Al-Rum: 20

"And among His signs" — the manifest signs indicating that you shall be resurrected, with a proof clearer than the proof of what preceded it, for the proof of the commencement of their creation regarding their resurrection is more evident than the proof of bringing forth the living from the dead, and the dead from the living, and the proof of reviving the earth after its death.

"That He created you" — meaning, within the creation of Adam, peace be upon him, as has passed repeatedly, for his creation—peace be upon him—contains the creation of his descendants in a summarized manner— "from dust," which had never smelled the scent of life, nor is there any resemblance between it and what you are in your essence and attributes. It is said: He created them from dust because He, the Exalted, created their substance from it, so it is figurative, or based on the omission of an added term.

"Then, behold, you are humans dispersing" — meaning, on the earth, acting according to your purposes and travels. The "idha" (when/behold) is for sudden occurrence (fujaiyyah). As for "thumma" (then), according to what Abu Hayyan adhered to, it is for literal sequence (tarakhi), due to the duration between the creation and the dispersal. The scholar al-Tayyibi said: It is for rank-based sequence (tarakhi rutbi), because "sudden occurrence" rejects literal sequence. This was refuted by stating that there is no prevention against something suddenly occurring to someone after the passage of time since another matter, or one of them being literal and the other customary. This was criticized by saying that even if its validity were granted, refined taste rejects it, for it is like combining the desert lizard and the fish. Thus, what al-Tayyibi mentioned is more appropriate for the Quranic arrangement.

The apparent meaning is that the sentence is conjoined to the mubtada (subject) preceding it, and it is interpreted as a singular noun, as if it were said: "And among His signs is your creation from dust, then your sudden state of being humans dispersing." It is said so, though there is scrutiny regarding the occurrence of a sentence as a subject with such an interpretation, unless it is said that what is overlooked in a follower is not overlooked in the followed.

It is imagined from the words of some that the conjunction is to "your creation" according to the meaning, as he said: "Meaning, then you suddenly became humans dispersing." It is understood from the words of the author of al-Kashf regarding a similar verse—namely, the coming verse of the Almighty: "And among His signs is that the heaven and earth stand by His command; then when He calls you a call from the earth, behold, you come forth"—that the sentence is established in place of a singular noun in terms of meaning, because it provides its benefit. The speech follows the style of "the Station of Abraham, and whoever enters it shall be safe," because it carries the meaning of "the safety of whoever enters it." As for its form, it is a sentence conjoined to His saying, "And among His signs is that He created you." The benefit of this style is to indicate that this is a sign distinct from the category of other signs, independent in its status, and intended in its own right. So, contemplate this.