Tafsir of Ya seen 36:20

(And there came from the farthest end of the city)—meaning, from its most distant parts—(a man)—meaning, a man in the sight of Allah, the Exalted. Its indefiniteness is for glorification. It is also permitted that the indefiniteness is to signify that the Messengers did not know him, so that they might not collude with him. His name, according to what has been narrated from Ibn Abbas, Abu Mijlaz, Ka’b al-Ahbar, Mujahid, and Muqatil, is Habib. He is the son of Israel, as has been said; it is also said: the son of Mari. According to the popular view, he was a carpenter; others say he was a farmer, or a fuller, or a shoemaker, or a sculptor of idols. It is possible that he combined these qualities. Some mention that he was a believer in a cave, worshipping his Lord, the Almighty and Majestic; when he heard that his people had rejected the Messengers, he came (running)—meaning, hastening and speeding in his walking out of eagerness to advise his people. It is said: he heard that his people intended to kill the Messengers, so he sought the Countenance of Allah, the Exalted, by defending them. "Running" (sa'a) here is similar to His saying: (And strives for it with the necessary striving), which is a well-known metaphor. His being in a cave does not contradict his coming from the farthest end of the city, for it is possible that there was a cave at the city's edge. Yes, this view is manifest in that he was a believer, which contradicts the claim that he was a sculptor of idols. This was answered by stating that what is meant is that he sculpted statues, not for worship, and that this was permissible under that [former] Sharia. The claim of his belief was narrated from Ibn Abi Layla, and in al-Bahr it is reported from him that he said: "The foremost of the nations are three who never disbelieved for the blinking of an eye: Ali ibn Abi Talib, the companion of Yasin, and the believer of the family of Pharaoh."

Al-Zamakhshari and a group have mentioned this as a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Likewise, they mentioned that he is among those who believed in the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, just as Tubba’ the Elder, Waraqah ibn Nawfal, and others believed in him, and that no one believed in a Prophet other than him—peace and blessings be upon him—before his appearance.

It is also said that he was a leper and his house was at the farthest gate of the city. He had worshipped idols for seventy years, calling upon them to remove his affliction, but they did not remove it. When the Messengers called him to the worship of Allah, the Exalted, he said, "Is there a sign?" They said, "Yes, we call upon our Lord, the Able, to remove what is upon you." He said, "This is truly strange for me; I have called upon these gods for seventy years and they could not remove it, so how will your Lord remove it in a single morning?" They said, "Our Lord is able over all that He wills, and these [idols] neither benefit nor harm anything." So he believed, and they called upon their Lord, the Glorified, and He removed his affliction as if he had never had any complaint. He turned to earning a living, and when evening came, he would give half of his earnings in charity and spend the other half on himself and his family. When his people intended to kill the Messengers, he came running from the farthest end of the city. According to this account, his sculpting of idols is not problematic, and there is no need for that far-fetched answer. However, there is a contradiction between this and the report of the "foremost three of the nations," and that he was among those who believed in the Messenger of Allah, just as Tubba’ believed. The fact that his belief in the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—was only through the Messengers, even if contrary to the apparent meaning, prevents the contradiction between this and the latter; yet the contradiction between it and the first report remains, unless it is said: "The intended meaning is the foremost of the nations in belief after the call, such that they never disbelieved after that for the blinking of an eye." Among that which suggests—in its literal sense—that the man was not a believer beforehand is the account that when the two Messengers who were sent first approached the city, they saw him tending sheep. He asked them, and they informed him. He said, "Do you have a sign?" They said, "We heal the sick and cure the blind and the leper." He had a sick son, so they wiped him, and he was healed. So he believed. Amana (believed) is interpreted as the manifestation of belief, which is contrary to the apparent meaning. What seems most likely in my view is that he was a believer in the Messengers before his arrival and his advice to his people. I have no certainty regarding his belief or lack thereof before the sending of the Messengers; the apparent meanings of the reports are contradictory. Moreover, the authenticity of any of them is not established for me. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best the reality of the situation.

(From the farthest end of the city) is placed here before (a man), the opposite of how it appeared in [Surah] al-Qasas. Abu Hayyan considered this part of the variation in rhetoric.

Al-Khafaji said: The prepositional phrase was placed before the subject—which deserves priority—as a clarification of his merit, since Allah, the Exalted, guided him despite his distance from them, and that his distance did not prevent that. For this reason, he used the word "city" here, after having used "town" [in other contexts], signaling spaciousness, and that Allah, the Exalted, guides whom He wills, whether near or far. It is also said it was placed first out of concern, as it entails an indication that their warning had reached the farthest end of the city, implying that they had brought the clear communication. It is also said that if it were delayed, it would have been linked to "running," and would not have conveyed that he was a resident of the city living at its edge, which is the intended meaning. The clause (running) is an adjective for (a man). It is permitted that it be a state (hal) of him, for those who allow the state (hal) to come from an indefinite noun. His saying: (He said) is an initiating explanation; as if it were said: "What did he say when he arrived?" It was said: (O my people, follow the messengers). It is also permitted that it be an explanation for the "running" in the sense of seeking the Countenance of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic. The lack of clarity in that is evident. The mention of the title of their mission is to urge them to follow them, just as addressing them with "O my people" is to reconcile their hearts and incline them towards accepting his advice. And His saying: [follows...]