Surah Ar-Ra'd (13) — Ayah 4

(Ayah 4) ➊ {وَ فِي الْاَرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُّتَجٰوِرٰتٌ … : ’’ قِطَعٌ ‘‘ ’’قِطْعَةٌ‘‘} is the plural, meaning pieces. {’’ مُتَجٰوِرٰتٌ ‘‘ ’’جِوَارٌ ‘‘} (neighborhood) is the active participle from the form "tafā‘ul," meaning all the land is not the same; some pieces are fertile, some are saline, some are soft, some are rocky, and all these plots are side by side. Now, in this same land, in some area, one kind of crop and fruit grows, in another, another kind, and in it are vineyards (and other fruit gardens) (see the conciseness of the Qur’an that by mentioning only grapes, the rest of the gardens are left to the listener’s understanding), and there are crops (which includes every crop), and there are two types of date palms ({’’ صِنْوَانٌ ‘‘ ’’صِنْوٌ‘‘} is the plural, and the dual is also the same; its original meaning is "like," as it is said: {’’عَمُّ الرَّجُلِ صِنْوُ أَبِيْهِ‘‘} meaning a man’s uncle is like his father. If the trunk of the date palm is single at the bottom and from above, several trunks emerge from it, then it is {’’ صِنْوَانٌ ‘‘}, and if it remains a single trunk, then it is {’’ غَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍ ‘‘}). The same applies to other such trees, which can be understood. All are irrigated with the same water, yet from the same land and the same water, some fruit is bitter, some sweet, some tasteless, some delicious, and some even more delightful. Then see, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّوَجَلَّ خَلَقَ آدَمَ مِنْ قُبْضَةٍ قَبَضَهَا مِنْ جَمِيْعِ الْاَرْضِ فَجَاءَ بَنُوْ آدَمَ عَلٰي قَدْرِ الْأَرْضِ جَاءَ مِنْهُمُ الْأَبْيَضُ وَالْأَحْمَرُ وَالْأَسْوَدُ وَبَيْنَ ذٰلِكَ الْخَبِيْثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ وَالسَّهْلُ وَالْحَزْنُ وَبَيْنَ ذٰلِكَ ] [ مسند أحمد : 400/4، ح : ۱۹۶۰۱۔ ترمذی : ۲۹۵۵۔ أبوداوٗد : ۴۶۹۳، و صححہ الألبانی ] "To create Adam (peace be upon him), Allah Almighty took a handful from the entire surface of the earth (in which there was white, black, red of every color, and soft, hard, saline, fertile of every kind of soil), and the children of Adam are accordingly: some white, some red, some black, some in between, some wicked, some good, some soft, some hard, and some in between." From the same earth, the same water, the same father, and from his seed, countless diverse humans were created.

➋ { اِنَّ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰيٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَّعْقِلُوْنَ :} It is evident that there is a master craftsman and a fully powerful manager by whose doing all this is happening; the Qur’an has mentioned these arguments at various places. For those who use reason, there are countless signs in this, and for those who do not use reason, there is no sign.