Surah Al-An'am 6:95-100 - Quran Translation Commentary

(6:95) Verily, Allah is the Splitter of the grains and the date stone;¹⁶¹ He brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living.¹⁶² That is your God. Where then, are you being driven?

(6:96) The Splitter of the dawn;¹⁶³ He has appointed the night for rest¹⁶⁴ and the sun and the moon for reckoning.¹⁶⁵ That is the ordaining of the All powerful, the All knowing.¹⁶⁶

(6:97) He it is who has set up the stars for you so that you might be guided by them in the darknesses of the land and sea. (That is how) We have expounded the signs for a people who know.

(6:98) ) He it is who produced you from a single soul: then there is a permanent abode (for you) and a temporary one.¹⁶⁷ We have expounded the signs for a people who understsand.¹⁶⁸

(6:99) He it is who sent down from the heaven water. Then We brought forth therewith the shoot of everything. Then We sprout forth out of it green blade, from which grow closely compounded grains. And of the palms (come forth), from their sheath, clusters (hanging) low. And orchards of vines, olive, pomegranate: similar (in appearance) but dissimilar (in taste).¹⁶⁹ Behold (then) its fruit when it fructifies and (look at) its ripening.¹⁷⁰ Surely in that are signs for a people who would believe.¹⁷¹

(6:100) Yet they ascribe to Allah as associates the Jinn,¹⁷² though He created them; and they impute to Him sons and daughters without knowledge.¹⁷³ Glorified He is and Exalted far above that which they ascribe.¹⁷⁴

Commentary

161. Although Suddi, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd have said that the splitting refers to opening up of the grain and the date palm stone to throw out the root and the stalk, Mujahid, Dahhak and Abu Malik have said that it refers to the division of the grain and the date stone into two halves by a line running through them. Ibn `Abbas however has said that faliq is equivalent of khaliq. But the later part of the verse, which speaks of the bringing forth of the living from the dead and the dead from the living leads us to believe that falaq refers to the act of splitting the seed for its sprouting (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Animal life depends entirely on plants. Human life on the other hand depends both on plant as well as animal life. Thus both, the animal as well as the human lives, depend on plant life. In turn, plant life depends on the splitting of two kinds of seeds: grains and seeds. The words therefore, "Allah is the Splitter of the grain and the date stone," embody a great amount of meaning. Apart from that there are several signs of Allah in the splitting of the seed. Firstly, the shoot that emerges is extremely tender. A child can pluck it off. Yet, it splits the ground although placed at a foot's depth in hard soil. Were a man to try piercing the ground with his finger a foot deep, he would fail to do that in as many days as the shoot does it. Secondly, the seed has two ends. From one end grows what will become its root. Its biological function is different from the shoot that sprouts from the other end which becomes the stem of the plant on the surface of the earth. Now, not only the two ends know their respective functions: the lower sucking up water and minerals, the upper engaging itself in photosynthesis, but also both seem to "know" their places in the system: one below, into the ground and the other above into the air. If the seed is placed upside down, the lower end that throws out the shoot takes a 180 degree turn to arrive at the surface. The other one too takes a U turn to go into the earth instead of ending up on the surface. Deep there inside the earth, what tells the seed that it has been placed upside down in the ground and that its two ends must proceed in the opposite directions? Experiments show that in many instances a root begins to re orient within 10 to 30 minutes of being turned upside down. In some instances a seed placed sideways knows within 12 seconds that it has been re oriented.

"The scientists have discovered that there is a tiny instrument at the tip of the seed to determine the gravitational pull of the earth. But the "brain" seems to be somewhere else. For, a decapped root, although initially unable to re orient itself, re produces the tip within 14 to 22 hours, to help it regain its power of re orientation. In fact, in some laboratory experiments involving mutant plants, even the absence of the instrument that responds to gravity the amyloplasts did not make a difference. The plant still oriented itself in the right direction: as if there was, in addition to the amyloplasts, an alternative gravity sensing mechanism.

"Starting with Darwin who perhaps first wrote on the subject, the scientists have progressively "discovered" the instrument and the mechanism that guides the root to the deeper earth, and how the plants respond to presence or absence (as in space experiments) of gravitational pull, but cannot explain how the mechanism came to be there in the first place. (See Scientific American, Dec. '86, "How Roots Respond to Gravity" by Michael L. Evans, Randy Moore and Karl Heinz Hasentein) Au.

162. Ibn `Abbas has said that it refers to the creation of the dead sperm in man, and to a living body emerging from that dead sperm (Ibn Jarir). There have been several interpretations of similar nature coming from the Salaf (Ibn Kathir).

A good example is a virus. It is no more than a speck of dust with nucleic acid (RNA) at the core with a protein core. They are in billions all around, but dead. However, let them into a living cell, and they come alive. But more amazingly, there are dust particles everywhere around us that are bits and pieces of RNA without even a protein coat. Known as viroids, they too come alive in biological cells. And, viroids are not amazing enough, we have below them what are known as prions. If somebody thought that RNA is the life-source, prions put him into puzzle. They are a bit of protein and no nucleic acid, and nothing else. And, as if for humans to learn Allah’s Will and Power, these prions can lie in certain human cells, dead, inactive for up to a decade, and then suddenly on a deadly day come alive; causing what is known as ‘the Mad Cow disease (CJD),’ death is the fate of its host (Au.).

163. The words "Splitter of the dawn," carry several connotations. Allah Most High is the Splitter and Separator of the morning of the existent from the (darknesses of the) non existent. He is the Splitter of the morning of life; intelligence and discernment from the darknesses of the state of (lifeless) solid materials; Splitter of the morning of intellect from the darknesses of ignorance; Splitter of the morning of cosmic spiritual awareness, from the darknesses of the human earthly existence; Splitter of the morning of radiance of thought and induction from the darknesses of the necessities of the world of possibilities (Razi).

164. Ibn Abi Hatim has narrated that when Suhayb Rumi's wife chided him for spending most of his night in prayers, Rumi replied: "Allah has made the night a means of rest except for Suhayb. When Suhayb thinks of Paradise his desires stretch, and when he thinks of the Fire his sleep flies away" (Ibn Kathir).

165. The textual word husbana has several connotations. An alterative meaning could be: "He made them run to their appointed courses" (Au.). Another interpretation is that Allah (swt) made the Sun and the Moon run on a timed schedule. A third interpretation is that the allusion by the word "husbana" is to fire, as in verse (18: 40):

وَيُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهَا حُسْبَانًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ [الكهف : 40]

"And He will send upon it (the town) a fire from the sky."

A hadith in Muwatta', Nasa'i and Tirmidhi says the Prophet (saws) sometimes supplicated in these words:

اللَّهُمَّ فَالِقَ الْإِصْبَاحِ وَجَاعِلَ اللَّيْلِ سَكَنًا وَالشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَرِ حُسْبَانًا اقْضِ عَنِّي الدَّيْنَ وَأَغْنِنِي مِنْ الْفَقْرِ وَأَمْتِعْنِي بِسَمْعِي وَبَصَرِي وَقُوَّتِي فِي سَبِيلِكَ

"O Allah, the Splitter of the dawn, the Maker of the night a means of rest, of the Sun and the Moon as the means of reckoning: relieve me from my debt, relieve me from poverty, let me enjoy (until the end of life) my hearing and sight, and my (other) powers" (Qurtubi).

The above hadith from Muwatta’ is slightly different from that quoted by Qurtubi (Au.).

166. It might be noted that in verse 95 Allah spoke of three earthly signs while in verse 96 of three heavenly signs (Manar).

167. Linguistically the term mustaqarr refers to a permanent place of storage and mustawda` to a temporary one. There have been several interpretations. Ibn Mas`ud has said that they allude respectively to the womb and the grave. Ibn `Abbas, Sa`id b. Jubayr, `Ata', Mujahid and Ibrahim have said that the allusion is to the mother's womb after conception, and the father's repository of sperm. In fact, once Ibn `Abbas asked Sa`id ibn Jubayr if he had married and when he said no, he remarked: "Allah will surely bring out whatever is stored in the mustawda` of your back" (the repository of sperm). Another opinion of Ibn `Abbas is that the allusion is to the life on this earth and the father's repository of sperm respectively. Nevertheless, Ibn Mas`ud, Ibn `Abbas and Sa`id ibn Jubayr themselves have also said that the former refers to the everlasting abode with the Lord and the latter to the short life in this world (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

168. Referring to the textual word is yafqahun Imam Raghib has said that, linguistically, the term fiqh stands for the process of arriving at the knowledge of the unknown with the help of the known. It can also be defined as delving into the depth of things. Accordingly, the word fiqh in Islam applied to a fuller understanding of Islamic principles. It is one level above what is generally known as `ilm (Manar).

It might be pointed out here that what is known as the "scientific method," consists of the following steps: (i) identification of a problem, (ii) gathering of the related data, which includes generation of the data, (iii) formation of a hypothesis, (iv) conducting tests and experiments, and, finally, (v) arriving at a theory that might or might not prove to be true, much later (Au.).

169. Asad remarks: "I.e., all are so alike in the basic principles of their life and growth, and yet so different in physiology, appearance and taste."

170. From the first appearance of the fruit bud (a little after pollination) until its ripening, the fruit acquires different traits and characteristics: from the bitter thing in the beginning to the sweet in the end; the usually green in color, to the beautiful red, crimson, violet etc., in the final stages; from the one hot for the body to the one cool for it, or vice versa; from the once poisonous to human consumption to the delicious food for them in all these are signs that manifest themselves in stages (based on Razi).

171. Yusuf Ali comments: "Another beautiful nature passage, referring to Allah's wonderful artistry in His Creation. In how few and how simple words, the whole pageant of Creation is placed before us. Beginning from our humble animal needs and dependence on the vegetable world, we are asked to contemplate the interaction of the living and the dead. Here is a teaching, referring not only to physical life but to the higher life above the physical plane, not only to individual life but to the collective life of nations. Then we take a peep into the daily miracle of morning, noon, and night, and pass on to the stars that guide the distant mariner. We rise still higher to the mystery of the countless individuals from the one human soul their sojourn and their destiny. So we get back to the heavens: the description of the luscious fruits which the "gentle rain from heaven" produces, leaves us to contemplate the spiritual fruits which faith will provide for us, with the aid of the showers of Allah's mercy."

172. ‘According to Arab philologists, the term jinn signifies, primarily, "beings that are concealed from [man's] senses' (Qamus, Lisan al `Arab, Raghib)' Asad.

Majid explains: "Jinns are a definite order of conscious beings, intelligent, corporeal and usually invisible, made of smokeless flame, as men are of clay, created before Adam. They eat and drink, and propagate their species, and are subject to death, much in the same way as human beings are. Though as a rule they are invisible to the human eye, they manifest themselves to men at will, mostly under animal form."

If it is asked how it could be said that the people worshipped the Jinn when we know that they worshipped idols and not the Jinn directly? The answer is, they worshipped them but obeying them the way Allah is to be obeyed, as Allah said elsewhere (4: 117 120):

إِنْ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَّا إِنَاثًا وَإِنْ يَدْعُونَ إِلَّا شَيْطَانًا مَرِيدًا (117) لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ وَقَالَ لَأَتَّخِذَنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِكَ نَصِيبًا مَفْرُوضًا (118) وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ آذَانَ الْأَنْعَامِ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ يَتَّخِذِ الشَّيْطَانَ وَلِيًّا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُبِينًا (119) يَعِدُهُمْ وَيُمَنِّيهِمْ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا [النساء : 117 - 120]

"Indeed, they invoke not besides Him, but female (deities). (But) in truth, they invoke none other than a rebellious Shaytan, (whom) Allah has cursed, and who vowed that, ‘Assuredly I will take (unto myself) of Your slaves an appointed portion.' (He also vowed) ‘Verily, I shall lead them astray, and surely, I will arouse in them false hopes, and assuredly, I shall command them so that they shall slit the ears of the cattle and indeed, I shall order them so that they shall deface the creation of Allah.' But whoever took Shaytan for a patron, instead of Allah, surely suffered a manifest loss. He will promise them and lend them hopes. But Shaytan does not promise them save delusions" (Ibn Kathir).

Shabbir points out that Ibrahim (asws) had also said to his father reproaching him on for idol worship: (19: 44):

يَا أَبَتِ لَا تَعْبُدِ الشَّيْطَانَ [مريم : 44]

"O my father. Worship not the Devil."

Hence Allah will say to whom on the Day of Judgment (36: 60):

أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ أَنْ لَا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّيْطَانَ [يس : 60]

"Did I not take a compact from you, O Children of Adam, that you will not worship the Devil?"

Qatadah and Suddi have said however that the allusion is to the declaration by the Arab pagans of the angels as Allah's daughters. It could also be to the Zanadiqah whose belief was that God and Shaytan are brothers: the former created men and animals, while the latter created the snakes, wild animals, scorpions, etc. This faith is very close to the belief of the Zoroastrians who thought that God (Yezdan: R. Rida) is the creator of Good, and Devil (Ahraman: R. Rida) the creator of evil (Qurtubi).

Fi Dilal has the following foot note: "Kalbi has said in his "Kitab al Asnam" that among the Arabs the Banu Mudlaj of the Khuza`ah tribe used to worship the Jinn."

173. That is, if the one you attribute to Him as his son (because he did not have a father: Au), be truly His son, then, the rest of the created world the cosmos should be His sons too. But you yourself do not accept this corollary (Manar).

174. Asad's rendering of subhanahu wa ta`ala `amma yasifun is: ‘Limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything that men may devise by way of definition.' To this he adds the following: "I.e., utterly remote from all the imperfections and from the incompleteness which is implied in the concept of having progeny. The very concept of "definition" implies the possibility of a comparison or correlation of an object with other objects; God, however, is unique, there being "nothing like unto Him" (42: 11) and, therefore, "nothing that could be compared with Him" (112: 4) with the result that any attempt at defining Him or His "attributes" is a logical impossibility and, from the ethical point of view, a sin. The fact that He is indefinable makes it clear that the "attributes" (sifat) of God mentioned in the Qur'an do not circumscribe His reality but, rather, the perceptible effect of His activity on and within the universe created by Him."