Tafsir of Al-Ahzab 33:27

(And He caused you to inherit their land) is a conjunction linked to His saying, Exalted is He: (He brought down), etc.

By "their land" is meant their cultivated fields, which are mentioned first due to their immense utility in terms of date palms and crops. In His saying, Exalted is He, (He caused you to inherit), there is an indication that this ownership was transferred to them only after the death of those who were killed, and that their possession of it was a firm ownership, not a contract subject to annulment or rescission.

(And their homes), meaning their fortresses; (and their properties), meaning their currency, livestock, and furnishings which were contained within their lands and homes. Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Qatadah, in a long report, that Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) ruled—just as he ruled regarding the killing of their fighters and the enslavement of their offspring—that their landed estates belonged to the Emigrants (Muhajirun) to the exclusion of the Helpers (Ansar). His people said to him, "Do you favor the Emigrants with the estates over us?" He replied, "You possess estates, while the Emigrants have no estates." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) ratified his judgment.

In al-Kashshaf, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) assigned their landed estates to the Emigrants to the exclusion of the Helpers. The Helpers spoke regarding this, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "You are in your own homes." Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Will you not take a fifth, as you did on the day of Badr?" He replied, "No, this was granted to me as sustenance, exclusively for me, to the exclusion of the people." He said, "We are satisfied with what Allah, Exalted is He, and His Messenger have done."

Jalal al-Suyuti mentioned that this report was narrated by al-Waqidi from the narration of Kharijah ibn Zayd from Umm al-‘Ala’, who said: "When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) gained the spoils of Banu al-Nadir, he made..." (the rest of the hadith). And through the chain of al-Miswar ibn Rifa‘ah, who said: Umar said, "O Messenger of Allah, will you not take a fifth of what was obtained from Banu al-Nadir?" (the rest of the hadith). Accordingly, it is not fitting for al-Zamakhshari to mention it here, given that in his view, the verses concern Banu Qurayzah. Discussion regarding what occurred with Banu al-Nadir will follow in the Tafsir of Surah al-Hashr, if Allah, Exalted is He, wills.

(And [other] land which you have not trodden): Muqatil, Yazid ibn Ruman, and Ibn Zayd said: "This is Khaybar, which was conquered after Banu Qurayzah." Qatadah said: "It was reported that it is Makkah." Al-Hasan said: "It is the land of Rome and Persia." It has also been said: "Yemen." ‘Ikrimah said: "It is what the Muslims would conquer until the Day of Resurrection," and this was chosen by the author of al-Bahr. ‘Urwah said: "I consider it to be every land that Allah, Exalted is He, has opened for the Muslims, or which He, Exalted is He, will open until the Day of Resurrection."

The apparent meaning is that it is a conjunction linked to (their land). A problem arises in that the "inheritance" is literal in relation to the first conjoined term, but metaphorical in relation to this second conjoined term. The response is that "He caused you to inherit" is intended in the sense of His knowledge and decree, and this is realized both in what occurred of inheritance—such as their lands, homes, and properties—and in what had not yet occurred, such as the inheritance of that which was not yet conquered at the time of the verse’s revelation. Some interpreted "He caused you to inherit" in the second instance as meaning "He will cause you to inherit," but used the past tense to signify the certainty of its occurrence. The aforementioned evidence [for this interpretation] is considered weak because of the difference between literal and metaphorical meanings.

It is also said that the evidence is what follows from His saying, Exalted is He: (And Allah is over all things powerful), etc. Then, if the land is considered to encompass that which was conquered by the hands of those present and that which would be conquered by others who came after them, the address is not restricted to those present, as is clear. Among the novel/innovative interpretations is that this "land" refers to their women; under this view, there is no imagined difficulty in the conjunction.

Zayd ibn ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) recited: (lam tataw-ha), omitting the hamza; he replaced the hamza of tata’ (to tread) with an alif, similar to the line: "Indeed, the predators roam in their dens, while people do not roam/reach them." Thus, the sakina (silent) [letter] met with the waw, so it was dropped, as you would say lam tarau-ha (you did not see it).

(And Allah is over all things powerful)—He, Glorified is He, is capable of granting you possession of whatever He wills.