Tafsir of Al-Ahqaf 46:24

The fa in His saying—Exalted is He—“Then (fa), when they saw it as a cloud” is fasiha (eloquent/explicative), meaning: "So it came to them, and when they saw it..."

Regarding the pronoun of the accusative object, it is said to refer to the "what" (ma) in “with what you promise us” (bima ta‘iduna). The object seen is the promised [punishment] in terms of its ultimate outcome and its causality, for otherwise, it is not what was seen in reality. Al-Zamakhshari permitted that it be vague, explained by “a cloud” (‘aridan), which is either a tamyiz (specifier) or a hal (state/adverbial accusative). He then stated: "This mode is more parsing-oriented, clearer, and more manifest, due to what we indicated regarding the first mode in terms of obscurity; and it is more eloquent because of the clarity it contains by removing the ambiguity and explaining after concealment."

Abu Hayyan criticized him, stating: "The vague pronoun that is explained and clarified by a tamyiz occurs only in the category of rubba (e.g., rubbahu rajulan laqaytuhu), and in the category of ni‘ma and bi’sa according to the school of the Basrans (e.g., ni‘ma rajulan Zaydun and bi’sa ghulaman ‘Amrun). As for the hal clarifying and explaining a vague [pronoun], we do not know of anyone who subscribed to this. The grammarians have restricted the pronouns that are explained by what follows them, and they did not mention among them the object of ra’a (to see) when it is a pronoun, nor that the hal explains and clarifies the pronoun." Yet, you know the greatness of Jar Allah [Al-Zamakhshari] and his leadership in the Arabic language.

An ‘arid is a cloud that appears on the horizon of the sky. From this is the poet’s saying: "O you who saw a cloud, I stayed awake for it, between the dhira’ (arm) and the jabha (forehead) of the Lion [constellation]." And the saying of Al-A‘sha: "O you who saw a cloud, I spent the night watching it, as if the lightning in its fringes were flames."

“Approaching their valleys” (mustaqbilan awdiyatihim), meaning: heading towards their valleys. Awdiyah is the plural of wadi (valley). The pattern af‘ilah as a plural for a fa‘il noun is irregular, such as nad (assembly) becoming andiyah, and jawazah (for the beam extending at the top of the ceiling) becoming ajwazah.

The genitive construction (idafah) is verbal (lafziyyah), as in His saying: “They said, ‘This is a cloud bringing us rain’” (‘aridun mumtiruna). Therefore, both of them occurred as descriptors for an indefinite noun. Al-Zamakhshari labeled this as metaphorical. The basis of the metaphor is that this genitive construction is for the sake of expansion and ease, as it did not yield any benefit beyond what existed before it. Just as treating an adverbial expression (zarf) as a direct object is metaphorical, so too is treating an object or subject as a genitive construction for the sake of specific attribution. It is not intended to be of the category of genitive construction based on the slightest connection.

“Rather, it is that which you sought to hasten” (bal huwa ma ista‘jaltum bihi), meaning: of the punishment. The discourse implies an elided verb of speech before it, meaning: Hud said, "Rather, it is..." for the address between him and them was established previously. It is supported by the fact that it was recited as such. Some have estimated it as "Say, 'Rather, it is...'" based on the recitation of that as well. The need for this is because it is a disjunctive phrase (idrab), and it is not fitting for it to be from the speech of those who said, “This is a cloud bringing us rain.” Al-Baghawi estimated it as: "Allah said, 'Rather, it is...'" and the noble structure is liberated thereby, as is not hidden. It has been recited as “bal ma ista‘jaltum” (Rather, [it is] what you sought to hasten), meaning: bal huwa ma... (Rather, it is what...). A group recited “istajaltum” with the ta dammah-voweled and the jim kasrah-voweled.

“A wind” (rihun) is a substitute (badal) for “ma” (what) or for “huwa” (it), or it is the predicate of an elided subject, meaning: it is a wind.

“In which is a painful punishment” — a description of “wind” due to it being an indefinite sentence. Likewise is His saying...