'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' He, exalted and majestic, says: "Have you seen what you sow? Is it you who plants it or are We the Planters? If We wished, We could make it broken pieces, and you would remain in wonder. Indeed, we are burdened! But we are deprived! Have you seen the water that you drink? Is it you who brought it down from the clouds or are We the Bringers? If We wished, We could make it salty, so why do you not give thanks? Have you seen the fire that you ignite? Is it you who created its tree or are We the Creators? We made it a reminder and a benefit for the wayfarers. So glorify the name of your Lord, the Most Great." And He, exalted and majestic, has confronted the disbelievers regarding the matter of agriculture, which is the sustenance of life. He has made clear to every creature that the tilling of the land and the scattering of the seeds does not contribute to the growth of the crops. A person may be called a planter, as in His saying: "The farmers are amazed," but the meaning of this verse is: Is it you who plants it in a way that it grows or are We? Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated this verse. And "broken pieces" refers to the dry, crumbling remnants of the plants that lead to destruction. It has been likened to the broken pieces of this world. It is said that the meaning is: a land without any grain in it. "You remain in wonder" means, according to Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, and Qatadah, that you are amazed. Ikrimah said: you blame one another. Al-Hasan said: it means you are astonished. Ibn Zayd said: you are distressed. All of this is interpretation that does not specifically relate to the wording. What specifically relates to the wording is: you throw away the fruit from yourselves, which is joy and delight. A cheerful person is one who is easygoing, unconcerned with anything. And "to be cheerful" is among the derivatives of "to be free from worry" and "to be at ease." The majority read: "and you remained" with a فتح (fath) on the letter 'dhal'. Sufyan al-Thawri narrated a reading from Abdullah with a كسر (kasr) on the letter 'dhal'. Abu Hatim said: the movement of the omitted 'lam' was applied to it, and that is poor in analogy. This is the reading of Abu Haywah. Ahmad ibn Musa narrated: "and you remained" with two 'lam's, the first being opened according to al-Jahdari. It was narrated from Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, with a كسر (kasr) on the first 'lam'. And His saying, exalted and majestic: "Indeed, we are burdened!" has a deletion before it, the meaning of which is: they say. Al-Amash and Asim al-Jahdari read: "Are we burdened?" with two hamzah for questioning. The meaning may be that we are punished by the burden, which is the most severe punishment, as in His saying: "Indeed, its punishment was a burden." And from the saying of al-A'sha: If He punishes, it will be a burden, and if He gives generously, then He does not care. It is possible that the meaning is: we are loaded with the burden, meaning: we are in debt for the expenses and the loss of our crops. You say: "The man is in debt, and I have put him in debt, so he is burdened." The interpretation of "the deprived" has been explained, and that it is the limited and the restrained. And "the clouds" is undoubtedly the clouds, as in the saying of the poet:

'The salty water' is the most salty of waters, and it is the water of the green sea. 'Turun' means: you strike sparks from the flint. You say: I ignited the fire from the flint, and the flint itself produces sparks. The flint can be from two stones, or from one stone and iron, or from wood, especially in the lands of the Arabs. For their flints are from wood, especially from soft trees like marakh, 'ifar, and kalakh, and similar ones. Due to the custom of the Arabs that their flint is from wood, Allah, the Most High, said: 'Did you create its tree?' Some of the scholars said: He meant by the tree the fire itself, as if He, the Most High, is saying: its type or kind, so He borrowed the term tree for that, and this is a statement that involves some effort. The majority read: 'Are you' with elongation, and it has been narrated from Abu Amr and 'Isa: 'Are you' without elongation, and Abu Hatim weakened it. 'A reminder' means: it reminds of the fire of Hell, as Mujahid and Qatadah said. 'The benefit' is what one can benefit from, and 'the weak ones' refers to weak things, like the saying of Ibn Zayd: the fearful ones and similar to it. Nothing stands from it except what we have mentioned, and whoever said its meaning is: the travelers, it is similar to what we have said, and it is the expression of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: 'The man has entered in the morning,' and 'he has entered in the desert,' and 'he has entered in the barren land.' From this is 'the house has become barren, the remnants have become barren,' meaning: it has become desolate. From this is the saying of the Nabighah: 'It has become barren, and the past has long been.' And the saying of another: 'It has become more barren and desolate after the mother of Haytham.' Thus, the poor and the rich are equal in their need for fire, and nothing can suffice its need in the cold. Whoever said: 'Indeed, more barren than the opposites, in the sense that it is said: the man is stronger if his mount is strong,' has erred, for that is another action like 'to become rich' if one becomes wealthy. Then, blessed and exalted is He, commanded His Prophet to glorify his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, and to glorify His most exalted names from what the disbelievers say who have argued in these verses.