Tafsir of Al-Hadeed 57:17

Al-Hadid (Iron): Verse 17

"Know that Allah gives life to the earth after it is dead..."

There are two interpretations regarding this:

1. It is a metaphor (tamthīl): The meaning is that hearts hardened by callousness (qasāwah) are like dead earth. Therefore, consistent remembrance (dhikr) is the means by which the life of reverence (khushūʿ) returns to them, just as Allah revives the earth with rain.
2. It refers to the resurrection of the dead: The phrase, "So look at the traces of the mercy of Allah," is intended to encourage submission and humility, and to warn against hardness of heart, by mentioning the resurrection of the dead.

[Then the Almighty said]:

{Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, who give charity to Allah a goodly loan, it will be multiplied for them, and they will have a noble reward.} (Al-Hadid: 18)