His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "And He is the One who sends the winds as good tidings before His mercy, until when they have carried heavy clouds, We drive them to a dead land and send down water upon it, and bring forth thereby fruits of all kinds. Thus We bring forth the dead, perhaps you will remember." "And the good land produces its vegetation by the permission of its Lord, and that which is bad does not produce except for hardship. Thus We diversify the signs for a people who give thanks."

This is a verse of reflection and reasoning; and Nafi' and Abu 'Amr read: "the winds" in the plural; "as good tidings" with the noon pronounced; and the sheen. Abu Hatim said: This is the reading of Al-Hasan, Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, and Abu Rija'. The A'rj and Abu Ja'far, and 'Isa ibn 'Umar, and Abu Yahya, and Abu Nufal the two Arabs differed from them; and Ibn Kathir read: "the wind" in the singular; "as good tidings" with the noon pronounced as well; and Ibn 'Amir read: "the winds" in the plural; "as good tidings" with the noon pronounced and the sheen silent. Abu Hatim said: This was narrated from Al-Hasan, Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, Abu Rija', Qatadah, and Abu 'Amr. Hamzah and Al-Kisai read: "the wind" in the singular; "as good tidings" with the noon opened and the sheen silent. Abu Hatim said: This is the reading of Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn 'Abbas, Zirr ibn Hubaysh, Ibn Wathab, Ibrahim, Talhah, Al-A'mash, and Masruq ibn al-Ajdah. Ibn Jinni read the reading of Masruq: "as good tidings" with the noon opened and the sheen. 'Asim read: "the winds" in the plural; "as good tidings" with the ba' pronounced; and the sheen silent; and it was narrated from him: "as good tidings" with the ba' and sheen pronounced. This was read by Ibn 'Abbas, Al-Sulami, and Ibn Abi 'Ablah. Muhammad ibn al-Samif' and Abu Qutaybah read: "as good tidings" in the form of "Fu'la" with the ba' pronounced; and it was narrated from Abu Yahya and Abu Nufal. Abu 'Abd al-Rahman Al-Sulami read: "as good tidings" with the ba' opened and the sheen silent. Al-Zahrawi said: This was narrated from 'Asim.

Whoever reads "the winds" in this verse is more fortunate; because "the winds" wherever it occurs in the Qur'an is associated with mercy, as in His saying: "And among His signs is that He sends the winds as bearers of good tidings" [Ar-Rum: 46]; and His saying: "And We sent the winds as fertilizing" [Al-Hijr: 22]; and His saying: "Allah is the One who sends the winds, and they stir up clouds" [Ar-Rum: 48]. Most mentions of "the wind" in the singular are indeed in the context of punishment, as in His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "And in 'Aad when We sent upon them the barren wind" [Adh-Dhariyat: 41]; and His saying: "And as for 'Aad, they were destroyed by a fierce, violent wind" [Al-Haaqqa: 6]; and His saying - blessed and exalted is He -: "But it is what you hastened for, a wind in which is a painful punishment" [Al-Ahqaf: 24] "destroying everything by the command of its Lord" [Al-Ahqaf: 25]. This approach was taken by Yahya ibn Ya'mur, Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala, and 'Asim. In the hadith, "When the wind would blow, the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - would say: 'O Allah, make it a wind of mercy and do not make it a wind of punishment.'"

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: The meaning in all of this is clear; and that is because the wind of the rain and the water is indeed widespread; gentle; coming from here and there; and it disperses; so it is appropriate, as it is separated parts differing in direction, to be called "winds"; and it is described by abundance; as for "the wind of the violent storm and punishment"; it is a fierce, howling wind; a single body; severe in its bitterness; destructive in its strength; and by what it sometimes carries of the burning cold; so it is appropriate, as it is severe in connection, to be called "a wind"; singular; and likewise, the wind is singled out in His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "And they sailed with them by a good wind" [Yunus: 22]; as for the sailing of the ships; it indeed sails with a connected wind; as if it is a single thing; so it was singled out for that; and it was described as good; to remove the sharing between it and the disliked wind; and likewise the wind of Solomon - peace be upon him -; it indeed was blowing by his command; or it was raging in his fields; and it is connected; and after that.. whoever reads in this verse: "the wind"; in the singular; he indeed means by it the name of the genus; and also, the specification with "good news" removes the sharing.

And the sending in the wind is in the meaning of the flow; and the release; and the sending; and from it is the hadith: "Indeed, the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - is more generous with good than the sent wind"; and the wind is gathered - in the few - as "souls"; and in the many as "winds"; because the letter 'ain from "the wind"; the waw changed in the singular to a ya due to the kasra that precedes it; and likewise in the many; and it is correct in the few because there is nothing in it that necessitates the weakening.

As for "nushuran"; with the noon being pronounced with a damma; and the sheen; it is possible that it is the plural of "nashir"; in the sense of "having spread"; from "the good"; or "nushurun"; from "life"; and it is possible that "nushuran"; is the plural of "nashur"; with the noon being opened; and the sheen being pronounced with a damma; like "rasul"; and "rusul"; and "sabr"; and "sabr"; and "shakur" and "shukur"; and it is possible that "nushuran"; is like the passive participle meaning "manshur"; like "rakub"; meaning "markub"; and it is possible that it is from the structures of the active participle; because they spread the clouds; and as for the example of the first in our saying: "nashir"; and "nushur"; like "shahid"; and "shuhud"; and "nazil"; and "nuzul"; as the poet said:

................... ∗∗∗ Or you descend, for we are a group that descends.

And "qatil"; and "qutul"; and from it is the saying of Al-A'sha:

.................. ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ Indeed, we for your likes, O our people, are killed.

And as for whoever reads: "nushran"; with the noon being pronounced with a damma; and the sheen being silent; he indeed lightened the sheen from his saying: "nushuran"; and as for whoever reads: "nashran"; with the noon being opened; and the sheen being silent; it is a source in the place of the state of the wind; and it is possible in meaning that it is intended by it "the spreading"; which is the opposite of the good; and all the remaining of the wind without blowing is a good; and it is possible that it is from "the spreading"; which is the revival; as Al-A'sha said:

.................... ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ O wonder for the dead who spreads.

As for the one who reads: "nashran"; with the opening of the noon and the sheen - and this is a rare reading - it is a name; and it is based on the lineage; Abu al-Fath said: meaning "the ones with nashr"; and "al-nashr" is when the sheep spread out at night to graze; he likened the clouds in their spreading and abundance to that.

As for: "bushran"; with the damming of the baa and the sheen; it is the plural of "baseer"; like "nazeer"; and "nuzur"; and "bushran"; with the sheen being silent; is a lighter form of it; and "bashran"; with the opening of the baa; and the sheen being silent; is a source; and "bushra"; is also a source; in the position of a state; and the mercy in this verse is: the rain; and "bayna yaday"; meaning: in front of His mercy; and before it; and here it is a metaphor; and it is a reality in what is before a person from the celestial bodies.

And "aqallat"; its meaning is: it raised from the ground; and it became independent with it; and from it is "al-qillah"; and it is as if the one who is independent sees what he raises as little; if he is able to do so; and "thiqalan"; its meaning is: from the water; and the Arabs describe the clouds as heavy and dalh; and from it is the saying of Qays ibn al-Khatheem:

"Better than it is no cloud That reveals its contents."

And the wind drives the clouds from behind it; so it is a true driving; and the pronoun in "suqnah"; refers back to the clouds; and the action is attributed to the pronoun of the name of Allah, the Exalted; in that it is a favor; and the description of the land with death is a metaphor due to its desolation; and its drought; and the withering of its vegetation; and Abu Amr; and Asim; and al-A'mash read: "li baladin mayyitin"; with the ya being silent; and the others emphasized it; and the pronoun in His saying, the Exalted: "So We sent down with it"; it is possible that it returns to the clouds; meaning: from it; and it is possible that it returns to the land; and it is possible that it returns to the water; and this is the most apparent.

And Al-Suddi said, in the interpretation of this verse: Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, sends the winds which bring the clouds from between the two horizons; the ends of the sky and the earth; where they meet; and it brings it from there; then it spreads it; and it stretches it in the sky; then it opens the doors of the sky; and the water flows upon the clouds; then the clouds rain after that.

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this detail has not been established from the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him.

And His saying - blessed and exalted is He -: ﴿Thus We bring forth the dead﴾; it has two possible meanings: one of them is that it is intended: like this great ability in bringing down water; and bringing forth fruits from the barren earth; this is the ability to revive the dead from their graves; and this is an example of it; and it is possible that it is meant that this is how the dead are treated; by the rain descending upon them; until they come to life by it; so the words would be a report; not a parable; and this interpretation is based on the hadith mentioned by al-Tabari from Abu Huraira - may Allah be pleased with him - that "when people die in the first blowing of the trumpet, rain will fall upon them from water beneath the Throne; which is called: 'the water of life'; for forty years; and they will grow as plants grow; and when their bodies are complete, the spirit will be blown into them; then they will be given a sleep and they will sleep; and when the second trumpet is blown, they will rise while they find the taste of sleep; and they will say: Woe to us; who has raised us from our resting place? Then the caller will call to them: ﴿This is what the Most Merciful promised, and the messengers spoke the truth﴾ [Ya-Sin: 52]."

And His saying - exalted is He -: ﴿And the good land, its vegetation comes forth﴾; is a verse that completes the meaning of the first verse before it; defining the habit of Allah - blessed and exalted is He - in causing the earths to grow; so whoever wants to make it an example for the heart of the believer; and the heart of the disbeliever; all of that is arranged; but the words of the verse do not necessitate that the example is intended by that; and the comparison by that was narrated by al-Tabari from Ibn Abbas; and Mujahid and Qatadah and al-Suddi; and al-Nuhas said: it is an example for the understanding one; and for the dull one; and "the good"; is the good soil; the noble land; and it is specifically mentioned with the permission of its Lord as praise; and honor; and this is as you say to someone you are dismissing: "You are as Allah willed"; so it is a phrase that gives exaggeration in praise; or blame; and from this is His saying - blessed and exalted is He -: ﴿So for him is what has passed and his affair is with Allah﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 275]; according to some interpretations; and "the vile"; is the foul; and similar to it from the bad land; and Ibn Abi Abla; and Abu Haywah; and Isa ibn Umar read: "its vegetation comes forth"; with the ya being pronounced; and the ra being broken; and the ta being in the accusative; and "the scant"; is the difficult little; and from it is the saying of the poet:

Do not fulfill the promise if you promised, and if you gave, you gave something trivial and scant.

And "the man was scant"; if he asked insistently and was embarrassed; and from it is the saying of the poet:

And give what you have given generously; there is no good in the scant and the stingy.

And the majority of people; and all of the seven reciters read: "scant"; with the opening of the nun; and the breaking of the kaf; and Talhah ibn Musarif read: "scant"; with the softening of the kaf; and the opening of the nun; and Abu Ja'far ibn al-Qaqa' read: "scant"; with the opening of the nun; and the kaf; and al-Zajjaj said: this is the reading of the people of Medina.

﴿Thus We explain the verses﴾; meaning: thus We clarify the matters; and "they give thanks"; its meaning is: they believe in the blessings of Allah, the Exalted; and they praise.