Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:65

"And Allah has sent down rain from the sky." The discussion regarding the like of this has already preceded. This, as it is said, is a repetition of what came before, intended to emphasize its content and to unify the proofs of monotheism that follow it.

"And He gave life thereby to the earth"—that is, through what He causes to grow therein of various types of vegetation—"after its death"—that is, after it had become dry. Thus, "giving life" and "death" are metaphors for the growth of plants and the state of dryness; it does not mean the restoration of the already dry vegetation, but rather the growth of the like of it. The fa (the particle "so") denotes sequential order in the customary sense; hence, it does not contradict the interval of time between the two related actions. Similar to this is the expression: "He married, and then a child was born to him." This verse serves as evidence for those who maintain that effects exist by causes, not at the time of the causes; those who hold this view are the ones who are foremost.

"Indeed, in that"—that is, in the sending down of rain from the sky and the giving of life to the dead earth—"is a sign"—and what a sign it is!—indicating His Oneness, His knowledge, His power, and His wisdom, may His majesty be exalted. The demonstrative pronoun used for that which is near is employed either to magnify the matter referred to, or because it was not explicitly mentioned.

"For a people who hear."

Master Ibn al-Kamal said: "Hearing" here is intended to mean acceptance, as in the phrase: Sami'a Allahu liman hamidahu (Allah hears/accepts those who praise Him). That is, they hear the discourse, reflect upon it, understand the aspect of its proof, and accept what is being proven. It is specifically attributed to them as a sign because others do not benefit from it, similar to the specification in His saying, “Guidance and mercy for a people who believe.” By this established explanation, the reason for avoiding "who see" in favor of "who hear" becomes clear.

Al-Khafaji said: "What is appropriate for the context is what the two scholars mentioned. The explanation is that when the Almighty mentioned that He sent messengers and scriptures to past nations and they disbelieved, leading to their disgrace in this world and the Hereafter, He followed it by mentioning that He sent the Prophet (peace be upon him) with the master of all scriptures. Thus, it was the essence of guidance and mercy for those to whom he was sent, signaling that his nation’s opposition to those who came before them brings them closer to the happiness of both abodes. It is a glad tiding to him (peace be upon him) concerning the multitude of his followers and the scarcity of his opponents, and that they would enter his religion in throngs. Then, He followed this, by way of analogy, by comparing the sending of that mercy, which gave life after the death of misguidance, to the sending down of rains, which gave life to the dead earth. It is He who sends down the rain after they had despaired. Were it not for this, His saying, 'And Allah has sent down rain from the sky,' would be like a stranger to what precedes and follows it. His saying, 'Indeed, in that is a sign,' etc., completes His saying, 'And We have not sent down,' etc., and serves the purpose intended by it. Therefore, 'who hear' is appropriate, not 'who see.' If it were a completion of the adjacent mention of vegetation, 'who hear' in the sense of 'who accept' would not be appropriate either." He then said: "Whoever does not grasp their line of reasoning might answer by saying: 'It is possible to interpret who hear as referring to the statement, And Allah has sent down rain, for it is a verbal discourse, and one is prompted to contemplate its meaning.'"

There is an obscurity in his subsequent statement, "He followed it by mentioning that He sent the Prophet (peace be upon him) with the master of all scriptures; thus it was the essence of guidance and mercy, signaling...", as is not hidden. When it is taken as a completion of His saying, "And We have not sent down," etc., it appears that the reference is to what you have heard, which is the most apparent interpretation.

In al-Bahr, it states that when the Almighty mentioned the sending down of the Book for clarification, it was because the Quran is the life of spirits and a cure for the ailments of beliefs in the breasts; for this reason, He concluded by saying, "For a people who believe"—that is, who attest to the truth, and attestation has its place in the heart. The Almighty then mentioned the sending down of rain, which is the life of bodies and the cause of their survival. Then, He indicated, by the giving of life to the earth after its death, the giving of life to hearts through the Quran, as He says: “Or one who was dead and We gave him life.” Just as the earth becomes green and vibrant with vegetation after its barrenness, the heart becomes alive through the Quran after having been dead through ignorance. For this reason, the Almighty concluded by saying, "who hear"—that is, they hear this analogy being referred to. The meaning is a hearing of fairness and reflection. Because of this intended meaning, and Allah knows best, He did not conclude with "for a people who see," even though the sending of rain is something that is seen and observed.

In this, too, there is a degree of forced interpretation. I say: Perhaps it is more apparent that the reference is to what was mentioned of the sending down of rain and the giving of life, and "the sky" is to be taken in its literal sense. The statement completes the thought of what is adjacent to it. The shift from "who see" to "who hear" is to signal the clarity of this proof and that it requires neither inspection nor deep contemplation; rather, the one being warned only needs to hear the statement. It suffices for the connection of the verse to what precedes it that the Book and the rain share in the act of giving life—the former being the life of the hearts, and the latter being the life of the barren earth. Thus, contemplate this.