Tafsir of Ya seen 36:80

(He who has made for you from the green tree, fire) is a substitute for the first relative pronoun. It is not sufficient to merely coordinate its relative clause with the previous one, in order to emphasize it and because they differ in the manner of their indication. Both prepositional phrases are connected to "made," and they were placed before "fire"—which is the direct object—to show concern for that which is brought forward and to build anticipation for that which is delayed.

"Green" is an adjective for "tree." It has also been recited as "green" (al-khadra’), and the people of Hijaz feminize the genus that is distinguished from its singular unit by the ta (as in shajar [tree], where its singular is shajara). The people of Najd treat it as masculine, except for words exempted in the books of grammar. Some have mentioned that the masculine gender is used to observe the word itself, while the feminine is used to observe the meaning, because it is in the meaning of "trees" (plural), and the plural is described with the feminine, though it is also said that it is in the meaning of "the tree." Just as its adjective is feminized, its pronoun is also feminized, as in the words of the Almighty: "from a tree of Zaqqum, and filling therefrom their bellies."

The well-known view is that this tree refers to the markh and the ‘afar. The markh is used as the upper part of the fire-stick, and the ‘afar—with a fathah on the ‘ayn—is the female, the lower fire-board. The former is struck against the latter; both are green and drip with water, yet fire sparks from them by the permission of Allah, the Almighty. That the markh is in the position of the male and the ‘afar in the position of the female is what al-Zamakhshari and others have mentioned, and the wording acts as a witness for it. Al-Jawhari reversed this.

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas and al-Kalbi that there is fire in every tree except the jujube (‘unnāb). It is said that for this reason, the beaters’ clubs are made from it. Al-Khafaji recited of his own composition: "O jujube tree, your fire has been ignited in my heart, yet the jujube is not among the trees of fire."

The generality and the lack of exclusion is famous, as in the proverb: "In every tree there is fire." And it is said, "The markh and the ‘afar obtained much fire," meaning they yielded a great deal of fire, derived from the usage when camels fall into a wide, abundant pasture. From this comes the description of a man as majid (generous). Some preferred to interpret "the green tree" as the entire genus, and what is mentioned regarding the markh and the ‘afar is by way of illustration; they were specified because they are the quickest to kindle and the most abundant in fire, as the proverb indicates, and from the proverbial saying: "The markh and the ‘afar beget nothing but fire."

(Then at once you from it kindle) is like an affirmation of what preceded it and a verification of it; meaning, when you are kindling fire from the green tree, you do not doubt that it is a real fire that comes forth from it, and it is not like the cold glow of the hubahib (firefly/phosphorescence).

By the Almighty's words, "He who...," He indicated that He who is capable of bringing about fire from the green tree—despite the water within it which is antithetical to fire in its essence (for water is cold and moist, while fire is hot and dry)—is, He the Majestic and Exalted, even more capable of returning freshness to that which was once fresh, then dried and decayed.

Furthermore, this fire is created by Allah the Almighty upon the rubbing of one of the two pieces of wood against the other; it is not that there is a fire latent inside which emerges upon rubbing. The phrase "from the tree" does not serve as evidence for that [latent theory], and the saying "there is fire in every tree" is among the loose expressions of the Arabs, so do not be heedless. Beware of believing in [the theory of] latency.