وَآيَةٌ لَهُمُ الأَرضُ المَيتَةُ أَحيَيناها وَأَخرَجنا مِنها حَبًّا فَمِنهُ يَأكُلونَ

A sign for them is the dead earth, which We revive and out of it bring forth grain, so they eat of it.

EXEGESIS

The Arabic pronoun lahum (for them) refers to servants, mentioned in the previous verses.

Āyah means a sign, token, or mark by which a person or thing is known. It is to link an apparent thing to a non-equally apparent thing so that if one perceives the former, the other is perceived, which cannot be perceived by itself.^{‎[1]Lane, p. 132.}

Ḥabb includes grain of wheat, barley, lentils, rice, etc.^{‎[2]Lane, p. 496.}

EXPOSITION

This verse begins to recount the signs of God’s lordship and blessing over His creatures which they usually take for granted. These are mentioned as signs for reflection and soul-searching. It brings to their attention how the earth is made to provide food of various kinds for them, including fruits, grains, dates, grapes, and other products, which are all signs of His lordship.

The expressions, the dead earth, which We revive, and out of it bring forth grain, indicate that through the process of reviving the dead land by placing the properties of cultivation in it, God manages the entire food cycle for humankind which they take for granted. In a sense He is reprimanding them for not contemplating the signs of His lordship and appreciating His blessings. 

One of the most significant proofs for the existence of God is life. It is a very complicated, mysterious, and baffling phenomenon that has puzzled all men of intellect despite tremendous scientific achievements. It is still unknown how non-living beings transformed into the first living cells.^{‎[3]Amthal, 14/176-177.} Giving life to the dead earth is alluding to this amazing singularity.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said to Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar: ‘O Mufaḍḍal, think of the growth that is ordained in this agriculture, and how one grain produces more or less than a hundred grains, where a single grain could have produced one single similar grain. So why did it produce this many seeds? It is only to amplify the grain production so that it may be used as a seed to reproduce again and to serve as food sustenance for the farmer until the next production. So, see how this example gives the ordinance of the All-Wise; hence, the multiplication in the agricultural production becomes sufficient for sustenance and agricultural reproduction. Similar abundant production happens in the production of the trees, plants, and palm trees.^{‎[4]Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar, Tawḥīd Mufaḍḍal, (Najaf: Ḥaydariyyah Printing, 1955), p. 100.} Consider the growth of the grains of lentils, mung, beans, and the like; they all grow in pods to protect against harm until they mature to hardness, just like the placenta. The grains of wheat and other similar grains are arranged layer by layer in hard shells, pointed sharply at their ends like spears to keep off the birds and to increase the yield to the farmers.’^{‎[5]Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar, Tawḥīd Mufaḍḍal, (Najaf: Ḥaydariyyah Printing, 1955), p. 100.}
2. Luqmān said to his son: ‘Sit with the scholars and crowd them on your knees, for God Almighty revives hearts with the light of wisdom just as He revives the dead earth with the rain of heaven.’^{‎[6]Muhammad Rayshahri, al-ʿIlm wa al-Ḥikmah fī al-Kitāb wa al-Sunnah, p. 364.}

[1] Lane, p. 132.
[2] Lane, p. 496.
[3] Amthal, 14/176-177.
[4] Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar, Tawḥīd Mufaḍḍal, (Najaf: Ḥaydariyyah Printing, 1955), p. 100.
[5] Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar, Tawḥīd Mufaḍḍal, (Najaf: Ḥaydariyyah Printing, 1955), p. 100.
[6] Muhammad Rayshahri, al-ʿIlm wa al-Ḥikmah fī al-Kitāb wa al-Sunnah, p. 364.