ثُمَّ إِذا شاءَ أَنشَرَهُ

And then, when He wished, resurrected him.

EXEGESIS

Anshara (resurrected) is the fourth verb form of nashara. Nashara means to spread out after being bunched up,^{‎[1]Tahqiq, 12/133, n-sh-r.}
and can be used to describe the spreading of an item of clothing, clouds in the sky, divine blessings, a hadith, or a scroll or a book, like in the verse, When the records [of deeds] are unfolded (nushirat) (81:10).^{‎[2]Raghib, p. 805, n-sh-r.}
Forms one and four (nashara – anshara) can both also be used to intend resurrection, like in the verse, Likewise will be the resurrection (nushūr) (35:9). It can mean the bodies, decomposed and bunched into the earth, will spread again into animate form, or the individuals will come out of the graves and spread out on the plane of the earth.

EXPOSITION

Death is not the end of a person’s existence, but merely a transition. When God decrees it, there shall be a time when all people will be resurrected from their graves in order to continue their journey.

The linkage of resurrection to the divine decree (when He wished) underscores the wisdom governing its appointed time. Since God’s will (mashīʾah) is inseparable from His perfect wisdom (ḥikmah) and omniscience (ʿilm), the timing of resurrection is not arbitrary but rather a manifestation of transcendent divine purpose. It also serves to remind that no one can know or decide the time of resurrection except God.^{‎[3]Nemuneh, 26/141.}
No one can hasten it or delay it. The people question you concerning the hour. Say: ‘Its knowledge is only with Allah.’ What do you know, maybe the hour is near (33:63). The time of reckoning and accounting has already been set and specified in His divine will, Allah’s edict is coming! So do not seek to hasten it (16:1).

Qualifying resurrection to divine will also infuses it with a sense of suddenness.^{‎[4]Mizan, 20/208.}
It will arrive unexpectedly, They question you concerning the hour, when will it set in? Say: ‘Its knowledge is only with my Lord: none except Him shall manifest it at its time. It will weigh heavy on the heavens and the earth. It will not overtake you but suddenly’ (7:187).

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Ālūsī posits that resurrection has been qualified with divine will because its time is not specified and is only subject to divine will, whereas no such qualification was made for death since it has limitations due to limited human lifespan and other natural laws.^{‎[5]Alusi, 15/247.}
This distinction is hard to argue for, since the human lifespan is something that has also been decreed by divine will, and He can and has extended it far beyond its natural limitations for those whom He wills. The divine will clause here is apparently employed not due to metaphysical uniqueness, but to serve a thematic purpose. It reinforces man’s ignorance of eschatological timing, a recurring Quranic refrain.

[1] Tahqiq, 12/133, n-sh-r.
[2] Raghib, p. 805, n-sh-r.
[3] Nemuneh, 26/141.
[4] Mizan, 20/208.
[5] Alusi, 15/247.