Quran 39:21 Surah Zumar ayat 21 Tafsir Ibn Katheer in English
﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَسَلَكَهُ يَنَابِيعَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعًا مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ حُطَامًا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ﴾
[ الزمر: 21]
39:21 Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky and makes it flow as springs [and rivers] in the earth; then He produces thereby crops of varying colors; then they dry and you see them turned yellow; then He makes them [scattered] debris. Indeed in that is a reminder for those of understanding.
Surah Az-Zumar in ArabicTafsir Surah Zumar ayat 21
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Quran 39:21 Tafsir Al-Jalalayn
Have you not seen realised that God sends down water from the heaven then conducts it as springs making it enter points of springs in the ground? Then with it He brings forth crops of diverse hues. Then they wither they become dried-out and you see them for example after having been green turning yellow. Then He turns them into chaff. Truly in that there is a reminder for people of pith possessors of intellect by which they may be reminded for it is an indication of God’s Oneness and His power.
Almuntakhab Fi Tafsir Alquran Alkarim
Are you -people- not able to see that Allah is He Who sends down the rain water from the floor of the vault of heaven and directs its course through the earth to form springs and water channels and by its means He produces plants variegated or varied in colour. Later on they lose their bloom and their natural colour. then you see them turning yellow and drying up and they shrivel and decay, a process servimg as a reminder of Allahs infinite influence and Omnipotence to those who reflect
Quran 39:21 Tafsir Ibn Kathir
The Parable of the Life of this World
Allah tells us that water originates in the sky.
This is like the Ayah:
وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً طَهُوراً
( and We send down pure water from the sky ) ( 25:48 ).
So, Allah sends down water from the sky, and it settles in the earth, then He causes it to flow wherever He wills, and He causes springs, great and small, to flow as needed.
Allah says:
فَسَلَكَهُ يَنَابِيعَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ
( and causes it to penetrate the earth, as water springs, ) Sa`id bin Jubayr and `Amir Ash-Sha`bi said that all the water on earth has its origins in the sky.
Sa`id bin Jubayr said, its origins lie in the snow, meaning that snow piles up in the mountains, then settles at the bottom ( of the mountains ) and springs flow from the bottom of them.
ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعاً مُّخْتَلِفاً أَلْوَانُهُ
( and afterward thereby produces crops of different colors ) means, then from the water which comes down from the sky or flows from springs in the earth, He brings forth crops of different colors, i.e., different kinds of forms, tastes, scents, bencfits, etc.
ثُمَّ يَهِـيجُ
( and afterward they wither ) means, after they have been ripe and fresh, they become old and you see them turn yellow when they have dried out.
ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ حُطَـماً
( then He makes them dry and broken pieces. ) means, then they become brittle.
إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لَذِكْرَى لاٌّوْلِى الاٌّلْبَـبِ
( Verily, in this is a reminder for men of understanding. ) means, those who are reminded by this and who learn the lesson from it, that this world is like this -- it is green and fresh and beautiful, then it will become old and ugly.
The young man will become a weak, senile old man, and after all of that comes death.
The blessed one is the one whose state after death will be good.
Allah often likens the life of this world to the way He sends down water from the sky and crops and fruits grow thereby, then they become dry and brittle.
This is like the Ayah:
وَاضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلَ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنْزَلْنَـهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الاٌّرْضِ فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًا تَذْرُوهُ الرِّياحُ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ مُّقْتَدِرًا
( And put forward to them the example of the life of this world: it is like the water (rain ) which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it, and becomes fresh and green.
But ( later ) it becomes dry and broken pieces, which the winds scatter.
And Allah is able to do everything) ( 18:45 )
The People of Truth and the People of Misguidance are not Equal
أَفَمَن شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرَهُ لِلإِسْلَـمِ فَهُوَ عَلَى نُورٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ
( Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from his Lord ) means, is this person equal to the one who is hard-hearted and far from the truth This is like the Ayah:
أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَـهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُورًا يَمْشِي بِهِ فِى النَّاسِ كَمَن مَّثَلُهُ فِي الظُّلُمَـتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنْهَا كَذَلِكَ
( Is he who was dead and We gave him life and set for him a light (i.e.
Belief ) whereby he can walk amongst men -- like him who is in the darkness ( i.e., disbelief ) from which he can never come out) ( 6:122 ) Allah says:
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْقَـسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ مِّن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ
( So, woe to those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah! ) meaning, they do not become soft when Allah is mentioned, and they do not feel humility or fear, and they do not understand.
أُوْلَـئِكَ فِى ضَلَـلٍ مُّبِينٍ
( They are in plain error! ).
Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi
(39:21) Do you not see that Allah sent down water from the sky, then made it flow on earth as springs and streams and rivers *38 and then with it He brings forth vegetation of various hues; then this vegetation ripens and dries up, turning yellow, whereafter He reduces it to broken straw? Surely there is a lesson in this for those endowed with understanding. *39
Do you not see that Allah sends meaning
*38) The word yanabi` in the Text is comprehensive and applies to all the three sources of water.
*39) That is, "A man of understanding learns this lesson from it that the life of this world and its adornments are all transitory: the end of every spring is autumn; the fate of every youth is weakness and death; and every rise has a fall.
Therefore, this world is not something of which one should be charmed and enamoured so as to forget God and the Hereafter and should conduct himself here in a manner as to nun his Hereafter, only for the sake of enjoying the short lived pleasures of this world.
Then a man of understanding also learns this lesson from these phenomena that the spring and autumn of this world are only under Allah's control: Allah allows to grow and prosper whomever He wills and ruins and lays waste whomever He wills.
Neither it is in anybody's power to stop the growth of someone whom Allah wills to grow, nor has anyone the power to save him from destruction whom Allah wills to destroy.
Tafsir Maarif-ul-Quran Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The Parable of the Life of this World
Allah tells us that water originates in the sky.
This is like the Ayah:
وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً طَهُوراً
( and We send down pure water from the sky ) ( 25:48 ).
So, Allah sends down water from the sky, and it settles in the earth, then He causes it to flow wherever He wills, and He causes springs, great and small, to flow as needed.
Allah says:
فَسَلَكَهُ يَنَابِيعَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ
( and causes it to penetrate the earth, as water springs, ) Sa`id bin Jubayr and `Amir Ash-Sha`bi said that all the water on earth has its origins in the sky.
Sa`id bin Jubayr said, its origins lie in the snow, meaning that snow piles up in the mountains, then settles at the bottom ( of the mountains ) and springs flow from the bottom of them.
ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعاً مُّخْتَلِفاً أَلْوَانُهُ
( and afterward thereby produces crops of different colors ) means, then from the water which comes down from the sky or flows from springs in the earth, He brings forth crops of different colors, i.e., different kinds of forms, tastes, scents, bencfits, etc.
ثُمَّ يَهِـيجُ
( and afterward they wither ) means, after they have been ripe and fresh, they become old and you see them turn yellow when they have dried out.
ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ حُطَـماً
( then He makes them dry and broken pieces. ) means, then they become brittle.
إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لَذِكْرَى لاٌّوْلِى الاٌّلْبَـبِ
( Verily, in this is a reminder for men of understanding. ) means, those who are reminded by this and who learn the lesson from it, that this world is like this -- it is green and fresh and beautiful, then it will become old and ugly.
The young man will become a weak, senile old man, and after all of that comes death.
The blessed one is the one whose state after death will be good.
Allah often likens the life of this world to the way He sends down water from the sky and crops and fruits grow thereby, then they become dry and brittle.
This is like the Ayah:
وَاضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلَ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنْزَلْنَـهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الاٌّرْضِ فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًا تَذْرُوهُ الرِّياحُ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ مُّقْتَدِرًا
( And put forward to them the example of the life of this world: it is like the water (rain ) which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it, and becomes fresh and green.
But ( later ) it becomes dry and broken pieces, which the winds scatter.
And Allah is able to do everything) ( 18:45 )
The People of Truth and the People of Misguidance are not Equal
أَفَمَن شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرَهُ لِلإِسْلَـمِ فَهُوَ عَلَى نُورٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ
( Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from his Lord ) means, is this person equal to the one who is hard-hearted and far from the truth This is like the Ayah:
أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَـهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُورًا يَمْشِي بِهِ فِى النَّاسِ كَمَن مَّثَلُهُ فِي الظُّلُمَـتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنْهَا كَذَلِكَ
( Is he who was dead and We gave him life and set for him a light (i.e.
Belief ) whereby he can walk amongst men -- like him who is in the darkness ( i.e., disbelief ) from which he can never come out) ( 6:122 ) Allah says:
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْقَـسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ مِّن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ
( So, woe to those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah! ) meaning, they do not become soft when Allah is mentioned, and they do not feel humility or fear, and they do not understand.
أُوْلَـئِكَ فِى ضَلَـلٍ مُّبِينٍ
( They are in plain error! ).
Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs
( Hast thou not seen ) have you not been informed, O Muhammad, in the Qur’an ( how Allah hath sent down water ) rain ( from the sky and hath caused it to penetrate the earth as water springs ) producing thereof rivers in the earth, ( and afterward thereby produceth ) through rain ( crops of diverse hues; and afterward they wither ) they change ( and thou seest them turn yellow ) after being green in colour; ( then He maketh them chaff ) dry chaff; such is the life of this world, it vanishes and never lasts. ( Lo! Herein ) in that which I mentioned concerning the vanishing of the life of this world ( verily is a reminder ) an admonition ( for men of understanding ) for those possessed of intellect among people.
Muhammad Taqiud-Din alHilali
See you not, that Allah sends down water (rain) from the sky, and causes it to penetrate the earth, (and then makes it to spring up) as water-springs and afterward thereby produces crops of different colours, and afterward they wither and you see them turn yellow, then He makes them dry and broken pieces. Verily, in this, is a Reminder for men of understanding.
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