Tafsir of An-Nazi'at 79:31

Surah An-Nazi'at (79): Verse 31

{أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا} (He brought forth from it its water and its pasture.)

This is the second attribute [mentioned after the Earth was spread out]. It contains two issues:

{مَاءَهَا} (Its water) refers to its gushing springs. {وَمَرْعَاهَا} (And its pasture) refers to the place of grazing (ra‘yuhā). Originally, it denotes the place of grazing.

The nouns al-ard (the earth) and al-jibāl (the mountains) are in the accusative case (mansūb) due to the implied verb dahā (spread out) and arsā (firmly set), based on the principle of interpretation (tafsīr). Al-Hasan read them in the nominative case (marfū‘) as subjects of a nominal sentence.

If one asks: Why was the conjunction particle wāw (and) not included with akhraja (He brought forth)? The answer is twofold:

1. The meaning of {دَحَاهَا} (He spread it out) is that He leveled and prepared it for habitation. This preparation is then explained by what is essential for inhabitation: establishing the means of drinking and eating (by bringing forth water and pasture), and securing stability by firmly setting the mountains as stakes so that the Earth and its inhabitants become settled.
2. The clause {أَخْرَجَ} (He brought forth) is in the circumstantial mood (hāl). The implied meaning is: "And after that, He spread out the Earth, while He had brought forth from it its water and its pasture."

The intended meaning of {مَرْعَاهَا} is what people and livestock eat.

This is analogous to His statement in Surah An-Nahl:

{He sends down water from the sky, and thereby We produce for you sustenance: from it is drink, and from it is the vegetation in which you graze [your herds].} (An-Nahl: 10)

And in another Surah:

{Indeed, We pour down water in abundance, then We split the earth a splitting, until We cause to grow forth from it grain, and grapes and rich vegetation, and olives and palm trees, and dense gardens, and fruits and fodder—a provision for you and your livestock.} (Abasa: 25-32)

Similarly, in this verse, {مَرْعَاهَا} encompasses all provisions. The term ra‘y (grazing) is metaphorically extended to humans, just as irtia‘ (grazing/roaming freely) is used for humans in the verse: {يَرْتَعْ وَيَلْعَبْ} (He may graze and play) (Yusuf: 12). A variant reading exists for nartai‘ (we graze) from the root ra‘y.

Ibn Qutaybah stated that Allah says: {وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ} (And We made from water every living thing) (Al-Anbiya: 30).

Observe how by mentioning {مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا} (Its water and its pasture), the verse indicates everything that Allah brings forth from the earth as sustenance and provision for mankind: grass, trees, grains, fruits, fodder, firewood, clothing, medicine, and even fire and salt.

• Fire: There is no doubt that it originates from wood, as Allah says: {Have you seen the fire which you ignite? Did you cause its tree to grow, or did We cause it to grow?} (Al-Waqi‘ah: 71-72).
• Salt: It is undoubtedly generated from water.

If you reflect deeply, you will realize that everything by which people enjoy themselves and find pleasure in this world ultimately originates from water and vegetation. This is why these two elements are frequently mentioned when describing Paradise: {جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ} (Gardens beneath which rivers flow) (Al-Baqarah: 25).

Furthermore, what confirms that the Almighty intended by {الْمَرْعَى} everything that people and livestock eat is His statement at the end of this section: {مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ} (A provision for you and your livestock).

{وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَاهَا * مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ} (And the mountains He firmly set, A provision for you and your livestock.)