Al-An'aam 6:95

"Indeed, Allāh is the cleaver of grain and date seeds. He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living. That is Allāh; so how are you deluded?"

Recognizing Allah Through Some of His Ayat

Allah states that He causes the seed grain and the fruit stone to split and sprout in the ground, producing various types, colors, shapes, and tastes of grains and produce. The Ayah,

فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَى

(Who causes the seed grain and the fruit stone to split and sprout.) is explained by the next statement,

يُخْرِجُ الْحَىَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَمُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتِ مِنَ الْحَىِّ

(He brings forth the living from the dead, and it is He Who brings forth the deed from the living.) meaning, He brings the living plant from the seed grain and the fruit stone, which is a lifless and inanimate object. Allah said,

وَءَايَةٌ لَّهُمُ الاٌّرْضُ الْمَيْتَةُ أَحْيَيْنَـهَا وَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهَا حَبّاً فَمِنْهُ يَأْكُلُونَ

(And a sign for them is the dead land. We gave it life, and We brought forth from it grains, so that they eat thereof.) 36:33 until,

وَمِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ

(as well as of their own (human) kind (male and female), and of that which they know not.) 36:36 Allah's statement,

وَيُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَىِّ

(and it is He Who brings forth the dead from the living. ) There are similar expressions in meaning such as, He brings the egg from the chicken, and the opposite. Others said that it means, He brings the wicked offspring from the righteous parent and the opposite, and there are other possible meanings for the Ayah. Allah said,

ذَلِكُـمُ اللَّهُ

(Such is Allah,) meaning, He Who does all this, is Allah, the One and Only without partners,

فَأَنَّى تُؤْفَكُونَ

(then how are you deluded away from the truth) meaning, look how you are deluded from Truth to the falsehood of worshipping others besides Allah. Allah's statement,

فَالِقُ الإِصْبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ الَّيْلَ سَكَناً

((He is the) Cleaver of the daybreak. He has appointed the night for resting,) means, He is the Creator of light and darkness. Allah said in the beginning of the Surah,

وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَـتِ وَالنُّورَ

(And originated the darkness and the light.) Indeed, Allah causes the darkness of the night to disappear and brings forth the day, thus bringing brighteness to the world and light to the horizon, while dissipating darkness and ending the night with its depth of darkness and starting the day with its brightness and light. Allah said,

يُغْشِى الَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا

(He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly.) 7:54 In this Ayah, Allah reminds of His ability to create diversified things in opposites, testifying to His perfect greatness and supreme power. Allah states that He is the Cleaver of the daybreak and mentioned its opposite, when He said,

وَجَعَلَ الَّيْلَ سَكَناً

(He has appointed the night for resting,) meaning, created darkness, in order for the creation to become halt and rest during it. Allah said in other Ayat,

وَالضُّحَى - وَالَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَى

(By the forenoon. And by the night when it is still.) 93:1-2,

وَالَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى - وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّى

(By the night as it envelops. And by the day as it appears in brightness.) 92:1,2 and,

وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّـهَا - وَالَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَـهَا

(And by the day as it shows up (the sun's) brightness. And by the night as it conceals it.) 91:3-4 Allah's statement,

وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ حُسْبَاناً

(...And the sun and the moon for reckoning.) means, the sun and the moon have specific orbits, according to a term appointed with magnificent precision that never changes or alters. Both the sun and the moon have distinct positions that they assume in summer and winter, effecting changes in the length of night and day. Allah said in other Ayat,

هُوَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَآءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُوراً وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ

(It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and the Moon as a light and measured out stages for it.) 10:5,

لاَ الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِى لَهَآ أَن تدْرِكَ القَمَرَ وَلاَ الَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ وَكُلٌّ فِى فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ

(It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit.) 36:40, And,

وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ

(The sun and the moon; and the stars are subjected by His command.) 16:12 Allah's statement,

ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

(Such is the measuring of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.) means, all of this occurs according to the decree and due measurement of the Almighty Who is never resisted or contradicted. He is the Knower of all things and nothing ever escapes His knowledge, not even the weight of an atom on earth or in heavens. Allah often mentions the creation of the night, the day, the sun and the moon and then ends His Speech by mentioning His attributes of power and knowledge, as in this Ayah above 6:96, and in His statement,

وَءَايَةٌ لَّهُمُ الَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ - وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِى لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَـا ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

(And a sign for them is the night, We withdraw therefrom the day, and behold, they are in darkness. And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term. That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.) 36:37-38 In the beginning of Surat Ha-Mim As-Sajdah, after mentioning the creation of the heavens and earth and all that is in them, Allah said:

وَزَيَّنَّا السَّمَآءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَـبِيحَ وَحِفْظاً ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

(And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to guard. Such is the decree of Him, the Almighty, the All-Knower.) 41:12 Allah said next,

وَهُوَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ النُّجُومَ لِتَهْتَدُواْ بِهَا فِى ظُلُمَـتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ

(It is He Who has set the stars for you, so that you may guide your course with their help through the darkness of the land and the sea.) Some of the Salaf said; Whoever believes in other than three things about these stars, then he has made a mistake, and lied against Allah. Indeed Allah made them as decorations for the heavens, and to shoot at the Shayatin, and for directions in the dark recesses of the land and sea. Then, Allah said,

قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الآيَـتِ

(We have explained in detail Our Ayat.) meaning, We made them clear and plain,

لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ

(for people who know. ) who have sound minds and are able to recognize the truth and avoid falsehood.

وَهُوَ الَّذِى أَنشَأَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ فَمُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمُسْتَوْدَعٌ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الاٌّيَـتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَفْقَهُونَ

Всевышний поведал о Своем совершенстве, величии Своей власти, безграничности Своего могущества, необъятности Своего милосердия, Своем всеобъемлющем великодушии и заботливом отношении к творениям. Аллах заставляет раскрываться зерна и косточки. Это относится ко всем семенам, которые сажают люди и которые Аллах разбрасывает по степям и пустыням. Он заставляет раскрываться и прорастать семена злаков и других растений, относящихся к разным видам, имеющих разный облик и приносящих всевозможную пользу. Он заставляет раскрываться косточки финиковых пальм и других фруктовых деревьев. Это приносит огромную пользу людям, домашней скотине и всем остальным животным, которые наслаждаются тем, что вырастает из зерен и косточек. Они употребляют в пищу их плоды и извлекают из них всевозможную пользу в соответствии с установлением Аллаха. Так Он показывает им проявления Своей щедрости и добродетели, которые поражают умы и восхищают благоразумных мужей. Он показывает им Свои совершенные способности и Свою безграничную мудрость, благодаря чему они получают возможность познать Его и поклоняться одному Ему. Они убеждаются в том, что Он - Истинный Бог, тогда как поклонение всем остальным божествам лживо и бесполезно. Аллах превращает мертвое в живое, когда создает из капли семени живое существо, из яйца - курицу, а из зерен и косточек - злаки и деревья. Он превращает живое в мертвое, когда создает косточки и зерна в колосьях и на деревьях и заставляет кур нести яйца. Под мертвым здесь подразумевается все, что неспособно расти и не обладает душой. Аллах один создает эти творения и управляет ими. Он - Господь, поклоняться Которому обязаны все творения. Он заботится о мирах, одаряет их щедротами и кормит их по Своей милости. До чего же обмануты те, которые уклоняются от поклонения одному Аллаху, обладающему этими совершенными качествами, и поклоняются тем, кто не способен принести пользу или причинить вред, кто не распоряжается ни жизнью, ни смертью, ни воскрешением?!!

Commentary

Mentioned in the previous verses was how obstinate and unmindful of consequences the disbelievers and polytheists were. Since such evils are caused when people remain unaware of Allah and His unmatched knowledge and power, the present four verses provide the antidote. Here, Allah Ta’ ala cites some samples of His Knowledge and Power, and of blessings and favours bestowed on human beings, a little reflection in which would make every sensible person admit that feats of such magnitude cannot be accomplished by any power other than that of Almighty Allah.

In the first verse (95), it was said: إِنَّ اللَّـهَ فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ (Surely, Allah is the one who splits the seed and the pit). Pointed to here is a marvel of creation. Splitting a dry seed and pit and bringing out from it a living green tree is the act of that Most Sacred Being who is the Creator of the Universe. Human input has nothing to do with it. The most a farmer can do is to remove impediments or things harmful away from the growth path of the tender bud or shoot rising from inside the seed or pit, a tribute to the great power of the Creator. Of course, there are processes of ploughing, cleaning, softening, leveling, fertilizing and watering of land - but, the maximum these efforts can achieve is to make sure that the tender newcomer has to face no hurdle on its way up. The rest of the job, the real job, that the seed and pit split, that a bud or shoot sprout out from it, that come leaves of many wonderful kinds and colour, that come flowers and fruits (of mindboggling colours, varieties, smells and tastes), is a job taken care of by someone else. This is art and power alive which no human ingenuity can even come close to by making one leaf, one petal in that manner. Therefore, at another place in the Qur'an, it was said: أَفَرَ‌أَيْتُم مَّا تَحْرُ‌ثُونَ ﴿63﴾ أَأَنتُمْ تَزْرَ‌عُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الزَّارِ‌عُونَ ﴿64﴾ that is, ` Do you see the seed that you sow? Do you make it grow, or are We the One who makes it grow [ the real Creator to whom its growth has to be attributed ]? - 56-63.'

Then, it was said: يُخْرِ‌جُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَمُخْرِ‌جُ الْمَيِّتِ مِنَ الْحَيِّ (He brings forth the living from the dead, and He is the one who brings forth the dead from the living). The ` dead' or lifeless refers to cell or egg which serves to create human and animal life forms. Similarly, the expression: ` dead from the living' refers to the same cell or egg which issues forth from the living.

After that, it was said: ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّـهُ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ (That is Allah. Whereto, then, are you straying away?). In other words, the sense is that all these things have been done by Allah Ta` ala alone, yet here you are knowlingly straying away to strange directions, such as, taking self-carved idols as your removers of difficulties and fulfillers of needs and thus the objects of your worship.

Other English translations

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Recognizing Allah Through Some of His Ayat