For grains and Nabāt to come out of the earth, the seed has to be already present inside it. Allah mentioned it when He said:
أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِهَٰدًۭا
Have We not made the earth a soft cradle?
As explained there, what is meant by the earth being soft is the fact that it can be dug up to plant seeds inside it. The natural progression of the passage is as such:
Have We not made the earth a soft cradle? The mountains as stakes? And sent down from rain clouds pouring water? So, We may bring out, by it, grain and soft plants. And dense, intertwined gardens?
The sentences
And created you as pairs? And made your sleep - a cessation of consciousness? And made the night a clothing? And made the day a means of livelihood? And constructed above you, seven strong creations? And made a blazing lamp?
are advanced and foregrounded. The natural flow would have been to add the second passage after the first one. To understand what is going on in this passage, we need to consider the whole picture and pay attention to the word in the last verse - ‘ intertwined.’
Life and vegetation appearing out of earth is not a simple one-off sudden event. Rather, it is the result of successive events, all tied and intertwined with each other. Step A leads to step B which leads to step C and so on, until we get life and vegetation out of the earth. It is not a random sudden appearance, but the result of an orderly cycle. This is why the use of the word ‘intertwined’ is important. Allah could have just said, He brought out gardens, or even dense gardens; but the word He uses means extremely dense gardens whose trees are intertwined with each other. He does not merely say gardens, but intertwined gardens, to show that life reaches its peak not in isolated growth, but in dense, interconnected systems where everything wraps into everything else, completing the journey from hidden seed to fully integrated life. Just as the final result of all this is intertwined with each other, so are all the steps leading to it intertwined and connected with each other. The result matches the process. Allah applies the same phenomenon onto humans and life in general. It is all intertwined and connected with each. The male and female connect and intertwine with each other to produce new life. Just as rainwater impregnates the earth, the male impregnates the female. Allah called the night a clothing, something that hides. Just as our clothes hide and cover our bodies, so does the darkness of the night cover us as a whole. This veil of darkness descends and covers everything in darkness.
What happens with the grain? Allah says He brings out the grain and nabāt by means of rainwater. Which means the grain is previously there but hidden inside the earth. The water nourishes it which enables it to start producing the plant. Just as the night covers us in darkness, so does the earth cover the seed under it in darkness. Just as rainwater brings the grain, plants and hence life itself, out of the earth, and into the open, so does the day bring out life by bringing out people into the open, to
earn their livelihood and makes them visible. Life is truly seen in the day, not at night. This is why earlier, I translated معاش as both the time of life and life itself.
And created above you seven strong creations - The seven strong and intense heavens are contrasted with the soft earth. Allah pairs everything together with its zawj. Just as everything inside and on the earth has a zawj, the earth itself has a zawj as well, the
seven strong and intense heavens. This is why Allah, instead of saying seven heavens, says seven strong creations because earlier, he had called the earth soft. Just as the male and the female, day and the night, are intertwined with each other and work in harmony, so does the earth work in harmony with the heavens, to form a complete and working system.
So the soft earth is paired with the strong heavens, the man with the woman, and the day with the night.
This leaves behind two things. Sleep and the burning lamp; they both do not have a pair attached to them, and this is how Allah answers them.
Since everything has been described as a pair, the male with the female, the night with the day, the earth with the heaven, you can quite easily figure out the zawj of sleep yourself. Recall that Allah called sleep Subāt- something that causes the loss of consciousness - death itself. Sleep is the sister of death. Think of it like a mini death. You yourselves can easily answer what is the zawj of sleep can you not? It is waking up. It is coming back to life. The same is the case with death. You will wake up after it.
This is why Allah did not even specify what they were arguing about, and just called it the great hidden reality. It is easy to know what comes after sleep. It is easy to know what they were arguing about. It carries this theme of the answer being extremely obvious and easy to know. I do not even need to tell you what they are arguing about, just as I do not need to tell you what follows loss of consciousness; because the answer is so obvious. This is why Allah expressed wonder at their disagreement over this subject in verse 3.
Now why did He not mention any zawj of the sun?
The zawj is implied by the context and you can easily come to know its conclusion. It is the moon which, unlike the sun, only receives light and reflects it. Now the question is why do this? Why not mention the zawj of the sun even if it is obvious? Recall that daytime was called life itself. What makes the day, day? The sun. It is the rising of the sun that starts the day and its setting that ends it. When Allah described the soft earth, He mentioned sleep - the sister of death - and did not mention its zawj. When Allah mentioned the seven strong heavens, He described the sun - a source of
life - and did not mention its zawj. The distinguishing feature of the earth is death, while that of the heavens, is life. Even the life you see on earth is because of the heavens.
This is why He mentions rain right after the burning lamp. Rain comes down from above and bestows life, to seeds hidden beneath the earth. In the same manner, will Allah’s command come from above and bestow life to the dead bodies buried and hidden inside the earth. He associates the earth with death, and the heavens with life. The heavens are the source of life on earth. We are given life by Allah. Earth is given life from above, from rain. Hearts are given life from above, from revelation. Recall that earlier Allah had said that they will gain the knowledge of the truthfulness of this great event, of judgment day and life after death two times. This was the first time where Allah establishes proof for someone who is sincere, but for the one who still rejects, He has prepared a second event to make him certain of the truth. Imagine a student not paying proper attention to his studies, and indulging in useless past times. First, his professor advises him sincerely to change his behaviour and become serious about studies but he ignores it. After seeing the student carrying on in his behavior, the professor says to him, ‘When you fail the exams and are left stuck in life, then will you come to know.’ Same is the case here. Allah first answers them sincerely. Then, for the one who still rejects it and carries on in his stupidity, Allah says you will come to know when judgment day itself comes.
And dense, intertwined gardens
Notice the word intertwined.
Now take a step back.
For grains and Nabāt to come out of the earth, the seed has to be already present inside it. Allah mentioned it when He said:
أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِهَٰدًۭا
Have We not made the earth a soft cradle?
As explained there, what is meant by the earth being soft is the fact that it can be dug up to plant seeds inside it. The natural progression of the passage is as such:
Have We not made the earth a soft cradle? The mountains as stakes? And sent down from rain clouds pouring water? So, We may bring out, by it, grain and soft plants. And dense, intertwined gardens?
The sentences
And created you as pairs? And made your sleep - a cessation of consciousness? And made the night a clothing? And made the day a means of livelihood? And constructed above you, seven strong creations? And made a blazing lamp?
are advanced and foregrounded. The natural flow would have been to add the second passage after the first one. To understand what is going on in this passage, we need to consider the whole picture and pay attention to the word in the last verse - ‘ intertwined.’
Life and vegetation appearing out of earth is not a simple one-off sudden event. Rather, it is the result of successive events, all tied and intertwined with each other. Step A leads to step B which leads to step C and so on, until we get life and vegetation out of the earth. It is not a random sudden appearance, but the result of an orderly cycle. This is why the use of the word ‘intertwined’ is important. Allah could have just said, He brought out gardens, or even dense gardens; but the word He uses means extremely dense gardens whose trees are intertwined with each other. He does not merely say gardens, but intertwined gardens, to show that life reaches its peak not in isolated growth, but in dense, interconnected systems where everything wraps into everything else, completing the journey from hidden seed to fully integrated life. Just as the final result of all this is intertwined with each other, so are all the steps leading to it intertwined and connected with each other. The result matches the process. Allah applies the same phenomenon onto humans and life in general. It is all intertwined and connected with each. The male and female connect and intertwine with each other to produce new life. Just as rainwater impregnates the earth, the male impregnates the female. Allah called the night a clothing, something that hides. Just as our clothes hide and cover our bodies, so does the darkness of the night cover us as a whole. This veil of darkness descends and covers everything in darkness.
What happens with the grain? Allah says He brings out the grain and nabāt by means of rainwater. Which means the grain is previously there but hidden inside the earth. The water nourishes it which enables it to start producing the plant. Just as the night covers us in darkness, so does the earth cover the seed under it in darkness. Just as rainwater brings the grain, plants and hence life itself, out of the earth, and into the open, so does the day bring out life by bringing out people into the open, to
earn their livelihood and makes them visible. Life is truly seen in the day, not at night. This is why earlier, I translated معاش as both the time of life and life itself.
And created above you seven strong creations - The seven strong and intense heavens are contrasted with the soft earth. Allah pairs everything together with its zawj. Just as everything inside and on the earth has a zawj, the earth itself has a zawj as well, the
seven strong and intense heavens. This is why Allah, instead of saying seven heavens, says seven strong creations because earlier, he had called the earth soft. Just as the male and the female, day and the night, are intertwined with each other and work in harmony, so does the earth work in harmony with the heavens, to form a complete and working system.
So the soft earth is paired with the strong heavens, the man with the woman, and the day with the night.
This leaves behind two things. Sleep and the burning lamp; they both do not have a pair attached to them, and this is how Allah answers them.
Since everything has been described as a pair, the male with the female, the night with the day, the earth with the heaven, you can quite easily figure out the zawj of sleep yourself. Recall that Allah called sleep Subāt- something that causes the loss of consciousness - death itself. Sleep is the sister of death. Think of it like a mini death. You yourselves can easily answer what is the zawj of sleep can you not? It is waking up. It is coming back to life. The same is the case with death. You will wake up after it.
This is why Allah did not even specify what they were arguing about, and just called it the great hidden reality. It is easy to know what comes after sleep. It is easy to know what they were arguing about. It carries this theme of the answer being extremely obvious and easy to know. I do not even need to tell you what they are arguing about, just as I do not need to tell you what follows loss of consciousness; because the answer is so obvious. This is why Allah expressed wonder at their disagreement over this subject in verse 3.
Now why did He not mention any zawj of the sun?
The zawj is implied by the context and you can easily come to know its conclusion. It is the moon which, unlike the sun, only receives light and reflects it. Now the question is why do this? Why not mention the zawj of the sun even if it is obvious? Recall that daytime was called life itself. What makes the day, day? The sun. It is the rising of the sun that starts the day and its setting that ends it. When Allah described the soft earth, He mentioned sleep - the sister of death - and did not mention its zawj. When Allah mentioned the seven strong heavens, He described the sun - a source of
life - and did not mention its zawj. The distinguishing feature of the earth is death, while that of the heavens, is life. Even the life you see on earth is because of the heavens.
This is why He mentions rain right after the burning lamp. Rain comes down from above and bestows life, to seeds hidden beneath the earth. In the same manner, will Allah’s command come from above and bestow life to the dead bodies buried and hidden inside the earth. He associates the earth with death, and the heavens with life. The heavens are the source of life on earth. We are given life by Allah. Earth is given life from above, from rain. Hearts are given life from above, from revelation. Recall that earlier Allah had said that they will gain the knowledge of the truthfulness of this great event, of judgment day and life after death two times. This was the first time where Allah establishes proof for someone who is sincere, but for the one who still rejects, He has prepared a second event to make him certain of the truth. Imagine a student not paying proper attention to his studies, and indulging in useless past times. First, his professor advises him sincerely to change his behaviour and become serious about studies but he ignores it. After seeing the student carrying on in his behavior, the professor says to him, ‘When you fail the exams and are left stuck in life, then will you come to know.’ Same is the case here. Allah first answers them sincerely. Then, for the one who still rejects it and carries on in his stupidity, Allah says you will come to know when judgment day itself comes.