Al-Mu'minun: (19) "Then We brought forth for you thereby..."

"Then We brought forth for you thereby" — meaning, by means of that water; this is apparent according to the stance of the predecessors (Salaf). The successors (Khalaf) said: The meaning is "We brought forth near it."

"...gardens of date palms and grapes." He placed them first due to their abundance and the great utility derived from them, especially in the Hijaz, Ta'if, and Medina.

"...in which you have," meaning, in these gardens, "...many fruits," which you enjoy and take pleasure in beyond the usual primary nourishment. The intent here is that which is other than the fruits of the date palms and grapes.

"And from them," meaning, from these gardens—and the intent is from their produce and fruits. The "from" (min) is for the indication of origin (ibtida’iyyah), though it has been said it signifies partiality (tab'idiyyah), and its object is the verb "you eat." The intent of "eating" is its literal meaning, though it is permissible that it is metaphorical or a metonymy for subsistence in general—that is, "and from them you are provided and obtain your livelihoods," similar to the expression "So-and-so eats from his craft."

It is also permissible that the two pronouns refer back to the date palms and the grapes, meaning: "And you have among their fruits various types of produce: fresh dates, grapes, dried dates, raisins, and syrup (dibs) from each of them, and food that you eat." Thus, their fruit combines both the pleasure of snacking and nutritional sustenance, unlike the fruit of anything else. On this interpretation, "fruit" is applied generally to their produce.

Al-Raghib mentioned two opinions regarding "fruit": First, that it encompasses all produce; second, that it is everything except grapes and pomegranates. The author of al-Qamus chose the first, stating: The claim that dates and pomegranates are excluded from it, by citing the Almighty's saying, "In both of them are fruit, and date palms, and pomegranates," is invalid and rejected. I have elucidated this extensively in al-Lami' al-Mu'allim al-'Ajab.

You should know that the jurists have a dispute regarding "fruit." Imam Abu Hanifah held that it refers to apples, melons, apricots, pears, and the like, but not grapes and fresh dates. His two companions (Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani) said: The exempted items are also fruit, and the legal ruling (fatwa) is upon this. There is no disagreement, as stated in al-Quhistani citing al-Kirmani, that the dried forms of these—such as raisins, dried dates, and pomegranate seeds—are not considered fruit.

In al-Durr al-Mukhtar, it is stated that the dispute between the Imam and his two companions is a dispute of custom; therefore, the standard for someone who swears not to eat "fruit" is the prevailing custom, and he breaches the oath by eating what is customarily considered fruit. Al-Shumni mentioned this, and al-Ghazzi affirmed it. It is not hidden that the same thing may be called fruit in the custom of one people, while not being called such in the custom of others. In al-Nahr, quoting from al-Muhit, it is reported that walnuts and almonds are fruit; however, in our custom, they are not eaten for snacking. Furthermore, I have not seen anyone among the linguists or jurists classify syrup (dibs) as fruit. So reflect upon this, and do not be heedless.