Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:80

(And Allah has made for you): This is a conjunction to what has passed. The prepositional phrase (for you) is placed before what follows it to incite anticipation and to signify, from the very beginning, that this provision is for their benefit.

His saying, (from your houses), is an elucidation of that vague provision mentioned in general, serving as a confirmation of the aforementioned anticipation. The genitive construction is for specific reference (al-'ahd); meaning: from your known houses that you build from stone, mud, and timber.

(A dwelling/sakan): This is a noun (an infinitive acting as an object, like naqd). Al-Farra’ recited poetry: Winter came, and I had not taken a dwelling (sakan) to shelter my soul from the cold. It is not an infinitive (masdar), as Ibn 'Atiyyah argued. It means a place where you reside during your stay. It is also permitted that the meaning is "that which you find serenity in," without moving from its place; meaning: He made some of your houses such that you find repose and tranquility in them.

(And He made for you, from the hides of livestock, houses): That is, other houses different from your known houses, which are the domes (tents) made of leather. It is apparent that houses made of hair, wool, and fur are not included in these "houses." However, Ibn Salam and others said: They are included, because since they are fixed upon their hides (at their origin), it is true to say they are "from their hides." This was countered by the argument that "from" (min) in the first instance is partitive (tab'idiyyah), whereas for the houses of hair and the like, it would be initiatory (ibtida'iyyah). If one generalizes this, it requires using the shared term in two different senses. It was replied that whoever says this perhaps considers such usage permissible; among those who said this is al-Baydawi, who is a Shafi'i. It is also said: "Hides" is a metaphor for the whole.

(You find them light): Meaning, you find them easy to handle. The sin is not for seeking (talab), but for finding (wijdan), like saying "I found him praiseworthy" (ahmadtuhu).

(On the day of your departure): The time of your travel, in terms of dismantling and loading.

(And the day of your settling): And the time of your landing and staying during your journeys, according to what occurs in pitching and building. It is also permitted that the meaning is: you find them light during times of travel and times of settling. Ibn al-Munir chose the former and said: This is the interpretation, because the favor of their lightness is more complete and powerful during travel, as the one who is settling is not burdened by them. It is said in al-Kashf: This is the truth. Some scholars said: The second should be preferred for its generality, for the states of travel are included in "the day of your departure" when it is intended as the opposite of "settling," and lightness for the one who is settled is also a grace for him, as he may pitch them and move them from a nearby place for a necessity. Thus, it is better that the verse does not lack reference to that. It is not hidden that the inclusion is apparent if "departure" (za'n) is intended as the opposite of "settling" (hadar). But if it is intended as the opposite of "landing," as you heard, then it is not apparent. Yes, it is permissible to intend both. The inhabitants of the Haram (Mecca and Medina) and Abu 'Amr read (za'nikum) with the 'ayn opened, while the other seven read it with a sukun. Both are dialects; the opening, as in al-Ma'alim, is the more elegant of the two. It is also said: The origin is the opening, and the sukun is a lightening due to the throat letter, like sha'r and sha'rah.

(And from their wool, and their furs, and their hairs): Conjoined to His saying, (And from hides). The pronoun refers to the livestock in a way of classification; meaning: He made for you from the wool of sheep, the furs of camels, and the hair of goats...

(Furnishings/athathan): Meaning household goods like carpets and the like, as al-Mufaddal said. Al-Farra’ said: It has no singular from its own root, just as mata' (goods) has none. If you were to make it plural, you would say athathah for the few, and athath for the many. Abu Zayd said its singular is athathah. Its origin, as al-Khalil said, is from their saying: "The plants or hair became athatha," meaning it became dense. Imru’ al-Qays said: And a braid that adorns the back, black, dense (athith), like a date-palm cluster. Its accusative case is because it is conjoined to (houses)—the object of "made." Thus, it is from the category where both a conjoined and a prepositional phrase are objects, such as "I struck in the house Zayd, and in the room 'Amr." This is permissible and not considered reprehensible as was claimed in al-Idah. It is also possible that it is an accusative of state (hal), being a conjunction of the prepositional phrase only to its likes; meaning: "And He made for you from the hides of livestock houses, and from their wool... while they are furnishings." Al-Samin objected to this by saying that the meaning does not support this, and it is apparent.

(And a provision/mata'an): Meaning something to be enjoyed and benefited from in trade and livelihood, as al-Mufaddal said. From Ibn 'Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—it is said: Mata' is adornment. Al-Khalil said: Athath and mata' are the same, and the conjunction is to treat the difference in wording as a difference in meaning, as in his saying: And he found her speech to be lies and fabrications. The first interpretation is more appropriate.

(For a time): Until the end of your needs for it. From Muqatil: "Until its wearing out and perishing." From Ibn 'Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both: "Until death." The discussion regarding the arrangement of the objects is the same as what has passed more than once.