His words, exalted is He: “It is He who has brought into being”: that is, originated. “Gardens”: orchards. “Trellised and untrellised”: that is, raised up and supported, and not raised up. Ibn Abbas said: “Trellised refers to that which spreads out across the surface of the earth and extends, of plants that are trained on trellises, such as grapevines, gourds, watermelons, and the like. Untrellised refers to that which stands upon a stem and grows tall, such as date palms, crops, and all other trees.”

Al-Dahhak said: Both refer specifically to grapevines: some are trained on trellises, while others are not.

“And date palms and crops”: that is, He brought forth date palms and crops, “varied in their produce”—in their fruit and taste; some are sweet, some sour, some good, and some inferior. “And olives and pomegranates, alike”: alike in appearance, “yet unlike”: unlike in taste. Thus, two pomegranates may have the same colour yet differ in taste. “Eat of their fruit when they bear fruit”: this is a command of permission.

“And give its due on the day of harvest”: the reciters of Basra, Ibn Amir, and Asim recited “harvest” with an a-vowel on its initial letter, while the others recited it with an i-vowel. Both have the same meaning, like the synonymous paired forms ṣirām and ṣarām, and jizāz and jazāz.

They differed concerning this due. Ibn Abbas, Tawus, al-Hasan, Jabir ibn Zayd, and Said ibn al-Musayyib said: It is the obligatory zakat: one tenth or half of one tenth.

Ali ibn al-Husayn, Ata, Mujahid, Hammad, and al-Hakam said: It is a due upon wealth apart from zakat, which Allah commanded to be given, because the verse is Makkan, whereas zakat was prescribed in Madinah.

Ibrahim said: It is the handful. Al-Rabi said: It is the gleanings from the ears of grain.

Mujahid said: “At the time of harvest, they would hang (1) a cluster of dates, from which anyone passing by would eat.”

Yazid ibn al-Asamm said: “When the people of Madinah harvested their dates, they would bring a cluster and hang it at the side of the mosque. A needy person would come and strike it with his stick, so that some would fall from it for him to take.”

Said ibn Jubayr said: “This was a due that people were commanded to give in the early days of Islam; then it was abrogated by the obligation of one tenth.”

Miqsam narrated from Ibn Abbas: “Zakat abrogated every command to spend in the Quran.”

“And do not be wasteful, for He does not love the wasteful.” It was said that what is meant by wastefulness is giving away all of it. Ibn Abbas said, in al-Kalbi’s narration: Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas harvested five hundred date palms and distributed all of them in a single day, leaving nothing for his family. Thereupon Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse. (2)