Muhammad said: The root of (zukhruf) is gold, then it is applied to ornamentation, light, and decoration. Everything that is adorned is (zukhruf).
"And its people thought that they were capable of it," meaning: they were capable of benefiting from what was in it of crops.
"Our command came to it by night or by day, so We made it a harvest," meaning: what was in it has vanished.
"As if it had not flourished the day before," as if what was in it of standing crops did not exist the day before.
Muhammad said: The meaning is: as if it had not been inhabited the day before. Al-maghani (the flourishing places) are the dwellings, the singular of which is maghna. You say: "I resided in the place" when I have stayed in it.
"Thus do We explain the signs for a people who give thought," He says: He who caused this crop to grow in the barren earth until it became a beautiful crop, then destroyed it after its beauty and splendor, is capable of resurrecting the dead; and only those who give thought accept and understand that.
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: أَصْلُ (الزُّخْرُفِ): الذَّهَبُ، ثُمَّ يُقَالُ لِلنَّقْشِ وَلِلنُّورِ وَالزِّينَةِ، وَكُلِّ شيءٍ زُيِّنَ: زخرفٌ.
﴿وَظَنَّ أَهلهَا أَنهم قادرون عَلَيْهَا﴾ أَيْ: قَادِرُونَ عَلَى الانْتِفَاعِ بِمَا فِيهَا مِنْ زَرْعٍ.
﴿أَتَاهَا أَمْرُنَا لَيْلا أَوْ نَهَارًا فَجَعَلْنَاهَا حَصِيدًا﴾ أَيْ: ذَهَبَ مَا فِيهَا.
﴿كَأَنْ لم تغن بالْأَمْس﴾ كَأَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مَا كَانَ فِيهَا مِنْ زَرْعٍ بِالأَمْسِ قَائِمًا.
قَالَ محمدٌ: الْمَعْنَى: كَأْنَ لَمْ تَكُنْ عَامِرَةٌ بِالأَمْسِ، الْمَغَانِي: الْمَنَازِلُ، وَاحِدُهَا مَغْنَى تَقُولُ: غَنَيْتُ بِالْمَكَانِ؛ إِذَا أَقَمْتُ بِهِ.
﴿كَذَلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَات لقوم يتفكرون﴾ يَقُولُ: فَالَّذِي أَنْبَتَ هَذَا الزَّرْعَ فِي الأَرْضِ الْمَوَاتِ، حَتَّى صَارَ زَرْعًا حَسَنًا، ثُمَّ أَهْلَكَهُ بَعْدَ حُسْنِهِ وَبَهْجَتِهِ قَادِرٌ عَلَى أَنْ يحي الْمَوْتَى، وَإِنَّمَا يَقْبَلُ ذَلِكَ وَيَعْقِلُهُ المتفكرون
