6. [al-Anam, Cattle, Mecca 55]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَهُوَ
الَّذِيَ
أَنشَأَكُم
مِّن
نَّفْسٍ
وَاحِدَةٍ
...
6: 98. It is He who hath produced you from a single person:
C923. Produced: ansha'a = made you grow, increase, develop, reach maturity: another of the processes of creation. This supplements n. 120 to 2:117 and n.916 to 6:94.
It is one of the wonders of Allah's Creation, that from one person we have grown to be so many, and each individual has so many faculties and capacities, and yet we are all one.
In the next verse we have the allegory of grapes and other fruits: all grapes may be similar to look at, yet each variety has a distinctive flavour and other distinctive qualities, and each individual grape may have its own special qualities. So for man.
... فَمُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمُسْتَوْدَعٌ...
here is a place of sojourn and a place of departure:
C924. In the sojourn of this life we must respond to Allah's hand in fashioning us, by making full use of all our faculties, and we must get ready for our departure into the Life that will be eternal.
...قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَفْقَهُونَ ﴿٩٨﴾
We detail Our signs for people who understand.
وَهُوَ
الَّذِيَ
أَنزَلَ
مِنَ
السَّمَاء
مَاء...
6: 99. It is He who sendeth down rain from the skies:
C925. Our allegory now brings us to maturity, the fruit, the harvest, the vintage.
Through the seed we came up from nothingness to life; we lived our daily life of rest and work and passed the mile-stones of time; we had the spiritual experience of traversing through vast spaces in the spiritual world, guiding our course through the star of Faith; we grew; and now for the harvest or the vintage!
How satisfied the grower must be when the golden grain is harvested in heaps or in vintage gathered! So will man if he has produced the fruits of Faith!
...فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ نَبَاتَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ...
with it We produce vegetation of all kinds:
...فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهُ خَضِرًا نُّخْرِجُ مِنْهُ حَبًّا مُّتَرَاكِبًا...
from some We produce green (crops), out of which We produce grain, heaped up (at harvest);
...وَمِنَ النَّخْلِ مِن طَلْعِهَا قِنْوَانٌ دَانِيَةٌ...
out of the date-palm and its sheaths (or spathes) (come) clusters of dates hanging low and near:
...وَجَنَّاتٍ مِّنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُشْتَبِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ...
and (then there are) gardens of grapes, and olives, and pomegranates,
each similar (in kind) yet different (in variety):
C926. Each fruit- whether it is grapes, or olives, or pomegranates, -looks alike in its species, and yet each variety may be different in flavour, consistency, shape, size, colour, juice or oil contents, proportion of seed to fruit, etc. In each variety, individuals may be different and yet equally valuable!
...انظُرُواْ إِلِى ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَيَنْعِهِ...
when they begin to bear fruit, and the ripeness thereof.
C927. And so we finish this wonderful allegory.
Search through the world's literature, and see if you can find another such song or hymn, -so fruity in its literary flavour, so profound in its spiritual meaning!
...إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكُمْ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٩٩﴾
Behold! in these things there are signs for people who believe.
C928. There is a refrain in this song, which is subtly varied. In verse 97 it is:
"We detail our Signs for people who know."
So far we were speaking of the things we see around us every day Knowledge is the appropriate instrument for these things.
In verse 98 we read:
"We detail Our Signs for people who understand."
Understanding is a higher faculty than knowledge, and is necessary for seeing the mystery and meaning of this life.
At the end of verse 99 we have:
"In these things there are Signs for people who believe."
Here we are speaking of the real fruits of spiritual Life. For them Faith is necessary, as bringing us nearer to Allah.
6: 98 And He it is who has brought you [all] into being out of one living entity, and [ has appointed for each of you] a time –limit [on earth] and a resting place [after death]: clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages unto people who can grasp the truth! Asad, see note 82,83.
6: 99
Asad And He it is who has caused waters to come down from the sky; and by this means have We brought forth all living growth, and out of this have We brought forth verdure [note 84]…….
Pickthall He it is Who send down water from the sky, and therewith We bring forth buds of every kind; We bring forth the green blade from which we bring forth the thick clustered grain; and from the date palm, from the pollen thereof, spring pendant bunches; and (We bring forth) gardens of grapes, and the olive and the pomegranate, alike and unlike. Look upon the fruit thereof, when they bear fruit, and upon its ripening. Lo! herein verily are portents for a people who believe.
Transliteration Wa huwal lazi anzala minas sama_'i ma_'a(n), fa akhrajna_ bihi naba_ta kulli syai'in fa akhrajna_ minhu khadiran nukhriju minhu habbam mutara_kiba_(n), wa minan nakhli min tal'iha_ qinwa_nun da_niyatuw wa janna_tim min a'na_biw waz zaitu_na war rumma_na musytabihaw wa gaira mutasya_bih(in), unzuru_ ila_ samarihi iza_ asmara wa yan'ih(i), inna fi za_likum la'a_ya_til liqaumiy yu'minu_n(a).
[[Asad’s note 84 - …..the whole of the above sentence is expressed in the past tense – thus indicating, obliquely, the original, basic aspect of God’s creating life “out of water” (cf. 21:30 and the corresponding note 39).
[[ Ali’s notes 926 Each fruit- whether it is grapes, or olives, or pomegranates, -looks alike in its species, and yet each variety may be different in flavor, consistency, shape, size, color, juice or oil contents, proportion of seed to fruit, etc. In each variety, individuals may be different and yet equally valuable! (6.99)
927 And so we finish this wonderful allegory. Search through the world's literature, and see if you can find another such song or hymn, -so fruity in its literary flavor, so profound in its spiritual meaning! (6.99)
928 There is a refrain in this song, which is subtly varied. In verse 97 it is: " We detail our Signs for people who know." Se far we were speaking of the things we see around us every day Knowledge is the appropriate instrument for these things. In verse 98 we read: "We detail Our Signs for people who understand." Understanding is a highter faculty than knowledge, and is necessary for seeing the mystery and meaning of this life. At the end of verse 99 we have: "In these things there are Signs for people who believe." Here we are speaking of the real fruits of spiritual Life. For them Faith is necessary, as bringing us nearer to God. (6.99) ]]
Edip Yuksel
015:026 Creation "from" clay has two meanings. (1) clay as the substance of origin, and (2) clay as a place of origin. Both meanings could be true at the same time, though we learn from other verses that clay is not the only substance used in our creation; water too is a vital ingredient. Our Creator started the biological evolution of microscopic organisms within layers of clay. Recent scientific research led some scientists to consider clay as the origin of life, since clay is a porous network of atoms arranged geodesically within octahedral and tetrahedral forms. This design creates sliding and flexible layers that catalyze chemical reactions. Humans are the most advanced fruits of organic life started millions years ago from layers of clay. See 29:18-20; 41:9-10; 7:69; 24:45; 32:7-9; 71:14-17.
015:029 The word ruh, does not mean soul or spirit, as commonly thought. In the terminology of the Quran ruh means revelation, inspiration, information, or commands. The word nafs is used to mean person or consciousness (39:42). If we try to describe the human genetic makeup and the program etched into the brain in computer language, it is like a piece of hardware that facilitates communication, processing, analysis and synthesis of information through an intelligent system program containing God's knowledge/commands/code/logic (ruh) in its core. Person (nafs) is analogous to an open system program that can be improved through new application programs, addition of new features, and memory (experience) data. This system program (person) can be put in hibernation (sleep), or terminated by the turning off of the switch, or by the destruction of its essential hardware (death) (39:42; 21:35; 29:57; 2:28; 10:56; 32:11; 45:15).