahr), and al-madā is the utmost extent. By ʿaṣr al-madā he alluded to al-dahr, which is the long time extending from the beginning of the creation of the world to where there is no end.

Unsigned in the print: for vv. 23–30 al-Būrīnī's commentary is wanting and the print gives al-Nābulusī's alone, without its siglum.

﴿من قبله﴾

أى من قبل عصر المدى الذى هو الدهر بمعنى الزمان الممتد عندهم لا بمعنى الدهر الذى هو من أسماء الله تعالى الحسنى ولهذا كنى عنه بعصر المدى ولم يقل والدهر لان الدهر بالمعنى الالهى لا قبل له

That is, before ʿaṣr al-madā, which is al-dahr in the sense of extended time as they understand it, not in the sense of al-Dahr that is one of the beautiful names of God Most High. For this reason he alluded to it by ʿaṣr al-madā and did not say 'and al-dahr,' because al-dahr in the divine sense has no before.

Unsigned in the print: for vv. 23–30 al-Būrīnī's commentary is wanting and the print gives al-Nābulusī's alone, without its siglum.

﴿كان عصرها﴾

أى وجد زمانها أى زمان تلك المدامة المذكورة والعصر الثانى مصدر عصرت العنب ونحوه عصر استخر جتماءه واعتصرته كذلك واسم ذلك الماء العصير فعيل بمعنى مفعول وعصرها كناية عن تمييز عصيرها عن عنبها وهو تمييز الوجود الحق عن السور المتلبس بها هنا

That is, its time existed, meaning the time of that aforementioned wine. The second ʿaṣr is the verbal noun of ʿaṣartu al-ʿinab (I pressed the grapes) and the like, ʿaṣran: I extracted its water; and iʿtaṣartuhu likewise. The name of that water is al-ʿaṣīr, [on the pattern] faʿīl in the sense of mafʿūl. ʿAṣruhā (its pressing) is a metonym for the distinguishing of its juice from its grapes, which is the distinguishing of the Real existence from the forms in which it is clothed here.

Unsigned in the print: for vv. 23–30 al-Būrīnī's commentary is wanting and the print gives al-Nābulusī's alone, without its siglum.

﴿وعهد أبينا﴾

أى آدم أبى البشر عليه السلام والعهد الالتقاء والمعرفة ومنه عهدى به والزمان والموثق ووصية آدم عليه السلام عهد نبوته أو أخذ الميناق عليه كافال تعالى واذ أخذ الله ميثاق النبيين لما آتيتكم من كاب وحكمة ثم جاءكم رسول مصدق !ا معكم وهو محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم لتؤمنن به ولتنصرنه الآية او عهد بنيه وهو يوم الميثاق كما قال تعالى واذا خذ ربك من بنى آدم من ظهورهم ذريتهم وأشهدهم على أنفسهم ألست بربكم قالوا بلى الآية

That is, Adam, father of mankind, peace be upon him. Al-ʿahd [means] meeting and acquaintance, and from this [comes the expression] ʿahdī bihi (“my acquaintance with him”). [It also means] time, pledge, and testament. [By] the ʿahd of Adam, peace be upon him, [is meant] the time of his prophethood, or the taking of the covenant (mīthāq) from him, as God Most High said: “And when God took the covenant of the prophets: ‘Whatever I have given you of Scripture and wisdom, and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you’” (and he is Muḥammad, God bless him and grant him peace) “‘you shall believe in him and you shall help him’” (Q 3:81), to the end of the verse. Or [it means] the ʿahd of his children, which is the Day of the Covenant, as God Most High said: “And when your Lord took from the children of Adam, from their loins, their offspring, and made them testify concerning themselves: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said: ‘Yes’” (Q 7:172), to the end of the verse.

Unsigned in the print: for vv. 23–30 al-Būrīnī's commentary is wanting and the print gives al-Nābulusī's alone, without its siglum.

﴿بعدها﴾

أى بعد ظهور هذه المدامة فى ملابس اعنابها وعناقيدها وهو تلبسها بالاشياء

That is, after the appearance of this wine in the garments of its grapes and its clusters, which is its becoming clothed in things.

Unsigned in the print: for vv. 23–30 al-Būrīnī's commentary is wanting and the print gives al-Nābulusī's alone, without its siglum.