مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً

20:54; 27:62; 43:11; 51:49; 71:20; 78:7.

51:48; 78:13; 79:28, 29.

Important Words:

فراش (a bed) is derived from فرش. They say فرش الشیء i.e. he spread out the thing; he expanded it. فراش means, a thing that is spread upon the ground: a thing that is spread for one to sit or lie upon: a bed on which one sleeps; a wide or spacious plain or tract of land (Lane).

بناء (a roof) is derived from بنی meaning, he built; he constructed. So بناء means, a building; a structure; a thing that is built or constructed; also the roof or ceiling of a house or of a chamber or the like (Lane).

الثمرات (fruits) is the plural of ثمرة meaning, a fruit. The word is derived from the verb ثمر which means, the fruit became ripe. اثمر means, the tree, etc. produced fruit. The word ثمرة is also used figuratively, meaning, son or offspring; or profit of a thing (Taj).

انداد (equals) is the plural of ند which means, the like of a person or thing; or the like of a thing by participation of substance. It is a more specialised term than مثل which signifies alike by participation of anything. The word ند also means, a thing which does or may supply the place of another thing; or a like that is contrary or opposed to another thing; a thing taken as an object of worship instead of the true God (Lane). ند is to be distinguished from شریك; for whereas ند is the like of a thing, being contrary or opposed to it, شریك is simply a participant that shares the attributes or work of a thing (Aqrab under شریك and ند)

Commentary:

The subject matter of the last verse has been completed in this. It was said in that verse that رب should be worshipped because He is the Creator and He alone can foster man’s powers. In the present verse it is said that not only man but the heavens and the earth also have been created by God. It is evident that human actions depend upon environment. Trade, agriculture, industry, travel, etc. are made possible ultimately by the nature and influence of the heavens and the earth. So human actions can be guided aright only by a Being Who has made the heavens and the earth. It is only He Who can harness them for the use of man. None else has such knowledge, power or authority. So man should worship God alone.

The expression, and Who made the heaven a roof, suggests that just as a building or a roof is a source of protection for those living in or under it, similarly the remoter parts of the universe are a protection for our planet; and those who have studied the science of the stars, the clouds and other atmospheric phenomena know how the other heavenly bodies, running their courses through the boundless expanse rising high above the earth on all sides, make for its safety and stability.

In the clause, caused water to come down from the clouds, the word سماء has been used in the sense of "cloud", whereas in the preceding clause, and Who made the heaven a roof, it signifies "heaven". Had it meant the same thing in the two places, it would have been replaced in the second place by a pronoun. The repetition of the word is intended to convey a difference of meaning in the second place.

After making it clear that everything in this world is the creation of God, attention is drawn to the fact that God has no equal. There is nothing in the whole universe which can show any part of it to have been created by anyone other than God. Why, then, should man worship anyone else?

In this verse it is also hinted that the perfection of the material world depends upon a co-ordination of earthly and heavenly forces. When water is made corrupt by men on earth, fresh and pure water is supplied from heaven. Breathing makes the air foul but it is purified by nature. The eye is useful, but of what avail is it without the rays of the sun? In short, if the earth is a bed for man, the heaven is a roof. So is the case with the spiritual world. Man is gifted with reason but, like the eye, reason cannot function properly without the help of divine revelation. Human instincts are pure but they become polluted by greed, malice, etc. They can only be cleansed by the water of revelation. Hence man cannot attain to spiritual success without attaching himself to God. By showing material life to be dependent upon both earth and heaven, God points to a parallel in the spiritual world, and teaches that in spiritual matters also man should not trust earthly means alone. The intellect is not enough. Like the material world, the spiritual world also requires heavenly help. Just as there is a heaven above the earth, there is a heaven above the heart and brain of man. This is God’s guidance received through revelation.

An interesting question arises here. According to a widespread modern belief, the idea of God has evolved out of a primitive belief in spirits, ghosts and fairies. It is also said that in primitive times man worshipped beasts and poisonous insects and then gradually advanced to the idea of God. Modern critics appear to be in agreement that the idea of many gods has always preceded the idea of one God. The history of man’s beliefs is cited as evidence.

Some of those who hold such a view seem anxious to reconcile it with religion. They claim that their view does not go against religion. They say that God revealed the laws of nature by degrees; therefore there is nothing surprising if He should have revealed Himself also by degrees. Now, all religions base themselves upon revelation. And if the basis of religion is revelation, then the belief—that God revealed Himself by degrees and that He first guided the world to other gods, and then to Himself—at once falls to the ground. It is against all reason that God should first guide man to spirits, stones, rivers and snakes and then reveal Himself. What was there to hinder Him from guiding man to Himself from the very beginning? The living religions of the world have ever believed in revelation. Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Islam, all teach that revelation began with the creation of man. This being the case, there can have been no gradual evolution of the idea of God. Evolutionary accounts, therefore, conflict with religion. Those who hold them must deny revelation, the basis of religion.

The denial of revelation is, of course, very common in the Christian West. Christendom has failed for a long time to provide any examples of persons with revelation experience. Little wonder that those speculators, who have had no such experience themselves and who have not been made aware of such experience in others, should deny revelation outright. According to the Quran, however, God has spoken to man in all ages. The Quran itself is a record of revelation and, according to the Quran, the followers of Islam must continue to receive revelation. The recipient in our age is the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement. Nobody who knows all this can be impressed by denials of revelation. He can only treat them as mere ignorant conjectures.

Evolutionary accounts have little foundation in fact. It is said that the idea of God found amongst uncivilised peoples of the world today is polytheistic, therefore the idea of one God must have originated in polytheism. But it is not realized that the uncivilized peoples of today are not samples of the earliest human beings. Civilization has known many ages. Greece, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, India and China were centres of civilization and culture in their own days, but now they seem engulfed in darkness and ignorance. If ignorance can grow out of civilization, why not polytheism out of monotheism? In India, Krishna preached the doctrine of the Unity of God, but after his time a wave of idolatry swept over the country; and when Muslims came here, they found idol-worship rampant throughout the land. In Judaism false gods have taken the place of Jehovah. Jesus preached a simple faith in One God, but Christendom now believes in Trinity. A lower conception can easily supplant a higher one. Islam is an historical religion. Even its enemies admit that it teaches belief in the pure Unity of God. But today even Muslims have degenerated to the worship of things other than God. These examples refute the doctrine that monotheism has necessarily grown out of polytheism.

Moreover, a study of primitive religion itself shows that among the primitive people the idea of a perfect Deity exists side by side with their worship of many deities. Only, God is known by different names among different peoples. There also exists among the primitives the idea of revelation; they hold it to be the medium through which they came to have a knowledge of God.

14:33; 16:11; 22:64; 35:28.

6:142; 13:5.

Important Words:

متراکبا (clustered) is derived from رکب. They say رکبه i.e. he rode it or mounted it; it got upon it or it became superincumbent upon it. تراکب means, it lay one part upon another; it was or became heaped or piled up. So متراکب means, piled or clustered together one above another (Aqrab).

طلع (sheaths) is from the verb طلع (tala‘a), i.e., he or it rose or appeared or came forth. طلع is what comes forth from the palm tree and becomes dates; the spathe or flowers of the palm tree (Lane).

قنوان (bunches) is the plural of قنو which is derived from قنا . They say قنا المال i.e. he acquired and amassed property for himself. قنو means, a bunch of dates (Aqrab).

ینعه (the ripening thereof). ینع is from the verb ینع (yana‘a). They say ینع الثمر i.e. the fruit became ripened and fit for gathering; it (fruit, etc.) became red. یانع means, the ripe fruit. ینع is both the noun-infinitive from the verb ینع (yana‘a) in which case it means the ripening of a fruit, and the plural of یانع in which case it means the ripe fruits (Aqrab).

Commentary:

In this verse revelation is likened to rainwater and the verse answers the question why there is discord and strife at the advent of Prophets, if revelation is indeed a blessing. The verse says that just as by rainwater all kinds of vegetation grow up, both bad and good, according to the seeds lying concealed in the earth, similarly at the advent of Divine revelation, men, so far remaining mixed up, become divided into good and bad. The good ones accept the Messenger of God, help him and become pious and holy, like trees which bear good fruit or like shrubs which bring forth beautiful flowers or like herbs which give out a sweet odour; but there are others—the bad ones—who oppose the Prophet, persecute his followers and act corruptly in the earth. These are like trees which bear bitter fruit or like flowerless and thorny bushes or like plants and herbs which give out a bad smell.

The words مشتبھا و غیر متشابه (similar and dissimilar) imply that whereas some fruits resemble each other, some differ from others. This may apply either to fruits of different kinds, which resemble one another in certain respects and differ in others, or to fruits of the same kind which, although resembling one another in the main points, differ from one another in minor details, some tasting sweeter than others and some varying in colour or size. The same is the case with those who believe in the Prophets and follow Divine guidance. Although they bear great resemblance to one another, yet there are differences between them, some being morally and spiritually more advanced than others. Again, some are advanced in one phase of spiritual growth, while others are advanced in another. Among the Companions of the Holy Prophet, too, we see that one became an Abu Bakr, another an ‘Umar, and another an ‘Uthman and yet another an ‘Aliand so on. They attained to different stages of spirituality and developed different phases, according to their respective natural capacities and dispositions.

The words, the ripening thereof, refer to an implied objection that might be raised by the deniers of revelation––namely, that even those who accept Divine revelation do not all become pure and holy. The above-quoted words answer this objection by pointing to the analogy of the ripening of fruit. The people are asked first to note the condition of fruits when they are yet unripe and then see how sweet and delicious they become after becoming ripe. Just as it is unfair to judge a fruit by an unripe specimen, similarly, it is unfair to find fault with the fruits of revelation on the basis of such individuals as are yet in the process of development and have not attained to perfection. The verse points out that in the beginning there are bound to be weaknesses and shortcomings even in believers, just as there is bound to be sourness in the taste of an unripe or undeveloped fruit. So it is not just to deny the usefulness of revelation on the basis of weaknesses that are to be met with in believers whose spiritual condition is not yet fully developed.

The verse most beautifully draws attention to three important points that can be deduced from the analogy of the various kinds of vegetation that grow as a result of rain: (1) that rain brings forth both good and bad vegetation (believers and disbelievers); (2) that even in good fruits (believers) some variety is to be found, i.e. points of similarity and dissimilarity; and (3) that in the early stage of development even good fruits are not sweet and may even be sour.

39:22.

Important Words:

جفاء (rubbish) is derived from جفأ (jafa’a) which means, it (valley flowing with water) cast forth froth or foam or particles of rubbish or refuse. جفت القدر means, the cooking-pot cast forth its froth or foam in boiling. Hence جفاء means, what is cast forth in the form of froth or foam or scum or rubbish by a torrent or a cooking-pot. Figuratively, the word also means, anything that is worthless or useless (Lane).

Commentary:

The verse has used two very apt illustrations. First, it says that when rain falls and water begins to flow in various directions, then so much foam and froth appears on the surface of the water in places which are quite clean that it seems to cover it altogether.

But soon the foam subsides and the water is seen rushing along. In the second illustration froth is referred to as appearing on the surface of gold or silver or any other metal when the smith melts it to make ornaments or utensils, but the smith removes the scum and then only pure metal remains behind.

In the first illustration, truth is compared to water and falsehood to foam which, in the beginning seems to prevail over truth, but in the end it is carried away even as rubbish is swept away by a powerful current of water. In the second illustration, truth is likened to gold or silver which, when melted, brings forth a foamy excretion which is cast away, leaving behind the unmixed metal, pure and bright.

The parable implies that before the mighty onrush of Islam the foam and froth of false beliefs and practices will disappear. The parable also means that through the Prophets of God a great awakening in the nature of man causes a conflict between his good inclinations and the evil customs and usages to which he has subjected himself. Those whose inner nature is good emerge from this conflict with their wrong ideas and beliefs replaced by right ones.

The words, so that valleys flow according to their measure, mean that different people benefit by the truth according to their respective capacities for assimilation.

2:23; 13:18; 20:54; 22:64; 35:28.

22:66; 43:14; 45:13.

Commentary:

See under next verse.

7:58; 24:44; 25:49.

Important Words:

لواقح (impregnating) is the plural of لاقح which is the active-participle from لقح. They say لقحت الناقة i.e. the she camel became pregnant; or she received into her womb the seed of the stallion. لقحت النخیل means, the palm-trees became fecundated by means of the لقاح or spadix of the male tree which is bruised or brayed and sprinkled upon the spadix of the female. لاقحmeans, a she-camel having just conceived, or become pregnant. ریاح لواقح means, pregnant winds; impregnating or fecundating winds; winds which collect vapours and then form into clouds and send down rain. حرب لواقح means, a war pregnant with great events. لاقح also means, a man to whom offspring is born (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary

The word لواقح as explained under Important Words signifies such winds as carry pollen from the male to the female trees in order to fecundate them. It also means the winds which carry vapours rising from the earth to the upper air where they assume the form of clouds. In the present verse the word may be taken in the latter sense or in both senses. The verse would thus mean that it is God Who sends winds which carry the pollen from male to female trees as well as the winds which raise vapours from the earth which become transformed into clouds that send down rain, fertilizing the fecundated plants and making them bear fruit in abundance. The verse proceeds to point out that when with such a common necessity as water it is not in the power of man to preserve it in its purity, it cannot be possible for him to preserve the spiritual blessings of God in their original purity without His help and protection.

The verse is addressed to both believers and disbelievers. To the latter it answers the question of what was the need for the Quran to be revealed in the presence of previous Scriptures? They are told that just as in the presence of oceans of water on the earth there is still need for fresh water from heaven, even so the Quran was needed in the presence of the previous Scriptures. To believers it says that just as even heavenly water becomes impure and has to be renewed afresh from time to time, similarly, whenever the so-called believers would pollute the pure sense of the Quran by the interpolation of their own impure thoughts and false notions into its teachings, God would arrange to have its true meaning restored to its pristine purity by fresh revelation from heaven.

2:23; 6:100; 13:18; 16:66; 22:64

Commentary:

The Arabs were the first addressees of the Quran and in Arabia water is very scarce. So they have been told in this verse that water which is the source of all life and which brings out food and vegetation for them and their cattle is indeed a great gift of God. And, repeating the argument embodied in the preceding verse, the present verse goes on to say that when God has made ample provision for the physical needs of man, He could not have neglected to provide for his spiritual needs. Also that when man very gladly accepts and uses all the physical provisions made for him, why should he decline to make similar use of God’s spiritual gifts?

The expression لکم (for you) in the verse points to the truth that the whole universe has been created for the service of man because he is the acme and end of all creation. So it is really very strange that God should have omitted to fix a great object for man’s creation or should have neglected to provide means for the fulfilment of that object. This subject has been further developed in the next verse.

2:165; 13:18.

Commentary:

By 'water' here is meant Divine revelation and the attention of disbelievers has been drawn to the fact that if Prophets have been appearing in the past to give life to the dead, why should the present generation not have their Prophet?

43:11.

Commentary:

The word ازواجاً (in pairs) points to a profound scientific truth which has only recently been discovered, viz. that there are pairs in the vegetable world as there are pairs in the animal world. Long before this scientific truth was discovered the Quran had stated it. It has further stated that all objects have been created in pairs (51:50). Science seems to be moving in the direction pointed by the Quran. Its discoveries in organic and inorganic matter have been increasingly supporting and substantiating the truth enunciated by the Quran centuries ago.

The verse under comment continues the argument begun in the previous verse, viz. that just as physical rain gives life to plants and vegetation, similarly water of Divine revelation is indispensable for the spiritual life of man.

22:6; 30:51; 35:28; 39:22; 45:6.

Commentary:

The verse draws the attention of disbelievers to the natural phenomenon that is unfolding itself before their very eyes. Do they not see, it purports to say, that divine rain has fallen on the bleak, barren and dead land of Arabia and that it has begun to vibrate with new life and there is verdure and greenness all over it i.e. there is spiritual awakening all over the country and Islam has taken deep roots? It will now grow and expand and prevail over all false faiths.

7:59; 15:23; 24:44.

Commentary:

The verse continuing the theme of its predecessor speaks of the appearance of the Holy Prophet and likens his advent to the coming of rain. Just as in the physical world breezes herald the approach of rain, and twilight that of dawn, similarly in the spiritual world certain signs of spiritual awakening take place before the appearance of a Divine Reformer, and there is a certain revolt in the air against the existing corrupt state of affairs. Before the Holy Prophet was commissioned as a Divine Messenger, there had appeared a class of men who had declared their faith in the Unity of God and had discarded the worship of idols and had preached against it. They were known as hanif, i.e. those inclined to God. They acted as harbingers who gave the glad tidings that a great Messenger of God was about to appear.

"Rain" in the verse is spoken of as God’s mercy and elsewhere in the Quran the Holy Prophet has also been referred to as رحمة للعالمین i.e. mercy for all the worlds (21:108).

13:13.

40:14; 42:29.

Commentary:

A part from the fact that lightning heralds rain which brings fertility and prosperity in its wake, it kills germs of many different diseases and eliminates worms that destroy crops. So, lightning not only causes fear but is also a source of manifold benefits to man. Every element of nature plays its allotted part in the divine scheme of things, thus bearing testimony to God’s existence, His great wisdom and power.

13:3.

13:4; 15:20; 16:16; 77:28.

27:61; 50:8.

Commentary:

It should not be understood from the word ألقی which literally means, "He has cast" or "He has placed" that the mountains were placed on the earth from somewhere outside, after it had been created. Elsewhere the Quran has used the word جعل(He made) to express the same sense which shows that the mountains formed a part and parcel of the earth and were not placed on it from outside.

Incidentally, the verse points to a truth which science has only recently discovered but which the Quran revealed about 1400 years ago, viz. that mountains instead of being a cause of earthquakes, exert a stabilizing influence, rendering earth tremors a very infrequent occurrence.

This verse gives three arguments to prove the Oneness and Almightiness of God: (a) He is the Creator of heavens and the whole solar system; (b) He has created the earth and regulates, controls and guides all life on it; (c) He sends down water from heaven and gives a new life to the earth after it has become parched and dry. This means that God is the Creator of the universe, its Controller and the Giver of life. These are essential attributes of a Supreme Being Who demands and commands our adoration and worship. See also 16:16.

14:33; 22:6; 30:51; 45:6.

Important Words:

الوانھا (their colours) is the plural of لون which is substantive noun from لون (lawwana). They say لون الشیء i.e. he coloured the thing. لون الشیب فیه means, old age appeared in his hair. تلون الرجل means, the man became fickle minded. لون means, colour, exterior; form, shape; kind, sort, species (Aqrab & Lane).

جدد (streaks) is the plural of جدة which is derived from جد which means, it (a garment) was or became new; جدة (juddatun) means, a beaten way or road; a road leading to water; a main road; a sign; the bank or side of a river; the stripe or streak that is in the back of an ass differing from his general colour, a streak in anything as in a mountain, differing in colour from the rest of the mountain (Lane & Aqrab).

غرابیب سود (raven black). غرابیب is the plural of غربیب which is derived from غرب (ghariba) which means, he or it was or became black; or it was or became black on account of very hot wind. غربیب means, intensely black; of which the colour resembles the colour of a crow; when applied to an old man it means one whose hair is intensely black or whose hair does not become white or who blackens his white hair with dye. أسود غربیب means, intensely black. But if you say غرابیب سود you make the latter word a substitute for the former; because a word corroborative of one signifying a colour cannot precede, nor can the corroborative of any word; one of the most excellent kinds of grapes; a variety of grapes growing at At-Ta’if; intensely black; of the most excellent and most delicate and blackest of grapes. غرابیب سود relating to mountains, may mean streaks having black rocks.

Commentary:

The present and the next verse invite attention to the study of a wonderful phenomenon of nature which bears striking resemblance to a similar phenomenon in the spiritual realm. The verse purports to say that when rain falls upon dry and parched land it gives rise to a vast variety of crops, flowers and fruits of different colours, tastes, forms and kinds. The rainwater is the same, but the crops, flowers and fruits it produces are vastly different from one another. This difference is evidently due to the nature of the soil and the seed. Similarly, when Divine revelation, which at many places in the Quran has been likened to water, comes to a people, it produces different effects upon different men according to the soil of their hearts and the way in which they receive it. The same revelation which produced such paragons of righteousness and piety as Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, served only to increase Abu Jahl, ‘Utbah or Shaibah in wickedness and opposition to truth. The verse also signifies that the Faithful and the disbelievers are variously graded in goodness and evil. All believers were not like Abu Bakr and ‘Umar in righteousness, nor all disbelievers as wicked as Abu Jahl, ‘Utbah or Shaibah. The verse further says that the vast variety of colour and kind is not to be found only in plants but also in mountains and rocks as well. All of these wonderful phenomena point to an Intelligent and Powerful mind behind it.

22:6; 30:49-51; 35:28; 45:6.

13:5; 16:14.

Important Words:

ینابیع is the plural of ینبوع which is derived from نبع. They say نبع الماء i.e. the water issued forth from the spring. ینبوع means, a spring of water; a rivulet or streamlet in which there is much water. One would say:

فجر الله ینابیع الحکمة علی لسانه

i.e. God caused to flow springs of wisdom on his tongue (Aqrab).

حطاماً (broken straw) is derived from حطم which means, it broke or became broken into pieces. They say حطم فلانا اھله i.e. the family of such a one rendered him a broken man. حطمته السن means, age broke him or rendered him infirm. حطاماً means, what is broken into pieces; fragments, pieces (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse means to say that when the earth becomes spiritually parched, God sends down rain in the form of Divine revelation and then it receives a new life and fruits and flowers of different hues, tastes and flavours grow, i.e. when a Divine Reformer appears, a community of righteous and God-fearing men is born, and pious and learned ‘ulema’ teach men the Word of God. Then there is a long interval and God’s Word is forgotten and His commandments are defied and disobeyed. Again, the earth becomes parched and dried up and again a generation of evil men, who are as good as dry fuel fit to be thrown into fire, is born and takes the place of good men. Thus the circle goes on.

24:44; 25:49.