In this last verse, there is a very strange word - ( أبّ livestock pasture) that has been
the subject of much debate. We will not go into the details and I have only mentioned the meaning of the word after going through the debates and linguistic root. What is the purpose of mentioning different types of plants and fruits? All of these produce different foods. The thing is, for us to merely survive, we do not need these different types of food. If the point was just survival, just a few types of foods, such as grains for example, or the fresh herbage that includes vegetables, just these would
be fine. To really emphasize this point, Allah finishes by mentioning fruits. The word Fākihah at its root literally means to smile.45 Fruits are delicious and their sweetness and amazing taste is enough to make you smile. But for our survival, we really do not need all these different types of foods.
Allah created things that not only ensure our survival, but also give us joy and happiness. Extra things, beyond what we need, for the sake of our enjoyment. Allah made different types of foods, and also made them taste delicious, just so we can enjoy ourselves. This is why he pairs many of these foods, that are often considered luxury, with necessities. Grain is a necessity. Grapes are often considered a luxury fruit and they are often misused for making intoxicants. Allah pairs grapes with fresh herbs inducing vegetables which are a necessary staple more often than not. He then pairs olives with palm trees. Arabs used the palm trees for a variety of purposes. They used the tree as a shade in their houses, They used its trunks as beams and roofs, its branches as walls and leaves as coverings. Everyday tools such as baskets, mats, ropes and containers were made from palm leaves and fiber. Whereas olives were a central part of their diet, with their oil mainly used as a topping on their dishes. Ultimately, all of these things come together in a garden. Allah is pairing what is necessary to survive, with what is extra and provides added luxury and joy. We are not living life just for the sake of it, but actually as a blessing, and Allah provides us the means to survive and to enjoy it as well.
This is how Allah eased and facilitated this life for us as He said earlier in verse 20, by providing us the means to enjoy ourselves in addition to mere survival. Without enjoyment, life would feel forced and prolonged. It wouldn’t matter if you felt miserable as long as you survived. Allah provided us the means to be happy and to enjoy life in addition to ensuring our survival.
ثُمَّ ٱلسَّبِيلَ يَسَّرَهُۥ
Then the path did He ease for him The problem with the ingrate man is that he gets lost in these things that Allah provided to make his life easy and enjoyable. Lost in their sweetness, he closes his eyes and becomes oblivious to all the important things around him. You only live once, so enjoy it, they say. The Qurʾān says, enjoy yourselves yes, but do not get lost in their sweetness to neglect things that actually matter.
The Connection
In verse 17, Allah said:
قُتِلَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مَآ أَكْفَرَهُۥ
May man be killed. How ungrateful/disbelieving is he!
I mentioned before how the word kufr (translated as ungrateful/ disbelieving) actually means sowing seeds. A farmer was literally called a kafir. Inside the human being, there is a seed of goodness that Allah has placed called the Fiṭrah. This has been mentioned in many verses of the Qurʾān:
So set your face to the religion, inclining to the pure faith -- Allah’s original (Fiṭrah) upon which He originated (Fatara - from the same root as Fiṭrah) mankind. There is no changing Allah’s creation. That is the right religion; but most men know it not. (30:30) Man has buried this seed of faith and good that Allah placed inside him - the Fiṭrah. When rain comes from the sky, it makes its way through to the seed which germinates and produces plants. (verse 25) But when revelation comes from the sky, and finds its way to man, his seed does not germinate. This is why Allah first described the whole passage of revelation from the heavens down to the earth in verses 13-16. He contrasted it with rain. Just as rain comes down from the sky, so does revelation. When rain comes down to the earth, it gives it life and makes the dry earth lush and green. Just so, revelation comes down from the sky and it gives life to dead hearts. Allah has already planted the seed inside every human being - the fiṭrah. Now Allah sends down water to make it germinate and grow, but man represses and buries this seed deep inside him, under the mud of sin and transgression against God. Hence, Allah mentions how revelation is elevated, pure and lofty in verse 13-16. Revelation is pure and faultless, men do not respond to it due to faults of their own. The seed is buried deep inside, such that revelation cannot make its way to it due to the piles of mud of sin and disobedience, in its way.
In verse 20, Allah described how He facilitated and made it easy for human beings to follow the correct path of God. He planted the seed inside them, then sent down the water -revelation - to nourish and grow it. As a matter of fact, He poured down this water in torrents as He says in verse 25:
أَنَّا صَبَبْنَا ٱلْمَآءَ صَبًّۭا
At how we poured down water in abundance There is nothing to complain about. The seed is there, there is no shortage of water either, it is pouring down in abundance. Yet look at how ungrateful man is. He has buried that seed deep under the mud of sin, transgression, pride and arrogance, and refuses to let it grow.
قُتِلَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مَآ أَكْفَرَهُۥ
May man be killed. How ungrateful/disbelieving is he!
And grapes and fresh herbage
Commentary covering verses 27–32
In this last verse, there is a very strange word - ( أبّ livestock pasture) that has been
the subject of much debate. We will not go into the details and I have only mentioned the meaning of the word after going through the debates and linguistic root. What is the purpose of mentioning different types of plants and fruits? All of these produce different foods. The thing is, for us to merely survive, we do not need these different types of food. If the point was just survival, just a few types of foods, such as grains for example, or the fresh herbage that includes vegetables, just these would
be fine. To really emphasize this point, Allah finishes by mentioning fruits. The word Fākihah at its root literally means to smile.45 Fruits are delicious and their sweetness and amazing taste is enough to make you smile. But for our survival, we really do not need all these different types of foods.
Allah created things that not only ensure our survival, but also give us joy and happiness. Extra things, beyond what we need, for the sake of our enjoyment. Allah made different types of foods, and also made them taste delicious, just so we can enjoy ourselves. This is why he pairs many of these foods, that are often considered luxury, with necessities. Grain is a necessity. Grapes are often considered a luxury fruit and they are often misused for making intoxicants. Allah pairs grapes with fresh herbs inducing vegetables which are a necessary staple more often than not. He then pairs olives with palm trees. Arabs used the palm trees for a variety of purposes. They used the tree as a shade in their houses, They used its trunks as beams and roofs, its branches as walls and leaves as coverings. Everyday tools such as baskets, mats, ropes and containers were made from palm leaves and fiber. Whereas olives were a central part of their diet, with their oil mainly used as a topping on their dishes. Ultimately, all of these things come together in a garden. Allah is pairing what is necessary to survive, with what is extra and provides added luxury and joy. We are not living life just for the sake of it, but actually as a blessing, and Allah provides us the means to survive and to enjoy it as well.
This is how Allah eased and facilitated this life for us as He said earlier in verse 20, by providing us the means to enjoy ourselves in addition to mere survival. Without enjoyment, life would feel forced and prolonged. It wouldn’t matter if you felt miserable as long as you survived. Allah provided us the means to be happy and to enjoy life in addition to ensuring our survival.
ثُمَّ ٱلسَّبِيلَ يَسَّرَهُۥ
Then the path did He ease for him The problem with the ingrate man is that he gets lost in these things that Allah provided to make his life easy and enjoyable. Lost in their sweetness, he closes his eyes and becomes oblivious to all the important things around him. You only live once, so enjoy it, they say. The Qurʾān says, enjoy yourselves yes, but do not get lost in their sweetness to neglect things that actually matter.
The Connection
In verse 17, Allah said:
قُتِلَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مَآ أَكْفَرَهُۥ
May man be killed. How ungrateful/disbelieving is he!
I mentioned before how the word kufr (translated as ungrateful/ disbelieving) actually means sowing seeds. A farmer was literally called a kafir. Inside the human being, there is a seed of goodness that Allah has placed called the Fiṭrah. This has been mentioned in many verses of the Qurʾān:
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًۭا ۚ فِطْرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
So set your face to the religion, inclining to the pure faith -- Allah’s original (Fiṭrah) upon which He originated (Fatara - from the same root as Fiṭrah) mankind. There is no changing Allah’s creation. That is the right religion; but most men know it not. (30:30) Man has buried this seed of faith and good that Allah placed inside him - the Fiṭrah. When rain comes from the sky, it makes its way through to the seed which germinates and produces plants. (verse 25) But when revelation comes from the sky, and finds its way to man, his seed does not germinate. This is why Allah first described the whole passage of revelation from the heavens down to the earth in verses 13-16. He contrasted it with rain. Just as rain comes down from the sky, so does revelation. When rain comes down to the earth, it gives it life and makes the dry earth lush and green. Just so, revelation comes down from the sky and it gives life to dead hearts. Allah has already planted the seed inside every human being - the fiṭrah. Now Allah sends down water to make it germinate and grow, but man represses and buries this seed deep inside him, under the mud of sin and transgression against God. Hence, Allah mentions how revelation is elevated, pure and lofty in verse 13-16. Revelation is pure and faultless, men do not respond to it due to faults of their own. The seed is buried deep inside, such that revelation cannot make its way to it due to the piles of mud of sin and disobedience, in its way.
In verse 20, Allah described how He facilitated and made it easy for human beings to follow the correct path of God. He planted the seed inside them, then sent down the water -revelation - to nourish and grow it. As a matter of fact, He poured down this water in torrents as He says in verse 25:
أَنَّا صَبَبْنَا ٱلْمَآءَ صَبًّۭا
At how we poured down water in abundance There is nothing to complain about. The seed is there, there is no shortage of water either, it is pouring down in abundance. Yet look at how ungrateful man is. He has buried that seed deep under the mud of sin, transgression, pride and arrogance, and refuses to let it grow.
قُتِلَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مَآ أَكْفَرَهُۥ
May man be killed. How ungrateful/disbelieving is he!
45 Al-Muʿjam al-Ishtiqāqī al-Muʾaṣṣal li-Alfāẓ al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 3, p. 1708