Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:266

(Would one of you like): Meaning, would one of you love? Thus did Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) recite it, and in a report from him, the hamza here is for denial.

(To have a garden): It is also recited as jannatin (plural: gardens).

(Of date palms and grapevines): Meaning, consisting of these two precious kinds. This is based on the understanding that they are the pillars and essence of it, not that there are no others present. Nakhl (date palms) is said to be a collective noun, and it is also said to be the plural of nakhlah, which is a collective generic noun. A‘nab (grapevines) is the plural of ‘inbah. It is also called ‘anba’, and it remains indeclinable due to the elongated feminine alif. Whenever these two are mentioned together in the Quran, it specifies the date palm rather than its fruit, and the fruit of the vine rather than the tree. Perhaps this is because the date palm is entirely beneficial—"a good tree, its root is firm, and its branch is in the sky, yielding its fruit every season by the permission of its Lord"—whereas the greatest benefit of the vine is its fruit, rather than the rest of it. In some traditions—though I have not found them in a reliable book—it is said: "Allah says: Do you disbelieve in Me while I am the Creator of the grapes?"

Jannah (garden) applies to dense, intertwined trees and to the land containing them. The first is more appropriate to the words of the Almighty: {Beneath which rivers flow}, as in the second case, one would need to assume a genitive, meaning: "beneath its trees." Similarly, attributing the act of burning to it later would require it to be metaphorical. The sentence is in the nominative case as an adjective for jannah, or in the accusative as a state (hal) from it, because it is described by the prepositional phrase before it: {He has in it of every fruit}. The first prepositional phrase is in the nominative case as a fronted predicate; the second is a hal from the implicit pronoun in the predicate; the third is an adjective for an omitted subject, meaning: "provision or fruit existing from every kind of fruit." Some have permitted the addition of "from" (min) according to the school of al-Akhfash, and in that case, one does not need to claim an omission of the subject. By both estimations, the intended meaning of "fruits" is not totality, but rather abundance. Some suggest that "fruits" refers to "benefits," which would make the mention of those two types indicative of the garden's lack of anything else. Others said: This is a mention of the general after the specific for the purpose of completion, but that is weak.

(And old age has struck him): Meaning, advanced age and decrepitude have left their mark upon him; it is more eloquent than simply saying kibar. The waw is for the state (hal), and the sentence, with the implied "has" (qad), is in the accusative as a hal from the subject of "would one of you like." Meaning: Does one of you desire that, in this state—which is a time of intense need for the benefits of that garden and a time of incapacity to acquire the means of subsistence? It is said the waw is for conjunction, and the past tense is used in place of the future, as al-Farra’ suggested, or that the future is interpreted as the past—meaning: "If he had a garden and old age struck him..." Abu Hayyan objected to this, saying that it implies the affliction is within the realm of wishful thinking, and "old age striking him" is something no one wishes for. The answer is that this objection does not apply, because the interrogation is for denial; he is denying the combination of the two [the need and the destruction].

(And he has weak offspring): This is in the position of a hal from the pronoun in "struck him," meaning: "old age struck him, while he has young, weak children unable to work or manage his livelihood and theirs." Du‘afa’ is the plural of da‘if, like shuraka’ is the plural of sharik. The avoidance of the word "small" (sighar) in favor of "weak" is because it corresponds to "old age" (kibar), as is obvious. It is also recited as di‘af.

(Then a whirlwind struck it): Meaning, a wind that rotates upon itself, appearing like a minaret; it is called a zawba‘ah. It may be descending or ascending, contrary to what some understand from the apparent words of others who restrict it to the latter. The cause of the first is that when a wind separates from a cloud and intends to descend, it is met by a piece of cloud that strikes it from below while other winds push it from above; it remains between two pressures—one from above and one from below—and as a result of these conflicting pressures, it rotates. Sometimes, the twisted nature of the passages increases its twisting, similar to how hair becomes curly due to the twisting of its pores. The cause of the second is that when the wind reaches the earth and strikes it violently, then is fixed, another wind from its side flips it, causing it to twist and rotate. It may also occur from the collision of two severe winds. Its strength may reach the point of uprooting trees and snatching ships from the sea. The sign of the descending one is that it rolls and twists while ascending and descending together, like a dancer. The sign of the ascending one is that its coils are only seen ascending. Each may occur by the sheer power of Allah, without any apparent intermediate cause. Sometimes, the rotation of the whirlwind includes a strong, ignited vapor, so it becomes a rotating fire. To specify this type, the Almighty described the whirlwind with His words: {In it is fire}. The masculine pronoun is used because of the masculine nature of the whirlwind. This air is called an i‘sar because it twists as a wrung garment twists. It is also said: because it wrings the clouds or wrings the bodies it passes by. The tanwin in "fire" is for magnification. It is reported from Ibn Abbas that i‘sar is an intense wind in general, and that what is meant by "fire" is samum (hot, scorching wind). The Almighty mentioned the whirlwind and described it with what was mentioned, rather than simply mentioning fire (e.g., "then fire struck it"), because that sentence contains a level of rhetoric apparent to those who contemplate it.

The verb accompanied by the fa’ is a conjunction to "struck it." It is also said to be connected to an omitted verb, meaning: "So it burned it, and it was consumed." As reported by al-Suddi, this is a parable for the state of one who gives charity and then adds to his charity that which nullifies it, experiencing regret and sorrow on the Day of Judgment—when his need for it is most intense—and finding it to be scattered dust.

‘Ata’ narrated that Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "There is a verse in the Book of Allah for which I have not found anyone to satisfy me regarding it: His saying, 'Would one of you like...'" Ibn Abbas said: "O Commander of the Faithful, I find something in myself regarding it." Umar said: "Why do you belittle yourself?" He replied: "O Commander of the Faithful, this is a parable set forth by Allah. He said: 'Would one of you like to have been a person who works the deeds of the righteous and the blessed until, when his age grew, his term neared, his bones weakened, and he was in most need of his deeds being sealed with good, he instead worked the deeds of the wretched, and so he ruined his deeds and burned them?'" Umar said: "It struck home in my heart and I was pleased with it."

In a report from al-Bukhari, al-Hakim, Ibn Jarir, and a group from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them): Umar said one day to the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him): "What do you think this verse was revealed about: 'Would one of you like'?" They said: "Allah knows best." Umar became angry and said: "Say 'we know' or 'we do not know'." Ibn Abbas said: "I have something in myself regarding it, O Commander of the Faithful." Umar said: "O son of my brother, speak and do not belittle yourself." Ibn Abbas said: "It was struck as a parable for a rich man who acted in obedience to Allah, then Allah sent the devil to him, so he committed sins until he burned his deeds." It is said that this is better than it being a parable for someone who invalidates his charity with reminders and injury and hypocrisy, and it is separated from that [the previous verse] because of its connection to what follows as well, because the latter [the hypocrite] has no deeds to begin with. The response is that the hypocrite has deeds for which he is rewarded according to his apparent state and assumption, which is sufficient for the mentioned parable. You know that this does not negate the superiority of the former interpretation, especially since it was said by the Interpreter of the Quran (Ibn Abbas) and approved by the knowledgeable Commander (Umar), may Allah be pleased with them both.

(Thus): Meaning, like that clear explanation which flows in its manifestation in the manner of tangible things, {does Allah make clear to you His verses, that you might give thought}.

(That you might give thought): Meaning, so that you may reflect upon them, take heed of the lessons they contain, and act according to their requirements. Or, that you may apply your thoughts to what is fleeting and perishing in this world and what is lasting for you in the hereafter, so you become ascetic toward the world, spend of what Allah has given you from it, desire the hereafter, and do not do what would grieve you therein.