لِيَأكُلوا مِن ثَمَرِهِ وَما عَمِلَتهُ أَيديهِم ۖ أَفَلا يَشكُرونَ

So that they may eat of its fruit and what their hands have cultivated. Will they not then give thanks?

EXEGESIS

The pronoun its refers to a masculine referent while jannāt (gardens) is feminine; there are various interpretations for the referent of its, such as dates and grapes; in other words, its refers to the proceed of the trees of the garden and not the garden itself. Another opinion holds that the pronoun goes back to God.

The mā in mā ʿamilat-hu (what their hands have cultivated) is taken by this translation and by many commentators to be a conjunctive mā. However, if we consider it to be a negating mā, the translation would be: and their hands have not made it, indicating there are no partners of God in making them and managing livelihood. This interpretation is supported by verse 71: Have they not seen that We have created for them – of what Our hands have worked – cattle, so they have become their masters?

If we take the first interpretation, what their hands have cultivated, then it includes syrup from the dates, vinegar from the grapes, and other derived products of these fruits.

EXPOSITION

The benefits of fruit-bearing trees are either by eating their fruits directly without processing them after picking, or by having them processed to be preserved for later consumption in different forms. Regardless of the meaning, whether they benefit from the fruits directly or from what they have processed out of it by their hands, in both cases, humans are the beneficiaries. This should lead to a sense of gratitude and thanksgiving, leading to further recognition of God.^{‎[1]Amthal, 14/176-177.}

Will they not then give thanks condemns them for the indecency of being ungrateful to God upon receiving these unique graces and beautiful bounties. But how can human beings give thanks to God? Thanksgiving is either by reciprocating the good that we have received or by acknowledgment of a favour. The first is certainly not applicable to Allah – there is nothing that anyone can ever give to God since everything belongs to Him. Moreover, when we give something to someone, it enriches them in one way or another, but nothing can ever enrich God. So, the only possible meaning of giving thanks to Allah is acknowledgment of His favours. The question here is why is this acknowledgment so important that God demands it from us? And who would benefit from this acknowledgement?

The answer to the second question is very clear. God would not benefit from our acknowledgement, and the only reason He is demanding it from us is because He wants to benefit us. By acknowledging His favours, we remember Him and His love develops in our heart. This love and remembrance elevates our souls and brings us closer to His mercy and opens our appetite for more favours. This is why Allah tells us, If you are grateful, I will increase for you (14:7). If we are grateful, our capacity for receiving blessings would increase and God’s favours would descend on us. A similar verse which almost has the same logic is, Remember Me, and I will remember you, and thank Me, and do not be ungrateful to Me (2:152).

Another logic for giving thanks is that gratefulness is a human merit; it is in our conscience, in our fiṭrah. By offering thanks to God, we acknowledge our own humanness. There is a beautiful part of a whispered prayer by Imam al-Sajjād (a) which explains this concept so eloquently: ‘All thanks belong to God, for, had He withheld from His servants the knowledge to thank Him for the uninterrupted kindnesses with which He has tried them, and the manifest favours which He has lavished upon them, they would have moved about in His kindnesses without praising Him, and spread themselves out in His provision without thanking Him. Had such been the case, they would have left the bounds of humanity for that of beastliness and become as He has described in the firm text of His book: They are but as the cattle – nay, but they are further astray from the way! [25:46]. Praise belongs to God, for the true knowledge of Himself He has given to us, and the thanksgiving He has inspired us to offer Him.’^{‎[2]Sahifah, supplication 1.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said to Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar: ‘Consider, O Mufaḍḍal, learning from the things that have been created to meet human needs and the remarkable ingenuity underlying them. Grains have been produced for his sustenance, but he made him responsible for grinding, kneading, and baking them … He created the tree for humans; however, He made him responsible for sowing the seed, irrigating it, and supervising it. The herbs and medicines are created for humans, but he must pick them up, mix them, and make them. You will find similarities in all the other things made by the Creator to meet human necessities that require effort and movement … Therefore, the proper ordinance in these things created for the human was to occupy him for his own interest, lest idleness and inactivity cause him ennui, preventing him from seeking what is not for him and in which there is no good.’^{‎[3]Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar, Tawḥīd Mufaḍḍal, (Najaf: Ḥaydariyyah Printing, 1955), pp. 44-45.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

1. You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth.^{‎[4]Psalms 104:14-15.}
2. And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.^{‎[5]Genesis 1:29-30.}

[1] Amthal, 14/176-177.
[2] Sahifah, supplication 1.
[3] Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar, Tawḥīd Mufaḍḍal, (Najaf: Ḥaydariyyah Printing, 1955), pp. 44-45.
[4] Psalms 104:14-15.
[5] Genesis 1:29-30.