Tafsir of Saba' 34:7

(And those who disbelieved) — they are the disbelievers of Quraysh, speaking to one another in a manner of astonishment and mockery — (shall we point you to a man?) — meaning thereby the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Expressing it regarding him, peace and blessings be upon him, in this manner is a form of feigned ignorance, as if they did not know him, peace and blessings be upon him, as anything other than "a man," when he was, in their view, clearer than the sun. And your saying, "Who is this?" does not harm him; for the Arabs know whom they pretend not to know, as do the non-Arabs.

(He informs you) — meaning, he tells you of a strange, marvelous matter. Zayd ibn Ali, may Allah be pleased with them both, recited it as yunībukum by replacing the hamza with a pure ya’, and it is also reported from him as yunbi’ukum with a hamza, derived from anba’a (to inform).

(That when you have been torn into every fragmentation, you will be in a new creation?) — "When" (idhā) is conditional, and its response (jawab) is omitted because of the indication provided by what follows it; meaning: "you will be resurrected" or "you will be gathered." This is the operative factor (‘amil) in "when" (idhā) according to the opinion of the majority. The entire conditional sentence serves as the object of "informs you," because it carries the meaning of "he says to you: 'When you are torn into every fragmentation, you will be resurrected'." Then He confirmed this with His saying, "Indeed, you will be in a new creation."

It is also permissible that "Indeed, you will be in a new creation" is the object of "informs you," making it a suspended (mu‘allaq) clause; were it not for the lam (the assertive particle) in the predicate of inna, it would be vocalized with a fatha (as a single object). The sentence acts as a substitute for the two objects, and the conditional sentence in this view is parenthetical. Some have prohibited suspension in the category of ‘alimtu (I knew), but the correct view is its permissibility, supported by the verse: "Beware, for I have been informed that you, for the one [who]... will be recompensed for what you strive, so you will be happy or wretched."

It is also permissible that "when" (idhā) is merely temporal. Its operative factor, which is indicated by what follows, is estimated to precede it; meaning: "You will be resurrected or gathered when you have been torn." It is not permissible for the operative factor to be "point you" or "informs you" due to the lack of simultaneity, nor "torn" because "when" is in a genitive construction with it, and the genitive noun cannot act upon its governing noun. Nor can it be "creation" or "new" because inna holds the position of the beginning, so what follows it cannot act upon what precedes it.

Al-Zajjaj said: "When" (idhā) is in the place of an accusative governed by "torn," acting like the conditional man (who/whoever), governed by what follows it. Al-Sajawandi said: The operative factor is omitted, and what follows it only acts upon it when it is jussive, which is restricted to necessity, such as: "And when poverty afflicts you, then adorn yourself." It is not permissible to apply this to the Quran. When it is not jussive, it is in a genitive construction with what follows it, and the genitive noun cannot act upon its governing noun.

Abu Hayyan said: The correct view is that the operative factor for it is the conditional verb, as is the case with all conditional particles. The full discussion of this is in the books of grammar.

Mumazzaq (fragmentation) is a verbal noun (masdar) that came in the form of a passive participle (ism maf‘ūl), like masrah in his saying: "Did you not know my dispersal of the rhymes—neither finding fault in them nor acquiring [others]?"

Tearing a thing is shredding it and making it into pieces. From this is his saying: "If I am to be eaten, then be the best of eaters; otherwise, save me before I am torn." The meaning is: when you die and your bodies are scattered in every manner of fragmentation, until you become remains and dust. "Every" (kulla) is in the accusative as a verbal noun.

It is also permissible that it is a noun of place, so "every" is in the accusative as a circumstantial adverb (zarfiyyah) because it takes the ruling of that to which it is genitively attached; meaning: "When your bodies are scattered in every place—in graves, the bellies of birds and beasts, wherever the floods have carried them, and wherever the winds have swept them and cast them."

Jadīd (new) is a fa‘īl form meaning fā‘il (active participle) according to the Basrans, from "the thing became new." It means maf‘ūl (passive participle) according to the Kufans, from "he cut it," then it became common for everything new, even if it was not cut, like buildings. The reason for the disagreement is that they saw the Arabs do not feminize it; they say milhafa jadīd (a new cloak) and not jadīdah. The Kufans held that it has the meaning of maf‘ūl, and the Basrans held the opposite, saying that the abandonment of the feminine [form] is due to interpreting it as a "new thing," or by carrying it over to the fa‘īl form that signifies maf‘ūl. Thus it is said.