Allah says in Quran:
Surah Az-Zumar (39:21)
اَلَمۡ تَرَ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ اَنۡزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَسَلَـكَهٗ يَنَابِيۡعَ فِىۡ الۡاَرۡضِ ثُمَّ يُخۡرِجُ بِهٖ زَرۡعًا مُّخۡتَلِفًا اَلۡوَانُهٗ ثُمَّ يَهِيۡجُ فَتَرٰٮهُ مُصۡفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَجۡعَلُهٗ حُطَامًاؕ اِنَّ فِىۡ ذٰلِكَ لَذِكۡرٰى لِاُولِىۡ الۡاَلۡبَابِ
“Have you not seen that Allah sends down water from the sky, then makes it flow as springs in the earth, and then brings forth crops of different colours through it? Then they dry up, and you see them turn yellow; then He reduces them to broken pieces. Surely, in this there is a reminder for people of understanding.”
The Classical Tafsir and the Deeper Lessons Within the Verse
When we read the tafsir of Surah Az-Zumar, verse 21, we learn that the water in the earth has its origin in water sent down from the sky. This is also connected to a scientific fact: water moves through the natural water cycle, evaporating, forming clouds, and returning to the earth as precipitation.
Then comes the question of how water returns from the sky in the form of rain. Sometimes, precipitation also occurs as snow. The water then flows through the earth as springs, and crops grow through it. These crops emerge in different colours, eventually turn yellow, and are then reduced by Allah to broken pieces.
The stages of the crops are compared to the stages of human life. Human beings are born, reach youth, grow old, and eventually die. The reminder in this passage teaches us that death is inevitable and that we should strive towards a good end.
This is the core meaning of a classical interpretation of the verse. However, there are further, deeper lessons within it that invite us to reflect—lessons for people who use their intellect and think carefully.
To discover these lessons, we need to reflect more deeply.
1. Water: A Reminder That Provision Comes from Allah
When we turn our attention to the part about water, we can reflect on the fact that provision comes from Allah.
Allah has promised in the Qur’an that the provision of every living creature is His responsibility.
Surah Hud (11:6)
وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا ۚ كُلٌّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ
“And there is no creature on earth whose provision is not upon Allah. And He knows where it lives and where it is laid to rest. All is in a clear Record.”
We must make an effort to obtain our provision, but we do not have complete control over it. We can work, plan, and struggle to achieve our goals, yet the ultimate outcome is not entirely within our power.
Just as crops depend on water that Allah sends down and on the conditions He has created, our lives also depend on provision that we cannot produce or control entirely by ourselves.
2. Crops of Different Colours: A Reflection on the Diversity of Mankind
The verse mentions crops of different colours. We can reflect on this diversity as a reminder of the differences among human beings.
Just as crops grow in different colours, human beings are also different from one another. Each person has different qualities, abilities, circumstances, and potential.
This diversity, too, exists by the will of Allah. Every human being has a different light within them, and each may have a different purpose to fulfil in life.
This is a point for reflection: just as the variety among crops is part of the world Allah has created, the differences among human beings also invite us to think about the wisdom behind creation.
3. When the Crop Is Crushed: What Is Revealed?
Now comes the part of the verse in which Allah reduces the crop to broken pieces.
There is a question worth reflecting upon: when a crop is harvested and then broken apart, what can be found within it?
Seeds, right?
Can you determine the quality of a crop and properly examine what it has produced without opening it up and looking at what is inside?
Of course not.
You have to examine it closely and separate its contents to discover what it has produced.
This gives us a point to reflect upon concerning the Day of Judgment. What if our deeds, too, are brought fully into view, so that what we have done becomes clear?
The Qur’an tells us that on that Day, people will be shown their deeds.
Surah Az-Zalzalah (99:6–8)
يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ النَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا لِيُرَوْا أَعْمَالَهُمْ ٦
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ ٧
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ ٨
“On that Day, people will proceed in separate groups to be shown their deeds.
So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it,
and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.”
Just as examining a crop reveals what it contains, the Day of Judgment will bring our deeds before us.
And what if the seeds are not good?
What do you do with them?
You discard them as waste, don't you?
This question encourages us to examine the quality of what we are producing through our lives. What kind of deeds are we cultivating? What will they reveal when they are brought into view?
4. Why Does the Verse Say “A Reminder”?
This brings us to the final part of the verse:
“Surely, in this there is a reminder for people of understanding.”
The verse does not merely invite us to notice that crops grow, turn yellow, and become broken pieces. It calls upon people of understanding to take a lesson from what they observe.
The word reminder is important here. It invites us to ask ourselves how we can improve, how we can recognise our shortcomings, and how we can seek guidance.
If you want to know the reality of Can You Control Your Thoughts?
Read this article.
👉 CAN YOU CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS? | ISLAMIC SPIRITUALITY
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