The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 443
CH. 16 يُنْبِتُ لَكُمْ بِهِ الزَّرْعَ وَالزَّيْتُونَ PT. 14 AN-NAHL 12. "Therewith He grows corn for you, and the olive and the date-palm, and the grapes, and b وَالنَّخِيلَ وَالْاَعْنَابَ وَمِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرَتِ اِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَا يَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ all kinds of fruits. Surely, in that لَآيَةً is a Sign for a people who reflect. 1813 "6:100; 13:5. really very strange that God should have omitted to fix a great object for man's creation or should have neglected to provide means for the fulfilment of that object. This subject has been further developed in the next verse. 1813. Commentary: The preceding verse referred to rain which supplied man with drink and helped to grow such plants as feed animals which serve him. In this verse mention has been made of such plants as are used by man himself as food, staples, condiments or dessert. Thus it draws attention to the fact that not only animals but also plants have been created for man and are engaged in serving him. The verse also points to the great truth that the power of making plants grow might be latent in the soil, but it does not come into play unless the soil receives water from heaven. Even so a man may possess most excellent faculties but he cannot develop them without the help of Divine revelation. To base man's spiritual development upon his intellect and natural powers alone is like saying that the earth can grow plants without the help of water. The truth is that just as land, however fertile and rich in soil, cannot grow anything without water, similarly human intellect cannot rise to its full spiritual stature without the help of Divine revelation. The verse also meets a very popular question that may arise here: What new things does a Prophet bring and where is the need of any new Messenger when all the truths that he is supposed to teach are embedded in human nature? It says that the mere existence of a certain thing and its development and growth are separate things. Just as the latent powers of the soil to grow vegetation remain undeveloped and its richness combined with the soundness of the 1651 two seed that is thrown on it fails to produce anything without the help of water, and latent similarly the inherent powers and faculties of man fail to find their real development and growth without the help of Divine revelation. Another point worthy of note in this verse is the order observed in the description of the advantages derived by man from animals and plants. In the case of animals mention was made first of those animals which are used as human food and next of those which serve other purposes (vv. 6, 9).