Surah 95. At-Tin

---

Verses [Section]: 1-8[1]

---

Quran Text of Verse 1-895. At-Tin Page 59795. At-Tinبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِوَ التِّیْنِBy the figوَ الزَّیْتُوْنِۙand the olive وَ طُوْرِAnd (the) MountسِیْنِیْنَۙSinai وَ هٰذَاAnd thisالْبَلَدِ[the] cityالْاَمِیْنِۙ[the] secure لَقَدْIndeedخَلَقْنَاWe createdالْاِنْسَانَmanفِیْۤinاَحْسَنِ(the) bestتَقْوِیْمٍؗmould ثُمَّThenرَدَدْنٰهُWe return himاَسْفَلَ(to the) lowestسٰفِلِیْنَۙ(of the) low اِلَّاExceptالَّذِیْنَthose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveوَ عَمِلُواand doالصّٰلِحٰتِrighteous deedsفَلَهُمْthen for themاَجْرٌ(is a) rewardغَیْرُneverمَمْنُوْنٍؕending فَمَاThen whatیُكَذِّبُكَcauses you to denyبَعْدُafter (this)بِالدِّیْنِؕthe judgment اَلَیْسَIs notاللّٰهُAllahبِاَحْكَمِ(the) Most Justالْحٰكِمِیْنَ۠(of) the Judges

---

Translation of Verse 1-8In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(95:1) By the fig and the olive;¹

(95:2) and by the Mount Sinai,²

(95:3) and by this city (of Makkah), a haven of peace:

(95:4) surely We created man in the best mould;³

(95:5) then We reverted him to the lowest of the low,⁴

(95:6) except those who have faith and do righteous deeds. Theirs is a never ending reward.⁵

(95:7) Who, then, can give the lie to you, (O Prophet), about the Reward and the Punishment?⁶

(95:8) Is not Allah the Greatest of all sovereigns?⁷

---

Commentary

1. The oath “by the fig and by the olive” has been variously interpreted by Qur’anic scholars. In the opinion of Hasan Basri, ‘Ikrimah, ‘Ata’ ibn Abi Rabah, Jabir ibn Zayd, Mujahid and Ibrahim Nakha’‘i, the reference is to an ordinary fig and ordinary olive, common edible fruits. Ibn Abi Hatim and Hakim endorse Ibn ‘Abbas with the same view. Those Qur’anic scholars who endorse the above stance have discussed at length the benefits accruing from the fig and the olive in order to assert that Allah mentioned these two in view of their many properties. An Arab may no doubt, take the above oath literally and relate-it to these common food items. However, such a simplistic view is not sound on these two grounds: (i) This oath is followed in the next verse by oaths in the name of Mount Sinai and the city of Makkah. Apparently, there is no correspondence between the oaths for two fruits and two places. The theme broached later is, no doubt, linked with Mount Sinai and Makkah, but not with these two fruits. It is worth stating that the Qur’anic oaths are not with reference to the glory or benefit of something. Rather, these are related invariably, in all instances, with the themes that follow the oaths. Therefore, the benefits of — these two fruits are beside the point.

Some Qur’anic scholars interpret the fig and the olive as pointers to certain places. For example, Ka’b al-Ahbar, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd associate the fig with Damascus and the olive with Jerusalem. Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Marduwayh ascribe to Ibn ‘Abbas the view that the fig stands for the Prophet Noah’s mosque which he had erected at Mount Judi, and the olive for Jerusalem. However, this associative or extended meaning would not resonate with an ordinary Arab on listening to the verse, “By the fig and by the olive”. For the above places were not associated with these fruits in the minds of the immediate addressees of the Qur’an - ordinary Arabs of Makkah.

It was nonetheless common practice in Arabia that a place was usually named after its product. Taken in this sense, the reference _ could be to the regions in which the fig and the olive grow. In other words, the allusion is to Syria and Palestine, famous then for their figs and olives. Ibn Taymiyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, Zamakhshari and Alusi, therefore, opt for this interpretation. Ibn Jarir too, concedes the same point. Ibn Kathir opts for the same view.

2. The Qur’an mentions, Mount Sinin. Sinin is also used of the Sinai Peninsula. Its other variants are: Saina, Sina and Sinin. In Verse 20 of al-Mu'minun, the Qur’an refers to it as Mount Sinai. As Mount Tur is also located in the same region known as Sinai, we have rendered its more familiar version, namely Mount Sinai.

3. This is the truth regarding which the regions of the fig and the olive, i.e. Palestine and Syria, and Mount Sinai and the city - of peace, Makkah have been invoked. The creation of man in the best mold signifies his excellent form, and his rational faculty, which are not bestowed upon any other species. Moreover, man’s excellence is also manifested by the raising of Prophets from among mankind. One’s appointment as a Messenger of Allah is the highest honor imaginable for any being. Man’s creation in the best mold is accordingly asserted with reference to the sites associated with Allah’s Messengers. In the region of Syria and Palestine, a number of Messengers appeared, including the Prophets Abraham and Jesus (peace be upon them). It was at Mount Sinai that the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) received divine revelation. As for Makkah, its association with the Prophets Abraham and Ishmael (peace be upon them) is too well known, and this is what led to its emergence as the sanctum sanctorum in Arabia. The Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) made the following supplication regarding the city of Makkah: “O Lord! Make this a place of security,” (al-Baqarah 2: 126). Thanks to his supplication, Makkah was the only haven of peace amid the all-round lawlessness for around 2500 years. In sum, the verse adduces the emergence of Messengers from among human & beings as the sign of man’s creation in the best mold.

4. Qur’anic scholars generally deduce these two meanings from this: (i) Allah reverts man to old age when he is unable to think or act properly. (ii) Allah hurls him into the lowest sphere of Hell. However, neither of these meanings fits with the context, especially the purpose for which this Surah was sent down. The Surah seeks to vindicate the doctrine of divine reward and punishment. It is not concerned with man’s plight in his old age. As it is, everyone, be he pious or evil, turns old. Old age is not some punishment meted out to one for misdeeds. As to the view that it refers to the consignment of one group of people to Hell, this cannot serve as an argument for those who do not believe in the doctrine of divine recompense in the first place.

In our opinion, the meaning of the verse is that as man 1 abuses his mind and body for evil, notwithstanding his creation in the best mold, Allah lets him pursue the evil path, which ultimately: renders him as the lowest of the low. This is commonplace in our society. Those given to vices such as greed, lust, selfishness, unlawful sexual gratification, drinking, meanness and anger sink to the abyss of degradation. This is true of nations and communities who behave worse than beasts as they fight against one another. A beast kills only its prey for food; it does not indulge in mass slaughter. However, man is liable to committing genocide. A beast draws upon only its teeth and claws for attack. In comparison, man abuses his mental faculties for manufacturing a plethora of deadly weapons such as cannons, tanks, aircraft, and atom and hydrogen bombs for wiping out entire towns. A beast only kills and injures. Yet, man has invented perverted and chilling forms of torture, all of which are unthinkable for a beast. Man sinks himself to such depravity that for taking revenge he makes naked women parade publicly, commits gang rape, molests women before the eyes of their fathers, brothers and husbands and kills children in front of their parents. Mothers are forced into drinking the blood of their children; men are burnt and buried alive. No beast can sink to such depths. While committing such evils, man proves himself to be the lowest of the low. He debases even faith, the most sacred thing for man. His abuse of faith consists in elevating trees, stones, animals and even male and female reproductive organs to godhead. He keeps prostitutes in temples and has illicit sex with them. Nor does he spare his gods and goddesses, as he attributes to them such indecent and obscene acts as may even put a degenerate person to shame.

5. Some Qur’anic scholars interpret “the lowest of the low” as the senility of old age. They deduce this meaning from the verse: “Those who do righteous deeds in the state of faith in their youth will be credited with the same good actions in their old age and will be rewarded accordingly”. They will not suffer any loss owing to their inability in their old age. As to those who construe “the lowest of the low” as those who will be hurled into the bottom of Hell, their interpretation of the verse is: Those who profess faith and do righteous deeds are exempted from being reverted to the lowest of the low. Rather, they will receive a never-ending reward. Neither of these interpretations has anything to do with the Surah’s main theme — the vindication of divine recompense. In our opinion, what the verse conveys is that those taking to vices eventually turn into the lowest of the low. By the same token, those who believe in Allah, the Hereafter and Messenger ship and devote themselves to doing good, are saved from falling into the above pitfall and maintain the excellence of the mold in which Allah has created them. This entitles them to never-ending reward.

6. This verse may alternatively be translated thus: “O man! — What then does prompt you to reject reward and punishment?” In either case, the message is the same. As it is an evident truth that some men abase themselves into the lowest of the low while some adhere to faith and righteous deeds and thus avoid any degradation and maintain the excellence of the mold in which Allah created them, the concept of reward and punishment cannot be rejected. Is it a rational proposition for these two groups to be treated alike? Does justice not demand that those turning into the lowest of the low be punished and the righteous be rewarded? The Qur’an propounds the same truth elsewhere thus:

What? Shall we treat those who have submitted (to Our command) like those who have acted as criminals? What is the matter with you? How ill do you judge! (al-Qalam 68: 35-36)

Do the evil-doers imagine that We shall make them equal to those who believe and do good, making their lives and deaths alike? How vile is their judgement! (al-Jathiyah 45: 21)

7. Human beings both want and expect ordinary judges to mete out justice, to punish the criminals and reward the righteous. If such is their expectation from worldly judges, what should their expectation be from God, the greatest of all judges? Is it proper to believe that God will treat the righteous and the wicked alike? Is it credible that He will let both the righteous and the wicked simply end up as dust, without rewarding those who merit it for their good deeds and without punishing those who deserve it for their evil deeds? Imam Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ibn al-Mundhir, Bayhaqi, Hakim and Ibn Marduwayh relate on Abu Hurayrah’s authority that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When you recite Surah al-Tin and reach Verse 8, you should say: bala wa ana ‘ala dhalika min al-shahidin (Yes, do testify to the same). Some variant reports state that after reciting Verse 8, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say: subhanaka fa bala (Glory beto You, yes!). (Tirmidhi, Abwab al-Tafsir).