(… وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً) (And it is He who sends down rain from the sky,…): Upon the advancement of science, we learnt that the water which descends from the sky originates from the earth. The seas and aquatic oceans make up three-thirds of the earth and covers an area which is wider than the area of the dry parts. The sun causes the evaporation of water, and when this water vapour reaches a specific level in the atmosphere, it will form clouds. Subsequently, rain will fall, via a delicate and precise mechanism which no one except Allah (swt) knows its true nature.
(… فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ نَبَاتَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ… ) (…and We produce thereby the growth of all things.…): What does this phrase really mean? It means, ‘the plants of every living being you see’, or ‘the plants of everything, even the stones.’ This is because, everything has life.
Why did Allah (swt) say in this verse, (and we produce), instead of (it produces)? The answer: It is due to our belief that when the plants come out, we are the ones who had planted and cultivated them, so we think we are the ones who cause the plants to come out. Thus, Allah (swt) says: (We produce) to indicate that We (i.e., Allah Most High) is the One who created the means in the earth, and so, We caused the plants to come out.
(… فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهُ خَضِرًا… ) (…We produce from it greenery …): Does the word (greenery) in the verse mean the colour green?
The answer: It is the colour green which comes with tenderness. So, to the eyes, it is green in colour, while to the touch, it is tender, due to its freshness. This is what is described as greenery.
(… وَمِنَ النَّخْلِ مِن طَلْعِهَا… ) (…And from the palm trees – of its emerging fruit …): The green casing splits open and from it, the palm shoot comes out. This is the part on which the stalks can be found, upon which the unripe dates will be attached to. Therefore, the (emerging fruit) is the palm’s green casing before it splits open and from which the clusters of dates appear from. It, at times used to refer to the date stalks (which contain the fiber threads, and at times to refer to the fruits themselves, as Allah (swt) says in another verse:
} وَالنَّخْلَ بَاسِقَاتٍ لَّهَا طَلْعٌ نَّضِيدٌ{
(And lofty palm trees having fruit arranged in layers -) (Qaaf: 10)
(… قِنْوَانٌ دَانِيَةٌ… ) (…are clusters hanging low …): Who made them close in this manner? Whereas we find some of them not hanging close. Thus, these are for us to realize that it is Allah (swt) who subjugated these creations.
(… وَجَنَّاتٍ مِّنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ… ) (…And [We produce] gardens of grapevines and olives and pomegranates,…): The word (gardens) means ‘gardens with dense trees which cover whatever is beneath them’. The four types of blessed trees mentioned in this verse are the date palms, the grapevines, the olives and the pomegranates. We can witness how every stalk on the date palm tree has bunches of unripe dates hanging down from them in a wondrous architectural fashion. We see how the grapes are of different colours and type; some sour and some sweet, and some growing in-season and some off-season, whereas the water and soil are of the exact same kind.
(… مُشْتَبِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ… ) (…similar yet varied.…): They are similar but also dissimilar. You will find some in one colour while others in another colour, and their tastes will also differ; some sour and some sweet. This is the reality, whereas all of them are irrigated with the same water.
(… انظُرُوا إِلَىٰ ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَيَنْعِهِ… ) (…Look at [each of] its fruit when it yields and [at] its ripening. …): You will wait for it to ripen in order to pluck it, as its taste differs when its ripe. In addition to this, it is also a beautiful sight to behold. For Allah (swt) has made for you these trees and plants not only for nutrition, but also for you to feast your eyes upon them.
( إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكُمْ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ … ) (…Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe): In everything that has been mentioned (i.e., the signs), there are wondrous proofs for the people who believe in Allah (swt). So, if you wish to believe in Allah (swt), take a look at the effects of His creation. Through these signs that we have passed by in these verses, you will see the amazingness of the design of Allah (swt).