Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:16

(If we die and become dust and bones) — meaning: some of our parts become dust and others become bones. The dust is mentioned first because it is what the visible parts turn into.

"If" (idha) is either conditional, and its apodosis is omitted, indicated by His saying, "Are we indeed to be resurrected?" — meaning: "Shall we be resurrected?" There is a famous scholarly discussion regarding its operative factor. Or, it is purely temporal (adverbial), in which case it has no apodosis, and its governing agent is omitted, which is also indicated by the aforementioned verse. It is not the case that what follows "indeed" (inna) and the particle of oath/emphasis (al-lam) acts upon what precedes it. Thus, the meaning is: "Shall we be resurrected when we die?" If you wish, you may estimate the verb to be at the end, so the prepositional phrase is placed first to reinforce the denial of resurrection by directing it toward a state that is in extreme contradiction to it.

The same applies to the repetition of the interrogative hamzah for the sake of exaggeration and emphasis in that regard. Similarly, the adornment of the sentence with inna and the lam is for the purpose of emphasizing the denial, not for denying the emphasis as the literal structure of the noble text might suggest; for the advancement of the hamzah is due to its requirement for priority.

Ibn Amir recited it by omitting the first hamzah. Nafi', al-Kisa'i, and Ya'qub recited it by omitting the second.