Ar-Ra'd: 4

Ayah

Word by Word

وَفِي

And in

ٱلۡأَرۡضِ

the earth

قِطَعٞ

are tracks

مُّتَجَٰوِرَٰتٞ

neighboring

وَجَنَّـٰتٞ

and gardens

مِّنۡ

أَعۡنَٰبٖ

grapevines

وَزَرۡعٞ

and crops

وَنَخِيلٞ

and date-palms

صِنۡوَانٞ

trees (growing) from a single root

وَغَيۡرُ

and not

صِنۡوَانٖ

trees (growing) from a single root

يُسۡقَىٰ

watered

بِمَآءٖ

with water

وَٰحِدٖ

one

وَنُفَضِّلُ

but We cause to exceed

بَعۡضَهَا

some of them

عَلَىٰ

over

بَعۡضٖ

others

فِي

ٱلۡأُكُلِۚ

the fruit

إِنَّ

Indeed

فِي

ذَٰلِكَ

that

لَأٓيَٰتٖ

surely (are) Signs

لِّقَوۡمٖ

for a people

يَعۡقِلُونَ

who use reason

Translation

And in the earth are tracts (diverse though) neighbouring, and gardens of vines and fields sown with corn, and palm trees - growing out of single roots or otherwise: watered with the same water, yet some of them We make more excellent than others to eat. Behold, verily in these things there are signs for those who understand!

Tafsir

Allah's Signs on the Earth

After Allah mentioned the higher worlds, He started asserting His power, wisdom and control over the lower parts of the world.

Allah said,

وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَدَّ الَارۡضَ

And it is He Who spread out the earth,

made it spacious in length and width.

وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنۡهَارًا

and placed therein firm mountains and rivers,

Allah has placed on the earth firm mountains and made rivers, springs and water streams run through it, so that the various kinds of fruits and plants of every color, shape, taste and scent are watered with this water,

وَمِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ جَعَلَ فِيهَا زَوۡجَيۡنِ اثۡنَيۡنِ

and of every kind of fruit He made Zawjayn Ithnayn,

two types from every kind of fruit,

يُغۡشِي اللَّيۡلَ النَّهَارَ

He brings the night as a cover over the day.

Allah made the day and night pursue each other, when one is about to depart, the other overcomes it, and vice versa. Allah controls time just as He controls space and matter,

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَايَاتٍ لِّقَوۡمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

Verily, in these things, there are Ayat for people who reflect.

who reflect on Allah's signs and the evidences of His wisdom.

Allah said

وَفِي الَارۡضِ قِطَعٌ مُّتَجَاوِرَاتٌ

And in the earth are neighboring tracts,

Meaning, next to each other, some of them are fertile and produce what benefits people, while others are dead, salty and do not produce anything.

This meaning was collected from Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ad-Dahhak and several others.

This also covers the various colors and types of diverse areas on the earth; some red, some white, or yellow, or black, some are stony, or flat, or sandy, or thick, or thin, all made to neighbor each other while preserving their own qualities. All this indicates the existence of the Creator Who does what He wills, there is no deity or lord except Him.

Allah said next,

وَجَنَّاتٌ مِّنۡ أَعۡنَابٍ وَزَرۡعٌ وَنَخِيلٌ

and gardens of vines, and green crops (fields), and date palms...

Allah's statement, next,

صِنۡوَانٌ وَغَيۡرُ صِنۡوَانٍ

Sinwanun wa (or) Ghayru Sinwan.

`Sinwan' means,

growing into two or three from a single stem, such as figs, pomegranate and dates.

`Ghayru Sinwan' means,

having one stem for every tree, as is the case with most plants.

From this meaning, the paternal uncle is called one's `Sinw' of his father.

There is an authentic Hadith that states that the Messenger of Allah said to Umar bin Al-Khattab,

أَمَا شَعَرۡتَ أَنَّ عَمَّ الرَّجُلِ صِنۡوُ أَبِيه

Do you not know that man's paternal uncle is the Sinw of his father!

Allah said next,

يُسۡقَى بِمَاء

وَاحِدٍ وَنُفَضِّلُ

بَعۡضَهَا عَلَى بَعۡضٍ فِي الاُكُلِ

watered with the same water; yet some of them We make more excellent than others to eat.

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet commented on Allah's statement,

وَنُفَضِّلُ

بَعۡضَهَا عَلَى بَعۡضٍ فِي الاُكُلِ

(yet some of them We make more excellent than others to eat),

الدَّقَلُ وَالۡفَارِسِيُّ وَالۡحُلۡوُ وَالۡحَامِض

The Dagal, the Persian, the sweet, the bitter...""

At-Tirmidhi collected this Hadith and said, ""Hasan Gharib.""

Therefore, there are differences between plants and fruits with regards to shape, color, taste, scent, blossoms and the shape of their leaves. There are plants that are very sweet or sour, bitter or mild, fresh; some plants have a combination of these attributes, and the taste then changes and becomes another taste, by Allah's will. There is also some that are yellow in color, or red, or white, or black, or blue, and the same can be said about their flowers; and all these variances and complex diversities are watered by the same water.

Surely, in this there are signs for those who have sound reasoning, and surely, all this indicates the existence of the Creator Who does what He wills and Whose power made distinctions between various things and created them as He wills. So Allah said,

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَايَاتٍ لِّقَوۡمٍ يَعۡقِلُونَ

Verily, in these things there are Ayat for the people who understand."