16:10 An-Nahl (The Bee)

هو الذي أنزل لكم من السحاب مطرًا، فجعل لكم منه ماءً تشربونه، وأخرج لكم به شجرًا تَرْعَوْن فيه دوابّكم، ويعود عليكم دَرُّها ونفْعُها.

تفسير الآيتين 10 و11:ـ بذلك على كمال قدرة الله الذي أنزل هذا الماء من السحاب الرقيق اللطيف ورحمته حيث جعل فيه ماء غزيرا منه يشربون وتشرب مواشيهم ويسقون منه حروثهم فتخرج لهم الثمرات الكثيرة والنعم الغزيرة.

لما ذكر تعالى ما أنعم به عليهم من الأنعام والدواب شرع في ذكر نعمته عليهم في إنزال المطر من السماء وهو العلو مما لهم فيه بلغة ومتاع لهم ولأنعامهم فقال "لكم منه شراب" أي جعله عذبا زلالا يسوغ لكم شرابه ولم يجعله ملحا أجاجا "ومنه شجر فيه تسيمون" أي وأخرج لكم منه شجرا ترعون فيه أنعامكم. وقال ابن عباس وعكرمة والضحاك وقتادة وابن زيد في قوله فيه تسيمون أي ترعون ومنه الإبل السائمة والسوم: الرعي وروى ابن ماجه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن السوم قبل طلوع الشمس.

He it is Who sends down water from the heaven whence you have drink for you to drink and whence are trees which grow because of this water whereat you let your animals graze.

Commentary

The word: شَجَر (shajar) in verse 10: مِنْهُ شَجَرٌ‌ فِيهِ تُسِيمُونَ (from which [ you grow ] plants, on which you pasture cattle) is mostly applied to a tree which stands on a trunk. Sometimes, it is also applied, in an absolute sense, to everything which grows on land. Included therein are grass on stems or tendrils. This is the sense meant in this verse, because the pasturing of cattle has been mentioned immediately after which is mostly related to grass.

The last word: (tusimun) is a derivation from isamah which means to leave cattle to graze freely in a pasture.

He it is who sends down water from heaven.... Surely in that is a sign for a people who reflect... signs for a people who use intellect... a sign for a people who remember. He is an allusion to the Essence, who is an intimation of the attributes, and sends down reports about the acts. Thus you will know that God has Essence, attributes, and acts. He is eternal in Essence, noble in attributes, wise in acts; without associate in Essence, without ambiguity in attri- butes, and without cause in acts. The servants gazes upon His artisanry, then flee from the artisanry to gaze upon the attributes, then flee from the attributes to gaze upon the Essence. These are the stations of the wayfarers' traveling and the degrees of the recognizers' recognition. One must have reflection in gazing upon the artisanry, knowledge in gazing on the attributes, and remembrance in gazing on the Essence. This is why the Lord of the Worlds says, “Surely in that is a sign for a people who reflect.” Then, after that, He says, “signs for a people who use intel- lect.” Then, after that, He says “a sign for a people who remember.” In other words, recognition will be gained in this order: first reflection, then knowledge, then, at that point, he will remember through the continuity of knowledge. First he reflects, putting his gaze in its place. If no defect falls into his gaze, then inevitably he gains knowledge; and in reality there is no difference between intellect and knowledge. Then, after that, the gaze becomes continuous, and the continuity of the gaze is the remembering of which He speaks. It has been said that He says “signs for a people who use intellect” in the plural only because someone gains many knowledges in order to become a recognizer, and every part of knowledge is gained through a different sign and indicator. The knower has signs and indicators before he becomes a recognizer of his Lord, because the indicator for one question is different from the in- dicator for another question. With one indicator he knows the necessity of gazing on Him, with many indicators he becomes a recognizer of his Lord, and with one indicator he knows that it is necessary to remember the various sorts of his knowledge.