Ya-Sin 36:33–36

Commentary

Most of the subjects taken up in Surah Ya Sin related to signs of Divine power and the rewards and favors bestowed on human beings. These have been harnessed to prove that there is a life hereafter and that people need to be firm in their belief in being raised again and having to face the Day of Judgment. In the verse cited above, the Divine signs pointed to are, on one hand, clear proofs of His perfect power, while on the other, they serve as mirrors of particular rewards and favors of Allah Ta’ ala bestowed on human beings and the rest of creatures. In this, lie unusual lessons of wisdom.

In the first verse (33), the land on which we live has been cited as an example. It is there, all the time, before everyone., It is physically seen, when rain come down from the sky and pour water over the dry land, that it is revived by the rain which makes it, so to say, live again. The outcome starts showing up in the form of vegetation, trees and their fruits. Mentioned thereafter were streams that were made to run below the land and on its surface in order to help the trees grow and survive. It was said: لِيَأْكُلُوا مِن ثَمَرِ‌هِ (so that they may eat fruits thereof). In other words, the purpose of harnessing the entire range of the natural forces of winds, clouds and the land is that people get to eat their fruits. All these things can be observed by seeing with one's own eyes. And everyone knows how to do that. Onwards from here, human beings were alerted to something for which this whole universal system was put into place.

Growth of vegetation is not an act of man

It was said: وَمَا عَمِلَتْهُ أَيْدِيهِمْ (wa ma 'amilathu aiydihim: while it was not made by their hands). The majority of commentators have taken the letter: مَا (ma) in this verse for negation which means that 'it was not made by their hands. According to this interpretation, this sentence has a ring of warning given to heedless man: Just think about your job and the labor you put in it. What is your true share in the great blossoming of fruits? Of course, you put the seed in the land, water it, let the earth be soft so that delicate buds sprout without being obstructed by something. But, making a whole tree grow from that tiny seed, having leaves and branches shoot out from it and then commission it to produce all sorts of fruits is something totally different. What is your contribution in all these things?

This is the unshared domain of the one who is absolutely powerful, wise and knowing, and this can only be an act of God. Therefore, human beings are duty-bound to derive benefit out of these things, yet they should never forget the Creator and master of whatever there is. Parallel to this, there is a verse of Surah Waqi'ah where it was said: أَفَرَ‌أَيْتُم مَّا تَحْرُ‌ثُونَ أَأَنتُمْ تَزْرَ‌عُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الزَّارِ‌عُونَ (Well, tell Me about that (seed) which you sow: Is it you who grow it, or are We the One who grows? - 56:63-64). The outcome is: 'Even though human beings do not share in the making of these fruits in any way, yet it was Our grace that We created them, made them the owners of the whole range, as well as taught them the ways of eating and deriving other benefits out of these.'

The particular difference between human and animal food

Ibn Jarir and some other commentators have not taken the letter (مَا) ma in: وَمَا عَمِلَتہُ (wa ma 'amilath) for negation, rather have read it as a relative pronoun in the sense of: الَّذِي (al-ladhi: that which). In that case, this part of verse 35 would come to mean that all these things have been created, so that they eat fruits there from, and also eat that which human hands make, produce or process out of these vegetations and fruits. For example, desserts made from fruit, chutneys and pickles, and the extracts of oil from some fruits are the outcome of human effort and processing. This would come to mean that these fruits created by nature are firstly made edible without any functional human input, then Allah Ta’ ala has given man the ingenuity to prepare all sorts of delicious and useful things from each single kind of fruit.

Thus, creating fruit and giving man the expertise to compound fruit with other ingredients and turn it into a variety of tasteful and useful edibles is yet another blessing from Allah. After having reported this Tafsir of Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir has said that this Tafsir is supported by the phonetic rendering (Qira'ah) of Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Masud ؓ as well because, the word: مِمَّا (mimma) takes the place of: (ma) in his qira'ah, that is: مِمَّا عَمِلَتْهُ أَيْدِيهِمْ (mimma amilathu aidthim: from that which their hands have processed).

Going into a little detail, it can be said that animals too eat vegetation and fruits. Some eat meat. Some others eat soil. But, they all feed on simples. The grass eater eats grass only. The meat eater eats meat only. Preparing different kinds of food by combining a variety of ingredients whereby the addition of salt, chilies, sugar and the sour makes food turn into tens of kinds happens to be the singularity of human beings alone. They alone have been given the ability to put different edibles together and come out with a meal tasting different from the other. This is ingenious. The preparation of meat with salt and seasonings and fruits with sweeteners is a culinary art Allah Ta’ ala has taught human beings to use to their advantage. The text, after recounting the substance and design of these great Divine blessings in these verses, concludes by saying: أَفَلَا يَشْكُرُ‌ونَ afala yashkurun: Would they not then offer gratitude?) which means that even after having seen all these things how is it possible from a reasonable person that he does not be grateful to Allah? Onwards from here, after having mentioned land produce and climate, human beings and animals have been included in the spectrum whereby there appears yet another sign of the absolute Power:

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الْأَرْ‌ضُ وَمِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (Pure is the One who has created all the pairs of whatever the earth grows, and of the humans themselves, and of that which they do not know. - 36:36). Here, the word: أَزْوَاجَ (azwaj) is the plural form of: زَوج (zawj) and means pairs. A pair is two things of the same kind and refers to a couple, or a match of the other. For example, a married man and woman is a pair; hence, each one of them is the zawj of the other. Similarly, males and females of animals are pairs. In the botanical kingdom, many trees have been found as having males and females among them. Date palms and Papaya are common examples. Others may also be like these as is the case with all trees bearing fruits and flowers in which, according to modern scientific information, procreation has been identified. In the same way, it is not improbable if the same arrangement of male and female exists in solids, minerals and other elements of creation, though in a manner not discovered as yet -towards which the text points out in: مِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (mimma la ya` lamun: and from that which they do not know - 36). Generally, commentators refer to: أَزْوَاجَ (azwaj: pairs) as categories and kinds because the way male and female are called pairs, similarly, two contrasting things are also referred to as pairs, like chill and heat, land and water, sorrow and happiness, health and sickness, then, within each of these, many further degrees, categories and kinds come up in terms of high, low and the average. Similarly, there are many categories and kinds in human beings and animals in terms of color, form, language and way of life. The word: أَزْوَاجَ (azwaj: pairs) is inclusive of all these categories and kinds. In the present verse (36), mentioned first is: مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الْأَرْ‌ضُ (all the pairs of whatever the earth grows)- These are the categories and kinds of vegetation. After that, مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ and of the humans themselves,) mentioned there are the categories and kinds of human selves as such. And after that, in: مِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (and from that which they do not know) included there are thousands of such creations as have not yet unfolded before human beings. Allah Ta’ ala alone knows how many categories and kinds of living forms, vegetation and minerals exist under the layers of the earth and in rivers and in mountains.