Al-An'am (The Cattle): Verse 95

Issues in the Verse:

The verse contains several points for discussion:

After discussing Tawhid (Oneness of God) and then Prophethood, the discourse returns here to mention proofs indicating the existence of the Creator, and the perfection of His knowledge, wisdom, and power. This serves as a reminder that the primary objective of all rational and transmitted discussions, and all philosophical inquiries, is the knowledge of God by His Essence, Attributes, and Actions.

Regarding the phrase {فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ} (The splitter of the grain and the date-stone), there are two main opinions:

Opinion 1: Narrated from Ibn Abbas, and held by Al-Dahhak and Muqatil: {فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ} means the Creator of the grain and the date-stone. Al-Wahidi stated that they interpreted Fāliq (Splitter) in the sense of Fāṭir (Originator). Al-Razi's commentary: Splitting (Falq) and Cleaving (Faq) refer to the act of dividing. Before a thing enters existence, it is pure non-existence, a sheer void with no opening or cleavage. When the Originator brings it forth from non-existence into existence, it is as if, in imagination, He split and cleaved that void, bringing the created thing out of that split. By this interpretation, it is not far-fetched to take Fāliq to mean the Bringer-into-existence, the Originator, the Creator.

Opinion 2: This is the view of the majority: Falq means physical splitting/cleavage.

• Al-Habb (Grain): Refers to what is intended as the primary substance, like the seed of wheat, barley, and other types.
• Al-Nawa (Date-stone/Pit): Refers to what is found inside the fruit, like the pits of peaches, dates, etc.

If we accept this, when a seed or pit falls into moist earth and some time passes, God manifests from it a split upwards and another split downwards.

1. The split emerging from the top produces the shoot ascending into the air.
2. The split emerging from the bottom produces the roots descending into the earth. The seed/pit thus becomes the means connecting the ascending shoot to the descending roots.

Herein lie several wonders:

1. Contradictory Natures: If the nature of the tree required descent deep into the earth, how did the ascending shoot arise? If it required ascent into the air, how did the descending root arise? Since both arise from the same source, despite the senses and intellect testifying that the nature of one shoot contradicts the other, we know this is not due to inherent nature or property, but due to Creation, Origination, Formation, and Invention.
2. Penetration Power: The interior of the earth is dense and solid, impenetrable even by a strong needle or sharp knife. Yet, we observe the tips of the roots to be extremely fine and delicate—so delicate that rubbing them with a finger would turn them to liquid. Despite this delicacy, they possess the strength to penetrate that solid earth and delve into the depths of those dense bodies. The existence of such intense power in such weak, delicate bodies must be by the decree of the Mighty, the Wise.
3. Diversity of Components: From that single pit, a tree grows, possessing diverse natures: the bark has one nature, inside it is the wood, and in the center of the wood is a soft, weak substance like carded wool. From the trunk grow branches, then leaves, then flowers/blossoms, then fruit. Some fruits, like the walnut, have four layers of covering: the outer green husk, the layer beneath it like wood, then the thin membrane surrounding the kernel, and finally the kernel itself, which contains a dense body (like a shell) and a subtle body (the oil), which is the primary objective. The generation of these diverse bodies—different in nature, properties, colors, shapes, and tastes—despite the uniformity of natural influences, stars, four seasons, and four humors, indicates they occurred by the planning of the Wise, Merciful, Chosen, Capable One, not by the planning of mere natures and elements.
4. Contradictory Qualities in One Fruit: You find four humors present in a single fruit. For example, the citron (etrog): its peel is hot and dry, its pulp is cold and moist, its sourness is cold and dry, and its seed is hot and dry. Grapes: their skin and seeds are cold and dry, while their juice and pulp are hot and moist. The generation of these opposing natures and conflicting properties from a single seed must be by the Will of the Chosen Agent.
5. Varying Structures and Shapes: The conditions of fruits vary: some have the kernel inside and the husk outside (like walnuts and almonds); others have the desired fruit outside and the hard pit inside (like peaches and apricots). Some pits have edible kernels (like apricot/peach pits), while others do not (like date pits). Some fruits have no distinct inner/outer husk, being entirely edible (like the fig). Furthermore, these seeds differ in shape: wheat is semi-circular, barley is like two cones joined at their bases, lentils are circular, chickpeas have another shape. These different shapes must be for secrets and wisdom known only to the Creator, whose design is perfected only in that specific shape. Moreover, the Creator has placed unique properties and benefits in every type of grain. One fruit might be food for one animal and poison for another. This variation in properties, shapes, and conditions, despite the uniformity of humors and celestial influences, indicates they all resulted from the creation of the Wise, Chosen Agent.
6. Vein Structure in Leaves: If you take a single leaf, you find one straight line in its center, analogous to the spinal cord in the human body. Just as many nerves branch out left and right from the spinal cord, and further branches split from those, becoming finer until they escape sight, similarly, from the main line in the leaf, separate lines branch out, and from each of those, finer lines branch out, continuing this pattern until they become imperceptible. God did this so that the attractive forces embedded in the leaf's body could draw the subtle earthy particles through these narrow channels. By recognizing God's care in creating this single leaf, you know His care in creating the entire tree is greater, and His care in creating all vegetation is greater still.

Once you know that God created all vegetation for the benefit of animals, you know His care in creating animals is greater. When you know the purpose of creating all animals is humankind, you know His care in creating humans is greatest. God created plants and animals in this world to be food and medicine for the body, but the purpose of creating humans is knowledge, love, and service, as He says: {And I did not create the jinn and humankind except to worship Me} (Adh-Dhariyat: 56).

Look, O poor soul, with your physical eye at that single leaf, and recognize the creation of its veins and fibers. Then ascend from one level to the next until you know that the ultimate purpose is the attainment of knowledge and love in human spirits. At that point, an endless door of unveiling will open to you, and it will become apparent that the types of God's blessings upon you are innumerable, as He says: {And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them} (Ibrahim: 34). All of this manifested from the creation of that single leaf from the grain and the pit. This is a concise explanation of {The splitter of the grain and the date-stone}. Whoever contemplates it can branch and elaborate upon it endlessly. We ask God for success and guidance.

This phrase involves several discussions:

First Point: Al-Hayy (The Living) is a noun describing something possessing the attribute of life, and Al-Mayyit (The Dead) is a noun describing something devoid of the attribute of life. Based on this strict definition, plants would not be considered truly Hayy.

People have two main interpretations for Al-Hayy and Al-Mayyit here:

Interpretation 1: Literal Meaning. Ibn Abbas said: He brings forth a living human from the semen (a dead substance), and then brings forth semen (a dead substance) from the living human. Similarly, He brings forth a living chick from an egg (a dead substance), and then brings forth an egg (a dead substance) from the living hen. The purpose here is to show that the living and the dead are opposites and mutually exclusive. If the like produces the like, it suggests it is due to natural properties. However, when the opposite arises from the opposite, it must be due to the Decree of the Wise Planner and the Knowledgeable Manager.

Interpretation 2: Metaphorical Meanings. This interpretation includes the literal meaning but also metaphorical extensions:

1. Al-Zajjaj said: He brings forth green, fresh, moist vegetation (Hayy) from the dry seed (Mayyit), and He brings forth the dry (Mayyit) from the living, growing plant (Hayy).
2. Ibn Abbas said: He brings forth the believer (Hayy) from the disbeliever (Mayyit) (as with Abraham), and the disbeliever (Mayyit) from the believer (Hayy) (as with Noah's son). Also, the disobedient (Mayyit) from the obedient (Hayy), and vice versa.
3. Transformation of Harm to Benefit (and vice versa): Sometimes what is believed to cause great harm becomes the cause of great benefit, and vice versa.
   • Example from medicine: A person was given a large dose of opium intended to kill him. When he consumed it, the people moved him to a dark room, and a large snake emerged and bit him. That bite became the means to counteract the opium's harm, as opium kills by its cold power, while the viper's venom kills by its hot power. Thus, the bite caused the expulsion of the opium's harm. Great good arose from what was believed to be the greatest cause of evil. The reverse can also happen. All these varied states and interacting actions indicate that this universe has a Wise Manager who has not neglected the welfare of creation nor left them aimless. There are high and noble discussions beneath these points.

Second Point (Recitation Variant): Nafi', Hamzah, Al-Kisai, and Hafs (from Asim) recited {الْمَيِّتِ} (the dead) with a shaddah (doubling the 'y') in both instances. The rest recited it with a sukūn (no doubling) in both instances. This variation applies to all similar instances in the Qur'an.

Third Point (Grammatical Structure): Why did He say first {يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ} (He brings forth the living from the dead—verb form) and then {وَمُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتِ مِنَ الْحَيِّ} (and [He is] the bringer forth of the dead from the living—noun form)? Conjoining a noun (Ism) to a verb (Fi'l) is generally considered awkward.

Answer:

1. The phrase {وَمُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتِ مِنَ الْحَيِّ} is coordinated with {فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ} (The splitter of the grain and the pit). The phrase {يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ} acts as an explanation or clarification of {فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ}, because splitting the grain/pit to produce growing plants/trees is a form of bringing the living out of the dead, as the growing thing is treated like an animal in this context.
2. The verb form (يُخْرِجُ) indicates that the Agent is continuously engaged in that action at every moment and time. The noun form (مُخْرِجُ) does not convey renewal or constant attention hour by hour.
   • Al-Sheikh Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani provided an example in his book Dalā’il al-I‘jāz: In {هَلْ مِنْ خَالِقٍ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ} (Is there any creator other than Allah who provides for you from the heaven?), the verb {يَرْزُقُكُم} (He provides) is used because the verb form implies He provides moment by moment.
   • An example using the noun form is {وَكَلْبُهُم بَاسِطٌ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِالْوَصِيدِ} (And their dog stretching out his two forelegs). The noun {بَاسِطٌ} (stretching) implies remaining in that single state.

Since the living is more noble than the dead, the attention given to bringing the living out of the dead must be greater than the attention given to bringing the dead out of the living. Therefore, the first part is expressed with the verb form to indicate greater and more perfect attention to bringing forth the living from the dead, while the second part is expressed with the noun form. God knows best His intent.

This concluding part has two issues:

Issue 1: Meaning of Turning Away.

1. Some say it means: That is Allah, the Planner, the Creator, the Benefactor, the Harmer, the Giver of Life, the Giver of Death. {فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ} (So how are you turned away?) refers to the absurdity of affirming the worship of idols despite these facts.
2. Another view is that since they witnessed Him bringing the living from the dead, and bringing the dead from the living, and bringing the living body from the dead semen once, how can they deny that He can bring the living body from the decayed dust once more? The purpose is to rebuke them for denying the Resurrection (Al-Hashr wa Al-Nashr). Furthermore, since the two opposites (life and death) are equal in their relationship to God, just as the transition from one to the other is not impossible, the transition from the second to the first must also not be impossible. Just as death after life is not impossible, life after death must not be impossible. In either case, the permissibility of affirming the Resurrection is established.

Issue 2: Argument regarding Free Will (Qadar). Sahib ibn Abbad used this verse to argue that human actions are not created by God. He argued: If God created the turning away (ifk) in a person, how is it appropriate for God to then say, {فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ} (So how are you turned away [from the truth])?

Answer: The power regarding two opposites is equal (equally created by God). If one side is favored over the other without a specific favoring agent, then that preference is mere coincidence and not attributable to the servant. In that case, it would not be appropriate to say to him, {فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ}. However, if that favoring agent (the compelling call/attraction towards the action) depends on a specific cause, then the occurrence of that cause is from God. When that cause occurs, the action must follow. In that case, the same objection you raise against us applies to you. God knows best.

Al-An'am (The Cattle): Verse 96

{فَالِقُ الْإِصْبَاحِ} (The splitter of the dawn), {وَجَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ سَكَنًا} (and made the night a repose), {وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ حُسْبَانًا} (and the sun and the moon [as means for] calculation). {ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ} (That is the measure determined by the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing).