poetry, and at another, a fabrication. Thus, their affair was confused and unclear to them.

“Have they not looked at the heaven above them—how We built it and adorned it, leaving it without any flaws? And the earth—We spread it out and cast upon it firmly set mountains, and caused to grow in it every delightful kind, as a source of insight and a reminder for every servant who turns to Allah. And We sent down from the sky blessed water, with which We brought forth gardens and grain to be harvested, and lofty palm trees with clustered fruit-stalks, as provision for the servants. And by it We gave life to a dead land. Such is the emergence from the graves.” (6–11)

He then pointed out to them His power, saying: “Have they not looked at the heaven above them—how We built it,” without pillars; “and adorned it,” with stars; “leaving it without any flaws,” that is, without cracks, fissures, or splits. The singular of this is a flaw.

“And the earth—We spread it out”: We spread it over the surface of the water. “And cast upon it firmly set mountains”: fixed mountains. “And caused to grow in it every delightful kind”: beautiful and noble kinds that bring delight—that is, which please.

“As a source of insight” [that is, We made it a source of insight] (1) “and a reminder”: that is, giving insight and reminding “for every servant who turns to Allah”—so that he may perceive thereby and take heed thereby.

“And We sent down from the sky blessed water”: abundant in goodness and containing life for every living thing; that is, rain. “With which We brought forth gardens and grain to be harvested”: namely wheat, barley, and all other grains that are harvested. Thus, He annexed grain to harvest, though they are one and the same, owing to the difference in wording, just as one says, “the congregational mosque” and “the first Rabīʿ.” It was also said that “the grain of the harvest” means the grain of the harvested plant (2).

“And lofty palm trees”: Mujahid, Ikrimah, and Qatadah said: tall. It is said, “The palm tree basaqat (grew tall)” (3), when it becomes tall. Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: evenly grown. “With fruit-stalks”: that is, fruit and yield; it is called so because it emerges. The ṭalʿ is the first thing to appear before it splits open (4). “Clustered”: layered and heaped together, with some parts piled upon others within their sheaths. Once it emerges from its sheaths, it is no longer clustered.

“As provision for the servants”: that is, We made them provision for the servants. “And by it We gave life”—that is, by the rain—“to a dead land”: We caused pasture vegetation to grow in it. “Such is the emergence”: from the graves.