resemble them, from which they eat—that is, from the grain.

“And We placed therein gardens of palm trees and grapevines, and We caused springs to gush forth therein, (34) so that they might eat of its fruit and of what their hands have made. Will they not then give thanks? (35) Glory be to Him who created all kinds: what the earth produces, their own selves, and what they do not know. (36) And a sign for them is the night: We strip the day away from it, and behold, they are in darkness. (37) And the sun runs on toward its appointed resting place. That is the ordaining of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.” (38)

“And We placed therein gardens,” meaning orchards, “of palm trees and grapevines, and We caused springs to gush forth therein”—that is, in the earth.

“So that they might eat of its fruit,” that is, of the fruit produced by the water, “and of what their hands have made.” Hamzah, al-Kisa’i, and Abu Bakr recited “what their hands have made” without the final pronoun, while the others recited it with the pronoun. According to the latter reading, the meaning is: they eat of that which their hands have made—the crops and plantings. The pronoun refers back to “what,” in the sense of “that which.”

It was also said that “what” is negative in the phrase “what their hands have made”; that is, they found these things already made, while their hands had not made them, nor had they played any part in their making. This is the interpretation of al-Dahhak and Muqatil.

It was also said that this refers to the springs and rivers which no created hand has made, such as the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Nile, and others like them.

“Will they not then give thanks” for Allah’s blessing?

“Glory be to Him who created all kinds,” that is, all categories: “what the earth produces,” such as fruits and grains; “and their own selves,” meaning males and females; “and what they do not know,” among the things He has created, including the creatures of land and sea.

“And a sign for them,” demonstrating Our power, “is the night: We strip”—that is, remove and peel away—“the day from it, and behold, they are in darkness,” entering into darkness. Its meaning is that We take away the day and bring the night. This is because darkness is the original state, and the day enters upon it; when the sun sets, the day is stripped away from the night, and darkness appears. ⦗92/b⦘

“And the sun runs on toward its appointed resting place,” that is, toward its resting place: the end of its course when this world comes to an end and the Hour is established.

It was also said that it travels until it reaches the furthest point of its setting, then returns; that is its resting place, because it does not go beyond it.

It was also said that its resting place is the height of its ascent in the sky during summer and the limit of its descent during winter. It is authentically reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he said: “Its resting place is beneath the Throne.”