Tafsir of Ash-Shu`ara' 26:7

This is an explanation of their turning away from the constitutive signs (ayat al-takwiniyyah) after having already explained their turning away from the revelatory signs (ayat al-tanziliyyah). The hamza is for reproachful denial (al-inkar al-tawbikhi), and the waw is for conjunction to a suppressed clause required by the context. That is: Do they persist in the disbelief in Allah Almighty and the rejection of what invites them to believe in Him, while failing to look at the wonders of the earth which restrain them from that and invite them to believe in Him?

Abu al-Sa'ud, after establishing that the hamza is for denial and the conjunction is to a suppressed clause, said: That is, do they persist in what they have done of turning away from the signs, rejecting them, and mocking them, without looking at the wonders of the earth that restrain them from what they have done and invite them to turn toward that from which they turned away? This is apparent in that the verse is linked to the preceding one, His saying: {And there comes not unto them...} etc. This is close in terms of wording, yet the objection remains that looking at the wonders of the earth does not clearly act as a restraint against rejecting the Quran as being revealed from Allah, nor as an invitation to turn toward Him.

Ibn Kamal said: The intended meaning is: Have they not reflected upon the wonders of His power, and have they not looked? The apparent meaning in his view is that the verse initiates a new subject, so understand this. It has also been said: It is an explanation of their denial of the Resurrection, following the explanation of their denial of the Origin and their disbelief in Him, Almighty. The conjunction is also to a suppressed clause, and the estimation is: They denied the Resurrection and did not look at the wonders of the earth which restrain one from such denial. The first view is more appropriate and clearer. Regardless, the expression involves the omission of an added word (mudaf), as has been indicated. It is also permissible that by "the earth," its wonders are meant metaphorically.

His saying: {كَمْ أَنْبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ} is a resumption (isti'naf) clarifying what is in the earth of signs that restrain from disbelief and invite to faith.

Kam is a quantifier denoting abundance (kam al-khabariyyah) in the position of the object for the verb that follows it. It serves to denote multiplicity. The word kull (every) is brought with it to denote comprehensiveness and inclusion. Thus, it signifies that there is a multitude of individual members of every type. If min is interpreted as partitive, the meaning is: We have caused to grow in it a great amount of every type. If it is interpreted as explanatory, the meaning is: We have caused to grow in it a great amount, which is every type. In either case, there is no redundancy.

It may also be said: The meaning is "Have they not looked at the earth itself," which is a single nature, and how We have made it a place of growth for many plants of different natures? In this case, there is no omission of an added word, nor is there a metaphor. The saying of the Almighty {How many have We caused to grow therein...} etc., becomes a substituted clause (badal ishtimal) in terms of meaning. This is a sound interpretation, so understand it lest you think it refers to what preceded and requires the same omission or metaphor as mentioned before.

Zawj means type/category, as we have indicated. Al-Raghib stated that everything in the world is a zawj (pair/mate) in the sense that it has an opposite, an equal, or a composition; indeed, nothing is free from composition in any way. Karim in reference to anything means that which is pleasing and praiseworthy. From this is the verse: "Until he cleaves the ranks, by his karam (nobility/generosity)." He meant that he is praised for his courage. It is an adjective for zawj, meaning "of every type that has many benefits."

This verse admits both specification and clarification. The justification for the first is its indication of what others indicate regarding the Necessary Existence (Allah), with the addition that it points to the grace which also restrains them from their state. The justification for the second is drawing attention to the fact that the Almighty did not cause anything to grow except that it contains a benefit, as is signaled by His saying: {It is He who created for you all that is in the earth}.

In any case, the apparent meaning is that animals are not included in the generality of what is "grown." Some have gone to the opinion that they are included, based on the premise that their creation from the earth is a form of "growing," as indicated by His saying: {And Allah has caused you to grow from the earth a [progressive] growth}. From Al-Sha'bi, it is explicitly stated that humans are included in this, for it has been narrated from him that he said: "People are from the plants of the earth; whoever goes to Paradise is karim (noble), and whoever goes to the Fire is the opposite of that."