Tafsir of Al-Qiyamah 75:29

"And the leg is intertwined with the leg" means his leg becomes intertwined and wrapped around his other leg due to the terror of death and his agitation, as has been narrated from Al-Sha'bi, Qatadah, and Abu Malik.

Al-Hasan and Ibn al-Musayyib said: It refers to the legs of the deceased when they are wrapped in the shroud.

It is said that the meaning of their intertwining is the conclusion of their state and what is intended for them—that is, their death.

It is also said that it refers to their meeting with death and the inability of one to move away from the other, as if they were wrapped together. This happens when the soul departs from them, causing them to grow cold and stiffen before the rest of the body parts. In this case, "the leg" is in its literal sense, and the alif-lam (the definite article) refers to the previously known entity (the legs of the deceased) or acts as a substitute for the possessive pronoun.

Ibn Abbas, Al-Rabi' ibn Anas, and Isma'il ibn Abi Khalid—and this is also a narration from Al-Hasan—said: "It intertwined" means the intensity of departing from this world became intertwined with the intensity of approaching the Hereafter; the two became mixed. Similar to this is the statement of 'Ata: There gathered upon him the intensity of departing from what he was accustomed to—homeland, family, children, and friends—and the intensity of arriving at a matter whose nature he does not know, nor what he is advancing toward. Thus, "the leg" is a metaphor for intensity, and this is a proverb for that; the definite article is for reference to a known context.

'Abd ibn Humayd and Ibn Jarir narrated from Al-Dahhak: The legs of those present—both humans and angels—became intertwined. The former prepare his body for the grave, and the latter prepare his soul for the heavens. Because of the difference in their departures, arrivals, and movement in these tasks, their legs became intertwined. This intertwining is like the clashing of spearheads.