Tafsir of Ar-Rum 30:50

"So observe the effects of the mercy of Allah"—which result from the sending down of rain, such as vegetation, trees, and various types of fruits. The fa (in fan-zur) is used to indicate the rapidity of their occurrence following it.

The people of the two sanctuaries (Mecca and Medina), Abu Amr, and Abu Bakr read it as athar (in the singular form, with a fat-ha on the hamzah and the tha). Salam read it as ithr (with a kasra on the hamzah and a quiescent tha).

His saying, "how He brings the earth to life after its death," is in the position of the accusative by the removal of the preposition (i.e., ila kayfa). Kayfa acts as a suspender (mu’allaq) for the verb an-zur, meaning: "Look at His, the Exalted’s, wondrous bringing of the earth to life after its death." Ibn Jinni stated that it is in the state of a circumstantial qualifier (hal) by way of interpretation—meaning, "as one who brings to life." In any case, the intent behind the command to observe is to draw attention to the greatness of His power, the Exalted, and the vastness of His mercy, along with the preparation it provides for the discourse on resurrection that follows it.

Al-Jahdari, Ibn as-Sumayqa, and Abu Haywah read it as tuhyi (with a feminine ta), where the pronoun refers back to "mercy." Regarding the reading of the people of the two sanctuaries and those with them, it is permissible that the pronoun refers to "the effect" (athar), on the basis that it gained feminine gender from its genitive addition (mudaf ilayh); however, this is not a strong position, as is not hidden.

"Indeed, He [is the one] who will give life to the dead"—meaning, He is the One who is capable of bringing them to life. For it is the bringing into existence of the likes of what was previously in the substances of their bodies—the vital powers—just as the bringing to life of the earth is the bringing into existence of the likes of the vegetative powers that were previously in it. It has been said: It is possible that the vegetation that emerges consists of parts that had crumbled, scattered, and mixed with the soil—which contains their roots—during some past years, thus it would be exactly the same as bringing [the dead] to life, by restoring both the substances and the powers, not merely restoring the powers alone. This is a weak, far-fetched hypothesis, and we do not concede that a guided Muslim knows it to have occurred.

His saying, "and He is over all things competent," is a concluding clause confirming the content of what preceded it, meaning: He is extreme in power over all things, among which is the bringing of them to life, because the relationship of His power, the Exalted and Majestic, to all things is equal.