Tafsir of Ash-Shura 42:28

"And He is the One who sends down..."

"Qanatu" (they despaired): It is read with both a fatha and a kasra on the nun.

"And spreads His mercy": That is, the blessings of the rain, its benefits, and the fertility that results from it. It is narrated that when it was said to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) during a severe drought, "The people have despaired (qanatu)," he replied, "Now you will be rained upon," intending this verse. It is also possible that he meant His mercy in all things; as if to say: He sends down the mercy which is the rain, and He spreads other aspects of His vast mercy.

"Al-Wali" (The Protector): The One who takes charge of His servants through His benevolence.

"Al-Hamid" (The Praiseworthy): The One who is praised for that; those who obey Him praise Him for it.

"And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and what He has dispersed throughout them of creatures. And He, for gathering them when He wills, is competent."