The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5) — Page 508
CH. 95 سورة التين مكية ٩٥ ركوعها (AT-TİN) 1. "In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. 4776 2. By the Fig and the Olive, 3. And by 'Mount Sinai. 4777 4. And by this Security,4778 City of 9 PT. 30 بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَالتِّيْنِ وَالزَّيْتُونِ وَطُورِ سِينِينَ وَهُذَا الْبَلَدِ الْأَمِينِ 4776. Commentary: See 1:1. "See 1:1. 52:2. 90:2. being 4777. Commentary: See next verse. The word in the plural shows that there are several mountains of this name in that region. On one of these God manifested Himself to Moses. 4778. Commentary. The Fig, the Olive, Mount Sinai and "this City of Security" have been invoked as witnesses to support and substantiate the claim made in the Surah that the Holy Prophet will succeed in his mission. Various views have been expressed as to what is meant by these things and how they support the above-mentioned claim. Here are some of these views: 1. "The Fig" and "the Olive" are symbolic of Jesus, "Mount Sinai" of Moses; and "this City of Security" of the Holy Prophet. These three verses together point to the well-known Biblical reference, viz. "The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir with them; and He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints: from His right hand went a fiery law for them. (Deut. 33:2). 2. "The Fig" is symbolic of the Mosaic Dispensation and "the Olive" of the Islamic Dispensation. In the Bible good people and the bad among the Israelites have been likened to two baskets of good and bad figs (Jer. chap. 24:1-5); and in the Quran Islamic teaching has been likened to "the oil of a blessed olive tree which is neither of the East nor of the West" (24:36). This simile has been further expressed in more concrete form by the words "Mount Sinai" and "this City of Security. " The simile is very apt, since "the Fig" and "the Olive" are both used as medicines and as articles of food, with this difference that the former tastes sweet but rots very soon while the latter is used as fruit, its oil is in general use and when mixed with condiments it preserves and protects pickled articles 3404