Benefits of the Plants
Selections from the Book The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (48)
Allah Almighty affirms the truth that this Earth was originally placed for people to inhabit and live on, and for this purpose, He made it contain everything that fulfills this goal. Allah Almighty says: {And the earth He laid [out] for the creatures.} [Ar-Rahman: 10].
It has been said that the meaning of {for the creatures} refers to humans, while others say it includes both jinn and humans, and some interpret it as everything that moves on the Earth’s surface. Allah then clarifies the essentials of life that He has placed within it, as He says: {Therein is fruit and palm trees having sheaths [of dates] (11) And grain having husks and scented plants. (12)} [Ar-Rahman: 11-12].
Allah Almighty, in His wisdom, highlights His blessing upon His servants by diversifying His favors through the various types, forms, and tastes of plants He spreads forth. Allah says: {It is He who sends down rain from the sky; from it is drink and from it is foliage in which you pasture [animals]. (10) He causes to grow for you thereby the crops, olives, palm trees, grapevines, and of all the fruits. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought. (11)} [An-Nahl: 10-11].
Allah Almighty repeatedly reminds His servants in His noble Book that He alone is The Creator of this vegetation, both from the beginning when He created the heavens and the earth and continuously when He sends down water from the sky and brings forth crops and fruits. This serves as one of His astonishing signs, demonstrating His power over life, death, resurrection, and renewal. Allah says: {And have you seen that [seed] which you sow? (63) Is it you who makes it grow, or are We the grower? (64)} [Al-Waqi'ah: 63-64].
Allah Almighty emphasizes His blessing upon His servants by providing them with the pleasures and resources on this Earth that sustain their lives and the lives of their livestock. He says:{Then let mankind look at his food – (24) How We poured down water in torrents, (25) Then We broke open the earth, splitting [it with sprouts], (26) And caused to grow within it grain (27) And grapes and herbage (28) And olive and palm trees (29) And gardens of dense shrubbery (30) And fruit and grass – (31) [As] enjoyment [i.e., provision] for you and your grazing livestock. (32)} ['Abasa: 24-32]. Here, {grain} refers to all types of cereals, and {herbage} refers to fodder. As for {fruit}, it encompasses everything people enjoy from fruits, while {grass} refers to what the earth grows that animals eat but humans do not.
Just as the earth is for living and sustenance, it is also for joy, beauty, and delight. Allah Almighty says: {[More precisely], is He [not best] who created the heavens and the earth and sent down for you rain from the sky, causing to grow thereby gardens of joyful beauty which you could not [otherwise] have grown the trees thereof? Is there a deity with Allah? [No], but they are a people who ascribe equals [to Him].} [An-Naml: 60].
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him, pp. 325-327.
- The Story of Creation, Al-Kharaan, p. 243.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
