Tafsir of Al-`Ankabut 29:64

{And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement}

In the use of "this" (hādhihi), there is a belittling of the worldly life and a minimization of its significance. How could it not be small when, in His sight, it does not weigh as much as the wing of a mosquito?

He means: Because of its rapid departure from its people and their death leaving it behind, it is nothing but like children playing for an hour, then dispersing.

{And indeed, the home of the Hereafter—that is the [true] life}

Meaning: There is nothing in it but a continuous, permanent, eternal life in which there is no death; it is as if it is, in its very essence, "Life" itself.

Al-ḥayawān (the life) is the verbal noun of ḥayya (to live). Its morphological pattern is ḥayayān, but the second yā’ was changed to a wāw, just as they said ḥaywah (a name for a man). By this, that which contains life is named ḥayawān. They say: "Buy from the mawtān (dead/lifeless property) and do not buy from the ḥayawān (living property)."

In the structure of ḥayawān, there is an added meaning not found in the structure of ḥayāh (life). It is the meaning of movement and agitation inherent in the fa‘alān pattern—like nizwān (leaping), naghaṣān (agitation), and lahabān (flaming), and the like. Life is movement, just as death is stillness. Therefore, its arrival in a pattern that indicates the meaning of movement is an intensification of the meaning of life. For this reason, it was chosen over ḥayāh in this context, which requires intensification.

{If only they knew}

Then they would not have preferred the worldly life over it.

{And when they board the ship, they supplicate to Allah, sincere to Him in religion; but when He delivers them to the land, at once they associate others with Him. So they will deny what We have given them and will enjoy themselves. But they are going to know.}