20:54 Taa-Haa (Taa-Haa)

{ كُلُوا وَارْعَوْا أَنْعَامَكُمْ } وسياقها على وجه الامتنان، ليدل ذلك على أن الأصل في جميع النوابت الإباحة، فلا يحرم منهم إلا ما كان مضرا، كالسموم ونحوه. { إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي النُّهَى } أي: لذوي العقول الرزينة، والأفكار المستقيمة على فضل الله وإحسانه، ورحمته، وسعة جوده، وتمام عنايته، وعلى أنه الرب المعبود، المالك المحمود، الذي لا يستحق العبادة سواه، ولا الحمد والمدح والثناء، إلا من امتن بهذه النعم، وعلى أنه على كل شيء قدير، فكما أحيا الأرض بعد موتها، إن ذلك لمحيي الموتى. وخص الله أولي النهى بذلك، لأنهم المنتفعون بها، الناظرون إليها نظر اعتبار، وأما من عداهم، فإنهم بمنزلة البهائم السارحة، والأنعام السائمة، لا ينظرون إليها نظر اعتبار، ولا تنفذ بصائرهم إلى المقصود منها، بل حظهم، حظ البهائم، يأكلون ويشربون، وقلوبهم لاهية، وأجسامهم معرضة. { وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ آيَةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ }

"كلوا وارعوا انعامكم" أي شيء لطعامكم وفاكهتكم وشيء لأنعامكم لأقواتها خضرا ويبسا إن في ذلك لآيات أي لدلالات وحجج وبراهين "لأولي النهي" أي لذوي العقول السليمة المستقيمة على أنه لا إله إلا الله ولا رب سواه.

The Completion of Musa's Reply to Fir`awn

This is from the completion of Musa's speech concerning the description of His Lord when Fir`awn asked him about Him. He (Musa) said,

الَّذِى أَعْطَى كُلَّ شَىءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَى

(He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright.) Then, Fir`awn attempted to present some argumentative rebuttal during Musa's reply. Yet, Musa continued by saying, "He is the One Who made the earth as a bed for you." Some recited the word as Mihadan and others recited it as Mahdan, which means `a place of rest that you settle down upon.' It also may mean `that which you stand upon, sleep upon or travel upon its back.'

وَسَلَكَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلاً

(and has opened ways for you therein.) This means, `He made roads for you to walk upon their shoulders.' This is just as He, the Exalted, said,

وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجاً سُبُلاً لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ

(And placed therein broad highways for them to pass through, that they may be guided.) 21:31

وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجاً مِّن نَّبَـتٍ شَتَّى

(and has sent down water from the sky. And We have brought forth with it various kinds of vegetation.) referring to the various species of plants, such as vegetation and fruits. Some are sour, some are sweet, some are bitter and there are other kinds as well.

كُلُواْ وَارْعَوْا أَنْعَـمَكُمْ

(Eat and pasture your cattle (therein);) meaning, `something that is food for you and a palatable fruit for you, and something that is for your cattle as fodder for them, both green and dry.'

إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لأيَـتٍ

(Verily, in this are Ayat.) This means proofs, signs and evidences.

لاٌّوْلِى النُّهَى

(for men of understanding.) meaning those who possess correct and upright intelligence realizing that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, and there is no true Lord other than Him.

مِنْهَا خَلَقْنَـكُمْ وَفِيهَا نُعِيدُكُمْ وَمِنْهَا نُخْرِجُكُمْ تَارَةً أُخْرَى

(Thereof We created you, and into it we shall return you, and from it We shall bring you out once again.) meaning, `the earth is your beginning. For your father, Adam, was created with dirt from the surface of the earth. You also will be returned to the earth. This means that you will become dirt when you die and decay.' The statement, "And from it We shall bring you out once again," means,

يَوْمَ يَدْعُوكُمْ فَتَسْتَجِيبُونَ بِحَمْدِهِ وَتَظُنُّونَ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً

(On the Day when He will call you, and you will answer with His praise and obedience, and you will think that you have stayed (in this world) but a little while!) 17:52 This Ayah is similar to Allah's statement,

قَالَ فِيهَا تَحْيَوْنَ وَفِيهَا تَمُوتُونَ وَمِنْهَا تُخْرَجُونَ

(He said: "Therein you shall live, and therein you shall die, and from it you shall be brought out.") 7:25

Musa showed Fir`awn all of the Signs but He did not believe Concerning Allah's statement,

وَلَقَدْ أَرَيْنَـهُ ءَايَـتِنَا كُلَّهَا فَكَذَّبَ وَأَبَى

(And indeed We showed him (Fir`awn) all Our Ayat, but he denied and refused.) This means that the proofs, signs and evi- dences were establi- shed against Fir`awn and he saw them with his own eyes, but he still denied and rejec- ted them due to his disbelief, abstinence and transgression. This is as Allah, the Exalted, says,

وَجَحَدُواْ بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَآ أَنفُسُهُمْ ظُلْماً وَعُلُوّاً

(And they belied them wrongfully and arrogantly, though they themselves were convinced thereof.) 27:14

Eat thereof and pasture your cattle therein an‘ām ‘cattle’ is the plural of na‘am which are camels cows and sheep; one says ra‘atu’l-an‘āmu ‘the cattle grazed’ or ra‘aytuhā ‘I grazed them’; the imperative here is meant as a permissive and a reminder of God’s grace the sentence being a circumstantial qualifier referring to the subject of the verb akhrajnā ‘We brought forth’ in other words what is meant is ‘We brought forth the plants permitting you to eat thereof and to graze your cattle thereon’. In that which is mentioned here there are indeed signs indeed lessons for people of sense possessors of intellect al-nuhā the plural of nuhya similar in pattern to ghurfa plural ghuraf. The intellect is called by this term nuhya because it shows a person the sense to refrain from committing vile deeds.

The next verse (54) says إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّأُولِي النُّهَىٰ (Surely, in that there are signs for the people of understanding. (20:54). The word النُّهَىٰ is the plural of نُھیَۃ (nuhyah) which is used in the same sense as عققل (aql: Intelligence) because it enables wise and intelligent persons to avoid harmful acts.