Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (835)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(63–67) “Have you considered what you sow? Is it you who make it grow, or are We the Grower? If We willed, We could reduce it to chaff, leaving you to lament: ‘We have indeed suffered a crushing loss! Rather, we have been deprived!’”

This is a favor from Him to His servants, by which He calls them to affirm His oneness, worship Him, and turn to Him in repentance. He has blessed them by making it easy for them to cultivate crops and fruit trees, from which emerge staple foods, provisions, and fruits that fulfill needs, necessities, and interests too numerous for them even to count—let alone give thanks for them and render what is due for them. He therefore called upon them to acknowledge His favor, saying: “Is it you who make it grow, or are We the Grower?” That is: Did you cause it to sprout as a plant from the earth? Are you the ones who made it grow? Are you the ones who brought forth its ears and fruit until it became grain ready for harvest and ripe fruit? Or is it Allah alone who did all this and thereby bestowed His favor upon you?

The utmost you can do is till the earth, break it open, and cast seed into it. After that, you have no knowledge of what will happen, nor do you have the power to do anything further. Moreover, He alerted them that this cultivation would remain exposed to danger were it not for Allah’s protection and His preserving it for them as sustenance and benefit for a time.

He therefore said: “If We willed, We could reduce it”—meaning the cultivated crop and the fruits it contains—“to chaff,” that is, broken fragments containing neither benefit nor provision; “leaving you,” after it had been reduced to chaff and after you had labored over it and incurred great expense, “to lament”—meaning that you would regret and grieve over what had befallen you, while your joy, delight, and enjoyment vanished. You would say: “We have indeed suffered a crushing loss!” That is, we have suffered loss and been struck by a disaster that swept everything away.

You would then realize where the blow had come from and why calamity had befallen you, and you would say: “Rather, we have been deprived!” Praise Allah Most High, therefore, for making it grow for you, then preserving it and bringing it to completion for you without sending upon it blights that would deprive you of its benefit and goodness.

﴿٦٣-٦٧﴾ ﴿أَفَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا تَحْرُثُونَ * أَأَنْتُمْ تَزْرَعُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الزَّارِعُونَ * لَوْ نَشَاءُ لَجَعَلْنَاهُ حُطَامًا فَظَلْتُمْ تَفَكَّهُونَ * إِنَّا لَمُغْرَمُونَ * بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ﴾ . وهذا امتنان منه على عباده، يدعوهم به إلى توحيده وعبادته والإنابة إليه، حيث أنعم عليهم بما يسره لهم من الحرث للزروع والثمار، فتخرج من ذلك من الأقوات والأرزاق والفواكه، ما هو من ضروراتهم وحاجاتهم ومصالحهم، التي لا يقدرون أن يحصوها، فضلا عن شكرها، وأداء حقها، فقررهم بمنته، فقال: ﴿أَأَنْتُمْ تَزْرَعُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الزَّارِعُونَ﴾ أي: أأنتم أخرجتموه نباتا من الأرض؟ أم أنتم الذين نميتموه؟ أم أنتم الذين أخرجتم سنبله وثمره حتى صار حبا حصيدا وثمرا نضيجا؟ أم الله الذي انفرد بذلك وحده، وأنعم به عليكم؟ وأنتم غاية ما تفعلون أن تحرثوا الأرض وتشقوها وتلقوا فيها البذر، ثم بعد ذلك لا علم عندكم بما يكون بعد ذلك، ولا قدرة لكم على أكثر من ذلك ومع ذلك، فنبههم على أن ذلك الحرث معرض للأخطار لولا حفظ الله وإبقاؤه لكم بلغة ومتاعا إلى حين. فقال: ﴿لَوْ نَشَاءُ لَجَعَلْنَاهُ﴾ أي: الزرع المحروث وما فيه من الثمار ﴿حُطَامًا﴾ أي: فتاتا متحطما، لا نفع فيه ولا رزق، ﴿فَظَلْتُمْ﴾ أي: فصرتم بسبب جعله حطاما، بعد أن تعبتم فيه وأنفقتم النفقات الكثيرة ﴿تَفَكَّهُونَ﴾ أي: تندمون وتحسرون على ما أصابكم، ويزول بذلك فرحكم وسروركم وتفكهكم، فتقولون: ﴿إِنَّا لَمُغْرَمُونَ﴾ أي: إنا قد نقصنا وأصابتنا مصيبة اجتاحتنا. ثم تعرفون بعد ذلك من أين أتيتم، وبأي سبب دهيتم، فتقولون: ﴿بَلْ نَحْنُ مَحْرُومُونَ﴾ فاحمدوا الله تعالى حيث زرعه الله لكم، ثم أبقاه وكمله لكم، ولم يرسل عليه من الآفات ما به تحرمون نفعه وخيره.