سُوْرَةُ يٰسٓ
Surah Yaseen (36) — Ayah 35
لِيَأْكُلُوا۟ مِن ثَمَرِهِۦ وَمَا عَمِلَتْهُ أَيْدِيهِمْ ۖ أَفَلَا يَشْكُرُونَ ﴿35﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
So that they may eat of the fruit thereof - and their hands made it not. Will they not, then, give thanks?
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
لِيَأْكُلُوا۟
liyakulū
That they may eat
مِن
min
of
ثَمَرِهِۦ
thamarihi
its fruit
وَمَا
wamā
And not
عَمِلَتْهُ
ʿamilathu
made it
أَيْدِيهِمْ ۖ
aydīhim
their hands
أَفَلَا
afalā
So will not
يَشْكُرُونَ
yashkurūna
they be grateful
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
35. So that they may eat of its fruit, though it was not their hands that made it. Will they not then give thanks?
[33]
The Different Meanings of ﴿وَمَا عَمِلَتْهُ أيْدِيْهِمْ﴾: The Human Share in Agricultural Produce:
If "ما" in ﴿وَمَا عَمِلَتْهُ أيْدِيْهِمْ﴾ is considered as "nafiya" (negating), then its meaning will be: It is not the work of man to create plants. All the elements that are active in the production of plants and fruits are all engaged in their respective tasks under the command of Allah; only then do plants come into existence, grow, blossom, and become sustenance for humans and other living beings. And if "ما" is considered as "mawsula" (relative), then it has two meanings: one is that although all the elements that bring plants into existence are created by Allah Almighty, still, there is some work that humans do as well. For example, man sows the seed, ploughs the field, irrigates the land, and takes care of the crop. But if he reflects, even this ability of man is a gift from Allah alone. And even after man does all this work, plants can only grow when the major resources of production support this insignificant effort of man. Therefore, gratitude to Allah is obligatory in every case.
The Origin of All Edible Things is Agricultural Produce:
And the second meaning is that whatever Allah Almighty has created, those are the original things; then man, by working on them, prepares some other necessary items. For example, Allah Almighty has created wheat, sugarcane, chickpeas, and milk. Now, man obtains some things from them individually, for example, bread and its varieties from wheat, jaggery, sugar, and refined sugar from sugarcane, and yogurt, butter, buttermilk, cream, and ghee from milk, etc. Then, by combining these things, he keeps making thousands of other things, and prepares various kinds of curries, pickles, chutneys, jams, sweets, etc. From many things, he makes his clothing necessities. This ability too has been granted to man by Allah alone. Therefore, in every situation, gratitude to Allah is obligatory.
[33]
The Different Meanings of ﴿وَمَا عَمِلَتْهُ أيْدِيْهِمْ﴾: The Human Share in Agricultural Produce:
If "ما" in ﴿وَمَا عَمِلَتْهُ أيْدِيْهِمْ﴾ is considered as "nafiya" (negating), then its meaning will be: It is not the work of man to create plants. All the elements that are active in the production of plants and fruits are all engaged in their respective tasks under the command of Allah; only then do plants come into existence, grow, blossom, and become sustenance for humans and other living beings. And if "ما" is considered as "mawsula" (relative), then it has two meanings: one is that although all the elements that bring plants into existence are created by Allah Almighty, still, there is some work that humans do as well. For example, man sows the seed, ploughs the field, irrigates the land, and takes care of the crop. But if he reflects, even this ability of man is a gift from Allah alone. And even after man does all this work, plants can only grow when the major resources of production support this insignificant effort of man. Therefore, gratitude to Allah is obligatory in every case.
The Origin of All Edible Things is Agricultural Produce:
And the second meaning is that whatever Allah Almighty has created, those are the original things; then man, by working on them, prepares some other necessary items. For example, Allah Almighty has created wheat, sugarcane, chickpeas, and milk. Now, man obtains some things from them individually, for example, bread and its varieties from wheat, jaggery, sugar, and refined sugar from sugarcane, and yogurt, butter, buttermilk, cream, and ghee from milk, etc. Then, by combining these things, he keeps making thousands of other things, and prepares various kinds of curries, pickles, chutneys, jams, sweets, etc. From many things, he makes his clothing necessities. This ability too has been granted to man by Allah alone. Therefore, in every situation, gratitude to Allah is obligatory.
