In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent

Say: “All praise be to God, and peace be upon His servants whom He has chosen. Who is more worthy: God or the false (deities) they associate with Him?

“Or, who is it that has created the heavens and the earth, and sends down for you water from the skies, with which We cause to grow gardens of delightful beauty? You could have never caused such trees to grow. Could there be any deity alongside God? Nay, they are people who swerve from justice.

(The Ants; Al-Naml: 27: 59-60)

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb

The first verse, which was the subject of our commentary last week, puts a question to the idolaters about God the Creator and the false deities which they claim to be His partners. However, this question can have only one answer. Therefore, the surah puts to them a different question, derived from the nature of the universe around them and what they see of it: “Or, who is it that has created the heavens and the earth, and sends down for you water from the skies, with which We cause to grow gardens of delightful beauty? You could have never caused such trees to grow. Could there be any deity alongside God? Nay, they are people who swerve from justice.”

The heavens and the earth are undeniable facts, but no one can claim that any alleged deities have created them, when such deities are nothing but statues, angels, devils, stars or planets. Simple facts are enough to show the fallacy of such a claim. None of the idolaters in Arabia made the absurd claim, advanced by latter-day unbelievers, that the universe came into existence by itself. Hence, reminding people of the existence of the heavens and earth, and directing them to reflect on who had created them, was sufficient to prove the case of faith and show unbelief as truly absurd. This question, however, remains valid. The creation of the heavens and earth in the way they are, with deliberate planning clearly evident, could have never come about by blind coincidence. Indeed the perfect harmony apparent in the heavens and the earth, which could never have happened by itself, forces any thinking person to acknowledge that it is all the work of the One and only God. Indeed, God’s oneness is evident through His work which clearly shows that there is one harmonious design running throughout the universe, with single nature and direction. Hence, it must have been made by one originator whose aim is clear in everything He creates and designs.

“Or, who is it that... sends down for you water from the skies, with which We cause to grow gardens of delightful beauty? You could have never caused such trees to grow.” (Verse 60) Rain is also a clear undeniable fact that cannot be explained in anyway other than acknowledging the Creator of the heavens and earth in accordance with a system that permits the sending down of rain, in its set quantities that allow the emergence of life as it is. Nothing of this could have come about by coincidence. Nor is it possible that coincidences should be arranged in such a meticulous order which takes into account the needs of living species, especially man. It is because of meeting such special needs that the Qur’an uses the phrase “sends down for you...” The Qur’an directs people’s attention to the fine effects of sending rain in suitable measure that meets their needs: “With which We cause to grow gardens of delightful beauty.” (Verse 60)

Gardens make hearts warm up with vigor and activity. Looking at natural beauty in gardens is enough to bring such hearts alive. To contemplate aspects of creation in gardens is sufficient to make a person glorify the Maker of such inimitable beauty. Indeed the best artists fall short of being able to produce and match the colors of a single flower. The use of shades of the same colors, the intricate lines and the arrangement of little leaves within the same flower appears to be a miracle that defies the ingenuity of all art. Add all this to the growing miracle in trees, which is the secret that the human mind cannot fathom: “You could have never caused such trees to grow.” For certain, the secret of life remains unknown to all humanity. Up to this moment in time, no one can say how life started and how it was attached to plants, animals and people. To have a proper answer, we need to refer to some source beyond our visible world.

When the surah dwells on life growing in delightful gardens, and thus heightening interest and causing listeners to reflect, it surprises them with the question: “Could there be any deity alongside God?” No one will claim that there is. All will have to admit the fact. Hence, their attitude which equates their alleged deities with God and requires their worship on equal footing: “Nay, they are people who swerve from justice.”

The Arabic word yaadilun used in this verse to describe these people has two meanings. The first means “to equate”, which renders the sentence as “Nay, they are people who equate,” meaning equating others with God in addressing their worship to them. The other meaning, which we have chosen in our translation, is “to swerve from justice.” Thus, by associating others with God in their worship they actually swerve from justice because God is the only One worthy of worship as He is the only Creator. Whichever meaning we choose makes their action singular.

The surah then highlights another universal truth, putting it in front of their eyes: “Or, who is it that made the earth a stable abode and caused rivers to run in its midst, and has set upon it firm mountains, and has placed a barrier between the two great bodies of water? Could there be any deity alongside God? Nay, most of them are devoid of knowledge.”

This verse will be discussed in detail next week, God willing.