We need to remind ourselves here of what we said in our Prologue to this sūrah.

Most of all we need to remember how its waves follow close on the heels of each other in an endless flow, and how its scenes are portrayed in a breathtaking splendour, coupled with a superbly inspiring rhythm.

This sūrah tackles its subject matter in a unique way. At every turn, in every situation or scene, it brings out in sharp relief all the awesome splendour of what is being portrayed, keeping us spellbound, breathless. We follow its scenes and changing, powerful rhythm.

In its quick flow of scenes, inspirations, rhythms, images and shades, it resembles a fast, wide river flowing with white water. As one wave reaches its breaking place, the next one follows very closely, almost reaching out to the one that has just gone by. The flow remains continuous, unending.

In every one of these flowing and closely successive waves, the same rich splendour is there to see. And in all the scenes portrayed, we have superb harmony.

Thus, we are absolutely enchanted; first by the splendid scenes, then their lively images, the powerful music, the inimitable expression, the flood of inspiring figures of speech. The sūrah addresses man’s heart and mind from every angle and in every way possible.

All these features are seen at their clearest in this passage. The reader feels as though the scenes spring to life, with all their colour and brightness, jumping up in front of us just as the rhythm flows with the words that are recited, striking a note of perfect harmony. Each scene spreads itself before us like a bright spark appearing from the distance, and gradually exhibiting its full, captivating splendour before our very eyes. Another spark is then produced by the very expressions that are used, and its rhythm strikes harmony between the scenes portrayed and the meanings illustrated. Consistency is felt in the flow of expression and harmony is unmistakable in the brilliantly painted scenes.

Beauty is the main feature here: the sūrah attains its breathtaking climax, with scenes that are chosen for their beauty and wording and construction that are meticulously selected for their rhythm and power of expression. In addition, even the ideas floated here address the basic truth of the Islamic faith, with its infinitely rich meaning, and all from the angle of beauty. Thus, this truth appears to swim in a sea of absolute perfection.

The passage includes specific directives for us to appreciate the beauty which is all too visible in the flourish of life: “Behold their fruit when it comes to fruition and ripens.” (Verse 99) This draws our attention directly to this splendid beauty, so that we may look and appreciate, but with open minds.

The beauty is brought to its perfect, enthralling climax at the end of those scenes which describe the universe and which reach out to the One beyond. In this way we behold the Originator of the heavens and earth who has placed all these wonderful things in the universe. The sūrah speaks of Him in images and expressions the beauty of which cannot be intimated except by the Qur’ānic text itself: “No power of vision can encompass Him, whereas He encompasses all vision; He is above all comprehension, yet is all- aware.” (Verse 103)

It is God who splits the grain and the fruit-stone. He brings forth the living out of that which is dead and the dead out of that which is alive. Such is God. How, then, are you deluded away from the truth? (Verse 95)

This is the great miracle whose secret remains unknown to all creatures and which cannot be emulated by anyone. This is the miracle of life, its initiation and progress.29

At every moment, a grain or seed splits open to produce a shoot of plant and a fruit- stone breaks open to begin the life of a tree. This life which remains latent in the seed, grain and the fruit-stone, and which is evident in plant and tree remains, is in both substance and source, a secret which is known only to God. Having observed all the various characteristics and stages of life, mankind remains today in the same position as the first man on earth. We know the outer aspects of life and its purpose, but its source and substance remain an unknown secret. Yet life goes on and the miracle of starting life occurs every second.

Right at the beginning, God brought forth the living out of the dead. The universe, or at least our planet earth, existed, but there was no life on it. Then life began after God originated it from something that was dead. How did He do that? We certainly do not know. Ever since that moment, life has been created out of what is dead. Dead particles are transformed every moment, through living creatures, into organic living substances that form part of living bodies. Although they are originally dead particles, they are transformed into living cells. The reverse also takes place. At every moment, living cells become dead particles, until one day a complete living entity becomes a dead body. “He brings forth the living out of that which is dead and the dead out of that which is alive.” (Verse 95)

No one can do this other than God. It is God alone who can originate life from something that is dead, and it is He alone who gives a living entity the ability to transfer dead particles into living cells. Again, He alone can complete the cycle and transform the living cells into dead particles. No one has ever acquired certain knowledge of this cycle: when did it start and how does it proceed? We only have assumptions, theories and probabilities.

Every attempt to explain the origination of life in any way other than its being created by God has ended in total failure. At one stage, Europeans ran away from the Church in a flight similar to the one described by the Qur’ān as a flight of those who wilfully turn away from divine guidance “like terrified asses, fleeing from a lion.” (74:

50-1) Ever since, they have been trying to find an explanation for the evolution of the universe and for life without having to admit that it is all God’s work. All their attempts, however, have ended in miserable failure. In the twentieth century, there remained only a few lingering attempts, all totally devoid of sincerity. They all share a distinctive characteristic, namely, pigheadedness.

He is the One who causes the day to break. He has made the night to be [a source of stillness], and the sun and the moon for reckoning. All this is laid down by the will of the Almighty, the All-Knowing. (Verse 96)

He who splits the grain and the fruit-stone is the One who causes the break of dawn. He has made the night a period of time when living things have their repose.

Moreover, He has given the sun and the moon cycles that can be calculated with great accuracy. It is His power that controls everything in the universe. His knowledge overlooks nothing.

In the Arabic text the word used to denote the break of dawn is the same that describes the splitting of grains and fruit-stones. Life begins to spread as a result of dawn breaking in the same way as a plant shoots out of a grain that has been split.

Aspects of vigour, liveliness and beauty are common to both phenomena. Moreover, there is an added link between these two phenomena and the stillness of the night.

The cycles of morning and evening, activity and stillness in this planet have a direct bearing on plants and life. The fact that the earth revolves on its axis in front of the sun, the sizes given to the sun and the moon, the distances between them and the earth and the temperature of the sun are all determined by the Almighty who is in full control of all things and whose knowledge is faultless. Had these been different, life would not have sprung out of this earth in this fashion. We would not have had plants and trees sprouting forth from grains and fruit-stones.

Everything in the whole universe has been calculated and determined most accurately in order to determine the type and degree of life that exists in each part of it. There is simply no room for any coincidence in the universe. Indeed, even what some people call coincidence, or the result of chance, is subject to a definite law and is accurately calculated.

Some people say that life has been no more than a side affect in a small corner of the universe, to which the rest of the universe is blind or even hostile. They maintain that the fact that this type of life has taken place on a very small planet confirms the same. Indeed, some of them go further and say that the smallness of the earth suggests that had there been a god in control of the universe, he would not have bothered himself with this life. They assert such absurdities describing them at times as ‘scientific logic’ or ‘philosophical theories’, when they do not merit any discussion whatsoever.

Such people allow their prejudices to dictate their views. They do not pay heed to the results of their own scientific work which stares them in the face. When you read their writings you sense that they do everything in their power in order to evade a truism which they have already decided not to face. They see all the pointers asserting God’s existence, His oneness and absolute power everywhere in the universe, but they flee from acknowledging these facts. Every time they take a route hoping to avoid such a confrontation and manage to reconcile themselves to the universal fact, they find that they come to the same end. Agitated and scared, they hurriedly try another route, but again they come to the same end. They find that they must acknowledge God’s existence and His absolute power. Poor and helpless is what they are. One day they broke loose from the tyrannical rule of the Church, which was in the habit of imposing its fetters on people’s minds and souls. In their flight, they behaved “like terrified asses, fleeing from a lion.” () But they continued in their flight until the early decades of the twentieth century, not daring to turn back and find out whether the Church was pursuing them, or whether it too was breathless like them.

The sūrah now begins to draw our attention to scenes of life as they open up everywhere around us. We see life with our eyes and feel it as it springs out. As we contemplate it, we see the beauty of God’s creation. The sūrah portrays these scenes as they actually are. It draws our attention to what they show of the various stages, shapes and forms of life. All this gives us a very distinct awareness of life as it grows and spreads, and also of the power that originates life. It also gives us a strong desire to look at and enjoy the beauty of life.

And He it is who sends down water from the sky with which We bring forth plants of every type and out of these We bring forth verdure from which We bring forth grain piled tight, packed on one another; and out of the spathe of the palm tree, dates in thick clusters; and gardens of vines; and the olive tree, and the pomegranate: all so alike, and yet so different. Behold their fruit when they come to fruition and ripen. Surely in these there are clear signs for people who truly believe. (Verse 99)

Water is frequently mentioned in the Qur’ān within the context of life and vegetation: “He it is who sends down water from the sky with which We bring forth plants of every type.” (Verse 99) That water is necessary for the growth of every type of plant is something that all human beings know, whether they are primitive or civilized, illiterate or educated. Yet water plays a far greater and more important role than that, and the Qur’ān here reminds us of this. By God’s will, water was instrumental in making the face of the earth of the type of soil we know, which is plant-supporting.

(This assumes that the theory which suggests that the face of the earth burned for a period of time, before it solidified but could still not support plant life is correct.

Then water and other atmospheric elements combined to transform it into soft soil)

Water has then continued to play an important role in making this soil fertile by causing nitrogen to fall on it from the atmosphere. Every time there is lightning, the electric sparkle separates the nitrogen which dissolves in water. It thus falls with the rain to give the soil added fertility. Nitrogen is the main component of the fertilizers people now produce in the same way, learning from the laws of nature. Indeed, nitrogen is so essential for vegetation that without it the face of the earth would be completely barren.

“And He it is who sends down water from the sky with which We bring forth plants of every type and out of these We bring forth verdure from which We bring forth grain piled tight, packed on one another; and out of the spathe of the palm tree, dates in thick clusters; and gardens of vines; and the olive tree, and the pomegranate: all so alike, and yet so different.” (Verse 99) All plants begin green, but the Arabic text uses for the description for the colour of the plants a word which imparts a gentler and more familiar sense than would be understood by the word `green’. Out of this green vegetation God brings forth grain piled tight, as we see in ears of wheat and corn which are “packed on one another”. We then have an image of the palm tree and its spathe: “Out of the spathe of the palm tree, dates in thick clusters.” (Verse 99) Here the Qur’ān uses in its description a term which generally denotes a small branch, but in the palm tree it refers to the stick on which the dates grow. These sticks are described as bending down, bearing the clusters of dates to impart a sense of beauty and tranquillity. “And gardens of vines, and the olive tree and the pomegranate”, (Verse 99), which are mentioned here as examples of different types and species of plants. All of them are “so alike and yet so different”.

The sūrah puts these allegations face to face against the absolute truth of God. It makes its arguments against these misconceptions in such a way that reveals how hollow they are: “He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. How can He have a child when He has never had a consort? He has created everything and has full knowledge of all things.” (Verse 101)

He who originates the whole universe out of nothing is in no need of a son.

Offspring are needed by mortals as an extension of their existence and they are needed by the weak who want help and by the dull who can invent nothing.

Moreover, those inventors were aware of how procreation takes place. Anyone who desires offspring must have a mate or a female consort from his own species. How, then, can God have a son when He has never had a consort, and when He is one, single, and has no similarities with anyone or anything? How can any offspring be born without a mate?

Here the sūrah makes use of a recognized fact in order to address their minds, giving them examples that are relevant to their own lives and what they see around them. Moreover, the sūrah gives special emphasis to the fact that all beings are created in order to disprove any suggestions of a multiplicity of gods. What is created can never be a partner to the Creator. The essence of the Creator and that of the created are totally different. The sūrah speaks of God’s knowledge as absolute, while the unbelievers’ knowledge is based on delusions and guesswork: “He has created everything and has full knowledge of all things.” (Verse 101)

The same truth of creation is re-emphasized in order to assert another aspect. It tells that the One who is worshipped and obeyed and to whom submission is made is the creator of all things. Hence, there is no deity save Him, the only Lord in the universe: “Such is God, your Lord; there is no deity other than Him, the Creator of all things, so worship Him alone. He is the Guardian of everything.” (Verse 102)

The fact that God, the Almighty, is the only Creator makes Him the only sovereign of the universe, and that, consequently, makes Him the only one who takes full care of His creation. As He is the Creator of all, He also provides sustenance to all using resources in which He has no partners. Whatever all creatures eat and whatever they enjoy in this life is part of what is the sole property of God. When it has been confirmed that God has all these qualities of creation, sovereignty and provision of sustenance, another fact is also established; that is, His Lordship of the universe. No one else shares with Him these qualities: He controls everything, His is the authority to which everything submits, and He operates the system by which He takes care of His servants. So He is the One to be worshipped in the full sense of the word, which denotes obedience and full submission.

In their days of ignorance, the Arabs did not deny that God was the Creator of the universe and human beings. Nor did they deny that He was the One who provided sustenance to all of them, or that there was no place or dominion other than His from where to obtain provisions and sustenance. Other deviant communities did not deny these facts either, apart from a few Greek philosophers who advocated materialism.

The sūrah follows this with a description of God which is so powerful that it impresses man’s whole being with connotations which I believe to be indescribable by any human language. Let us then allow these impressions to formulate as we behold the scene which allows God’s reassuring attributes to be more prominent than His fear-inspiring attributes: “No power of vision can encompass Him, whereas He encompasses all vision; He is above all comprehension, yet is all-aware.” (Verse 103)

Those who demonstrate their naivety by demanding to see God are the same as those who demonstrate their arrogance by demanding tangible evidence of His existence. Neither group understand what they say. The senses and mental faculties of human beings have been created so that they can interact with the world around them, fulfil their task of building human life on earth, and observe and understand what the world and the universe contain of pointers to God’s existence and His work. As for the nature of God Himself, they have not been given the power to conceive of it, because a created mortal cannot comprehend what is ever present and immortal. Besides, such comprehension is not an essential requirement for them to fulfil their task on earth. They have, indeed, been given what they need for its fulfilment and are fully equipped for the same.

It may be possible to understand that ancient people were naive, but the arrogance of later groups is totally unacceptable. They talk about the atom, electrons, protons and neutrons when none of them has ever seen any of these. It has not been possible yet to make a microscope powerful enough to allow scientists to see such infinitely small particles. 39 Nevertheless, those people accept their theoretic existence and determine the practical effect of their presence. When they see these effects, they declare with absolute certainty that such particles are present. They do so in spite of the fact that the ultimate conclusion to which their experiment leads is `the possibility’ of the presence of those particles. But when they are told of God’s existence and are directed to the evidence of His presence, they dispute that fact, giving arguments that have no basis in scientific knowledge, proper guidance or revelation. They demand tangible evidence which they can see with their own eyes, as if this whole universe and all the wonders of life are not sufficient evidence.

The sūrah then comments on what it has already listed of signs and evidence available everywhere in the universe, and within the human soul itself. What follows serves also as a comment on the statement that concerns God’s nature: “No power of vision can encompass Him, whereas He encompasses all vision; He is above all comprehension, yet is all-aware.” (Verse 103)

We have already said that no human language can explain or commentate on such a description. It imparts its own clear sense to our minds. However, it is followed by a significant comment: “Means of insight have come to you from your Lord. Therefore, whoever chooses to see does so for his own good, and whoever chooses to remain blind only himself does he hurt. I am not your keeper.” (Verse 104) What God has given us is indeed the means of insight which provides guidance and points to the right way. The choice is then left to every individual. He who chooses to see will find himself in the light, equipped with guidance. Inevitably, the alternative is total blindness. No one deliberately persists in error after having seen these signs and received these insights except one who shuts out his senses, suppresses his feelings, stifles his conscience and remains blind. The Prophet is instructed to declare that he dissociates himself from them: “I am not your keeper.” (Verse 104)

This is followed by a divine order to the Prophet to follow what God has revealed to him and to turn away from pagan people who associate partners with Him. He is not to pay any attention to them or their petty arguments and not to worry about their stubborn rejection of his message. His task is to implement his message by moulding his life and the attitudes of his followers on the basis of the divine message. He is to care nothing for the unbelievers: “Follow what has been revealed to you by your Lord, other than whom there is no deity, and turn your back on those who associate partners with God.” (Verse 106)

Had God so willed, He would have imposed His guidance on them. He could, if He so willed, have created them knowing no way other than that of His guidance, in the same way as angels are bound always to obey Him. He, however, has created man with the ability to follow either right guidance or error. He has left him to choose his way and has held him accountable for his choice. All this is, of course, within the framework of God’s absolute free will which governs everything that occurs in the universe, without imposing a choice on any human being. God has created man in this fashion for a purpose He knows. He has a role to play assigned to him by God, using his abilities and talents: “Had God so willed, they would not have associated partners with Him.” (Verse 107)

The Prophet is not responsible for their actions, and he has not been assigned as a watchdog over their hearts: “We have not made you their keeper, nor are you responsible for them.” (Verse 107) This instruction to the Prophet defines the area around which he should concentrate his efforts. The Prophet’s successors and those who advocate his faith in every generation and every community are also made aware of their area of activity and its limits.

An advocate of God’s message must not attach too much importance to, or pin his hopes on, those who turn their backs on His call and who do not respond to the pointers to faith and divine guidance. He should give top priority to, and concentrate his hopes on, those who listen and respond to his call. These are the ones who need to mould their whole existence on the basic rule of faith, which is the cornerstone of their religion. They also need to formulate a total concept of existence and life, and to regularize their moral values and conduct, and indeed all the affairs of their community, on the same basis. These tasks require and deserve all efforts the advocates of Islam can exert. Those who choose to remain in the opposing camp after having had God’s message conveyed to them, deserve nothing but to be ignored. As the cause of the truth acquires strength, the rules God has set in operation complete their cycle when God hurls the truth at falsehood, and when the truth triumphs and falsehood is no more. What is extremely important is that the truth should exist in its completeness. When it does, falsehood has no sway: it just disappears, totally.

Moreover, the believers are instructed to adopt, as they turn away from the unbelievers, an attitude of propriety, decency and refinement which suits those who believe in God. They are instructed not to revile the idols or deities of the unbelievers so that the latter do not start to revile God, without knowing His true position and His majesty. Thus any abuse by the believers of their worthless deities would be taken as an excuse to abuse God, the Almighty: “Do not revile those whom they invoke instead of God, lest they revile God out of spite, and in ignorance. Thus have We made the actions of every community seem goodly to them. Then to their Lord shall they all return, and He will explain to them all that they have been doing.” (Verse 108)

Moreover, these verses outline certain basic facts that we must consider. The first of these facts is that to accept the faith or to deny it, to follow the right guidance or to remain in error, does not depend on the provision of proofs and evidence of the truth. The truth is its own proof and it can easily prevail over the human mind to accept it and submit to it with reassurance. There are impediments that may prevent a person from accepting the truth. Indeed, God refers to these as He addresses the believers: “For all you know, even if one [i.e. a miracle] is shown to them, they may still not believe? We will turn their hearts and eyes away since they did not believe in it the first time.

We shall leave them to blunder about in their overweening arrogance.” (Verses 109-10)

What prevented them the first time round from accepting divine guidance could happen again even after a miracle is shown them, and they could, thus, continue to go astray and reject guidance.

The pointers to faith are latent within man himself and are inherent within the truth itself. They do not relate to any external factor. It is imperative, therefore, that man’s heart is purged of all external factors impeding its acceptance of the faith.

The second fact is that God’s will is the ultimate factor which determines who follows guidance and who goes astray. God has willed that human beings be tested, allowing us the freedom of choice to determine which course we follow. Anyone who utilizes this freedom in order to seek guidance with the intention of following it once it is received, though he may not know at that moment where he stands, will find that God, by His will, is helping him and showing him the right way.

Conversely, a person who uses this freedom of choice to turn away from guidance and the pointers to faith, will find himself further away from the truth, because God’s will has determined that he should drift further astray and continue to grope in the dark. God’s will prevails over human beings in all situations. It is He who determines everything in the end.

It is to this fact that the passage we are discussing refers: “We will turn their hearts and eyes away since they did not believe in it the first time. We shall leave them to blunder about in their overweening arrogance. Even if We were to send down angels to them, and if the dead were to speak to them, and even if We were to range all things before them, they would still not believe unless God so willed. Yet most of them are ignorant.” (Verses 110-11)

Indeed, two earlier verses in this passage also refer to this fact: “Follow what has been revealed to you by your Lord, other than whom there is no deity, and turn your back on those who associate partners with God. Had God so willed, they would not have associated partners with Him. We have not made you their keeper, nor are you responsible for them.” (Verses 106-7)

A further reference to this fact is provided in the verse that begins the next passage: “Thus We have set up against every prophet enemies: the evil ones among human beings and the jinn, who inspire each other with varnished and deluding falsehood. Had your Lord willed otherwise, they would not have done it. Therefore, leave them to their own inventions.” (Verse 112)