Tafsir of Al-`Ankabut 29:64

"And this worldly life..."

This is an indication of contempt. And how could it not be, when the world, in the sight of Allah Almighty, does not weigh as much as the wing of a mosquito? Al-Tirmidhi recorded from Sahl ibn Sa‘d that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah Almighty bless him and grant him peace, said: "If the world were equal in the sight of Allah Almighty to the wing of a mosquito, He would not have given a disbeliever a single drink of water from it."

Some of the gnostics said: "The world is more contemptible than the forearm of a dead pig upon which a leprous dog has urinated." From what has been mentioned, the contemptibility of the life within it is known a fortiori.

"...is nothing but diversion and play."

That is: it is nothing but that which boys divert themselves and play with; they gather around it and rejoice in it for an hour, then they disperse from it. This is a form of eloquent simile.

"...and indeed, the home of the Hereafter is the [true] life."

That is: it is indeed the home of the true life, for death and extinction do not befall those who are in it. Alternatively, it is life itself, as an expression of hyperbole. Al-hayawan is the verbal noun of hayya (to live); it is a name given to that which possesses life in places other than this, though its root is hayayan. The second [ya] was converted into a waw contrary to the standard rule, so its final radical is a ya; this is the view of Sibawayh.

It is also said: its final radical is a waw, in view of the apparent form of the word and the proper name "Hayat." There is no evidence that it is a ya in hayy, because a waw in such a position is replaced by a ya due to the vowel preceding it being a kasra, such as shaqiya (to be wretched) from shaqwa (wretchedness). It is more expressive than al-hayat (life) because the fa'lan pattern carries a sense of movement and agitation, which is necessary for life. For this reason, it was chosen over the other in this context, which requires hyperbole, given what you have already learned regarding the description of worldly life as contrasted with the home of the Hereafter.

"...if they only knew."

The conditional particle's response is omitted. That is: if they only knew, they would not have preferred the world over it—a world whose essence is the absence of life, and whatever life occurs within it is incidental, swift in its passing, and imminent in its decay. To interpret "if" (law) as a particle of wishing (tamanni) is far-fetched.