في هذا المقطع يلفت السورة النظر إلى حياة النباتات بعد نزول المطر، ثم إلى كيفية جريان الماء إلى غايته. ويكثر القرآن من المقارنة بين حياة النبات وهذه الحياة الدنيا، مبيّناً أنها قصيرة المدة، ويحثّ أولي الألباب على التفكر في هذه المقارنة. وفي سياق الماء المنزل من السماء، تشير السورة أيضاً إلى القرآن، الكتاب المنزل من السماء ليبعث الحياة في قلوب الناس وأرواحهم. وتصف وصفاً مؤثراً استجابةَ من انشرحت صدورهم له، وما يعترونهم من خشية ورهبة وطمأنينة وسكينة. ثم تبيّن مصير من استجاب لرسالة الله، ومصير من قست قلوبهم. وفي ختام المقطع تضرب السورة مثلاً بمن يعبد الإله الواحد، ومن يعبد آلهة متعددة، فلا يستويان ولا يتساويان في المكانة، كما لا يستوي عبدان: رجل يخدم سيداً واحداً، ورجل فيه شركاء متشاكسون يتنازعونه، فهما لا يُعدّان سواء.

In this passage the sūrah draws attention to the life of plants after rainfall, and then how the water courses to its end. The Qur’ān often draws a comparison between the life of plants and this present life of ours, highlighting the fact that it is of short duration. It urges people with insight to reflect on this comparison. In connection with the water being poured from the skies, the sūrah also refers to the Qur’ān, the book sent down from heaven to breathe life into people’s hearts and souls. It gives an inspiring description of the response of those whose hearts are open to it, and how they experience a mixture of awe, fear, comfort and reassurance. It then describes the respective fates of those who respond to God’s message and those whose hearts are hardened. At the end of the passage, the sūrah cites examples of one who worships the One God, and the one who worships multiple deities. The two cannot be equal and cannot hold the same position, in the same way as two slaves one serving one master and the other having several masters, who are in dispute with one another cannot be considered the same.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَسَلَكَهُ يَنَابِيعَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعًا مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ حُطَامًا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ

Have you not considered how God sends down water from the skies, and then causes it to travel through the earth to form springs? He then brings with it vegetation of different colours; and then it withers and you can see it turning yellow. In the end He causes it to crumble to dust. In all this there is indeed a reminder for those endowed with insight. (Verse 21)

يُلفت القرآنُ الكريمُ الانتباهَ إلى ظاهرةٍ تحدث في كل مكانٍ على وجه الأرض. غير أن ألفتَها تجعل الناسَ يغفلون عنها. ومع ذلك فهي عجيبةٌ في كل خطوةٍ من خطواتها. ويدعونا القرآنُ إلى أن ننظرَ كيف توجّهها يدُ الله خطوةً خطوةً لتُحدث آثارَها المقصودة. الماءُ النازلُ من السماء: ما هو؟ وكيف ينزل؟ إنها ظاهرةٌ عجيبةٌ، لكننا نميل إلى ألا نتأملها لأنها مألوفةٌ إلى هذا الحد. إن خلقَ الماءِ نفسَه لَمعجزةٌ حقًّا.

The Qur’ān draws attention to a phenomenon that takes place everywhere on earth. Its familiarity, however, tends to make people overlook it. Yet it is remarkable in every step. The Qur’ān directs us to look at how God’s hand directs it step by step to produce its desired effects. The water that comes down from the sky: what is it, and how does it descend? This is a remarkable phenomenon, but we tend not to reflect on it because it is so familiar. The very creation of water is indeed a miracle.

نعلم أنه يتكوّن عندما يتّحد ذرّتا هيدروجين مع ذرّة أكسجين واحدة في ظروف معيّنة. غير أنّ علمنا ينبغي أن ينبّهنا إلى أنّ يد الله هي التي خلقت الكون، إذ هيّأت الهيدروجين والأكسجين وأتاحت لهما الظروف التي تجعلهما يتّحدان فينتجان الماء، وهو ضروريّ لظهور الحياة. بل إنّه بدون الماء لم يكن للحياة أن تظهر. وهكذا نرى كيف تضافرت سلسلة من التدابير أفضت إلى وجود الماء وظهور الحياة. وكلّ ذلك من صنع الله وتقديره.

We know that it comes into existence when two hydrogen atoms combine with one oxygen atom under certain conditions. Our knowledge, however, should alert us to the fact that it is God’s hand that made the universe, allowing the hydrogen and the oxygen to be available and to provide the conditions that allow them to combine and produce water, which is essential for life to emerge. In fact, without water, no life could have emerged. Thus we see how a series of measures culminated in the existence of water and the emergence of life. All this is of God’s own making.

علاوة على ذلك، فإن نزول المطر بعد خلق الماء هو في ذاته ظاهرة معجزة، تحدث بفعل النظام الذي يُدير الكون والأرض، فيسمح بتكوّن الماء ونزوله بإذن الله.

Moreover, the very fall of rain, after the creation of water, is in itself a miraculous phenomenon, brought about by the system that operates the universe and the earth, allowing the formation of water and its fall by God’s will.

أَفَمَن شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ فَهُوَ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ ۚ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُم مِّن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ ۝ اللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابًا مُّتَشَابِهًا مَّثَانِيَ تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ جُلُودُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُدَى اللَّهِ يَهْدِي بِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ ۝

How about one whose heart God has opened to Islam, and thus receives light from his Lord? Woe, then, betide those whose hearts harden at the mention of God. These are most obviously in error. God has bestowed from on high the best of all teachings: a book that is consistent within itself repeating its statements [of the truth] in manifold forms. It causes the skins of those who stand in awe of their Lord to shiver, but then their skins and hearts soften at the mention of God. Such is God’s guidance: He guides with it him that wills, whereas the one whom God lets go astray can never find any guide. (Verses 22-23)

كَمَا يُنْزِلُ اللهُ الْمَاءَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَيُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعًا مُخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ وَأَشْكَالُهُ، كَذَلِكَ يُنْزِلُ اللهُ مِنْ عَلَيْهِ ذِكْرًا تَتَلَقَّاهُ قُلُوبٌ حَيَّةٌ تَنْفَتِحُ وَتَتَفَاعَلُ مَعَ هَذِهِ الْحَيَاةِ. أَمَّا الْقُلُوبُ الْقَاسِيَةُ فَتَتَلَقَّاهُ كَالصَّخْرَةِ الَّتِي لَا تَقْبَلُ الْحَيَاةَ. يَفْتَحُ اللهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ تِلْكَ الْقُلُوبَ الَّتِي يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهَا طَيِّبَةٌ، فَتَتَلَقَّى هَذِهِ الْقُلُوبُ نُورَ الْإِسْلَامِ فَتُشْرِقُ وَتُشِعُّ، وَالْفَرْقُ بَيْنَ هَذِهِ الْقُلُوبِ وَبَيْنَ الْقُلُوبِ الْقَاسِيَةِ لَبَعِيدٌ جِدًّا:

Just like He sends water from the skies to cause vegetation of various colours and forms to grow, God bestows from on high a reminder which is received by hearts that are alive, and that open up and react to such life. By contrast, hardened hearts receive it like a rock that cannot embrace life. God opens to Islam those hearts that He knows to be good. These hearts receive the light of Islam and they shine and radiate. The gulf between these hearts and the ones that are hardened is wide indeed:

فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُم مِّن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ (٢٢)

“Woe, then, betide those whose hearts harden at the mention of God. These are most obviously in error.” (Verse 22)

تُصوِّر هذه الآية طبيعةَ القلوب التي تتقبَّل الإسلامَ وتنشرح له، فتمتلئ حياةً. فهي تتفتَّح، فتغدو غضَّةً مُشرِقة. وتصف الآيةُ أيضًا النوعَ الآخرَ من القلوب، وهو القلوب القاسية المظلمة الميتة. ولا يخفى أنَّ القلوب التي تنفتح للإسلام، فتتلقَّى نورَه وتعكسه، تختلف اختلافًا كليًّا عن تلك التي تقسو عند ذكر اسم الله. والفجوة بين الفريقين هائلة.

This verse depicts the nature of the hearts that receive Islam and warm to it, becoming full of life-. It describes how they blossom, becoming fresh and radiant. It also describes the other type of hearts which are hard, dark and lifeless. Needless to say, the hearts that open up to Islam, receive and reflect its light are totally different from those which are hardened at the mention of God’s name. The gap between the two is enormous.

وَلَقَدْ ضَرَبْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِي هَذَا الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَثَلٍ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ

We have set for people in this Qur’ān all sorts of illustrations, so that they may reflect.

هُوَ قُرْآنٌ عَرَبِيٌّ غَيْرُ ذِي عِوَجٍ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿الزمر: ٢٨﴾ — "It is an Arabic Qur’ān, free from distortion, so that people may become conscious of God." ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَجُلًا فِيهِ شُرَكَاءُ مُتَشَاكِسُونَ وَرَجُلًا سَلَمًا لِرَجُلٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا ۚ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿الزمر: ٢٩﴾ — "God cites the case of a man who has for his masters several partners at odds with each other, and a man belonging wholly to one person. Can they be deemed equal? All praise is due to God alone, but most of them do not understand."

It is an Arabic Qur’ān, free from distortion, so that people may become conscious of God. God cites the case of a man who has for his masters several partners at odds with each other, and a man belonging wholly to one person. Can they be deemed equal? All praise is due to God alone, but most of them do not understand. (Verses 27-29)

ضرب اللهُ مثلًا بذكر عبدين من عباده: أحدهما يؤمن بوحدانيته، والآخر يشرك بالله غيره في الألوهية. وشبّههما بعبدين: أحدهما مملوك لعدة شركاء متشاكسين يتنازعون في ملكيته، فهو بين أيديهم، وكلٌّ منهم يطالبه بأمور يأمره بها. فهو في حيرة، لا يدري أيّ وجهة يتجه إليها، ولا يستطيع أن يرضيهم جميعًا لتناقض أوامرهم. أما الآخر فهو مملوك لسيد واحد، يعرف ما يريده سيده، وهو واضح في رغباته ومتطلباته.

God draws an analogy citing the examples of two of His servants: one believes in His Oneness and one ascribes divinity to others beside God. He compares them to two slaves: one is owned by several people who are at odds with each other about who owns him; he is caught between them, while each of them requires him to do certain things. He is at a loss, not knowing which way to turn and cannot manage to satisfy them all because of their contradictory orders. The other is owned by one master, and he knows what his master wants and is clear about his desires and requirements.

"هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا" (الزمر: 29) لَا شَكَّ أَنَّهُمَا غَيْرُ مُتَسَاوِيَيْنِ. فَالَّذِي لَهُ سَيِّدٌ وَاحِدٌ يَنْعَمُ بِالثَّبَاتِ وَيَعْرِفُ مَا يُنْتَظَرُ مِنْهُ. وَطَاقَتُهُ تُصْرَفُ عَلَى نَحْوٍ مُنْتَظِمٍ، وَالطَّرِيقُ أَمَامَهُ وَاضِحٌ. أَمَّا الآخَرُ، الَّذِي لَهُ عِدَّةُ أَسْيَادٍ، فَهُوَ دَائِمًا يُعَانِي الْقَلَقَ وَالْهَمَّ، وَلَا يَشْعُرُ بِالِاسْتِقْرَارِ. وَهُوَ عَاجِزٌ عَنْ إِرْضَاءِ سَيِّدٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ، فَضْلًا عَنِ إِرْضَائِهِمْ جَمِيعًا.

“Can they be deemed equal?” (Verse 29) They are definitely unequal. The one who has one master enjoys consistency and knows what is expected of him. His energy is spent in a consistent way and the road ahead of him is clear. The other, who has several masters, is always suffering anxiety and worry. He does not feel settled. He is unable to satisfy even one of his masters, let alone them all.