95
The Fig
al-Tīn
A Makkan sūrah, al-Tīn was most likely revealed in the early part of the middle Makkan period, shortly after Sūrah 85, al-Burūj, although some maintain that it is Madinan (Āl). It takes its name from the mention of the fig in the first verse. The main theme is found in vv. 4–6, which are among the most famous verses in the Quran. They speak to the human condition, which originated as the most exalted of creation, but can fall to the lowest of the low (v. 5) when human beings fail to live in accord with their true nature, a message similar to that of 103:2–3: Truly mankind is in loss, save those who believe, perform righteous deeds, exhort one another to truth, and exhort one another to patience. According to an oft cited ḥadīth, the Prophet said, “Whosoever among you recites By the fig and the olive through to is not God the most just of judges and says, ‘Indeed’ (balā), I am among the witnesses unto that” (Āl, Q, Z).
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
¡ By the fig and the olive, * by Mount Sinai, + and by this land made safe, J truly We created man in the most beautiful stature, Z then We cast him to the lowest of the low, j save those who believe and perform righteous deeds; for theirs shall be a reward unceasing. z What then will make you deny religion? { Is not God the most just of judges?
Commentary
¡ By the fig and the olive,
1 For most commentators, the fig and the olive refer to the fruits of the earth, by which God swears due to the blessing and benefits contained in them (Bg, Sh, Ṭb). For others they have a symbolic value: the fig symbolizes the mosque (meaning place of prostration, as there would not have been a building for that purpose at the time of the revelation) in Damascus, which may be a reference to the “mosque” of Noah, where the Ark landed on Mt. Jūdī (see 11:44c), and the olive symbolizes “the Holy House,” that is, the “mosque” in Jerusalem (IK, Sh, Ṭ); or the fig refers to the mount on which Damascus is built, and the olive, the mount on which Jerusalem is built (Q, Ṭb); others say that they refer to the cities themselves (Q). Another interpretation takes the fig as a reference to the “mosque” of the Companions of the Cave (18:9) and the olive as a reference to the “mosque” in Jerusalem (Q), while yet another sees them as two mountains in the Levant (Q). Others say that the fig refers to the leaves of the Garden (7:22), with which Adam and Eve covered themselves, and the olive refers to the blessed olive tree in 24:35 (Q). This last interpretation could be seen as a symbolic foreshadowing of vv. 4–6 in that fig leaves allude to what is lowest in human beings, since they were used to cover their private parts, while the blessed olive tree is seen by many as the symbolic source of the human “light of understanding” or “intellect”; see 24:35c.
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* by Mount Sinai,
2 According to most commentators, Mount Sinai is also referred to by name in 23:20 and simply as the Mount (al-Ṭūr) in eight other verses (2:63, 93; 4:154; 19:52; 20:80; 28:29, 46; 52:1, though others say such verses do not necessarily refer to Mount Sinai; see 23:20c). It is also sworn by in 52:1. In 23:20 saynāʾ is used for “Sinai,” but here the word is sinīn, which some say is actually taken from the Ethiopic for “beautiful” and in this context means “the blessed beautiful Mount” (Q, Sh, Ṭ). Others say that it means every mountain upon which there are fruit-bearing trees (Q, Sh).
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+ and by this land made safe,
3 In pre-Islamic Arabia Makkah was a refuge in which no fighting was allowed (see the introduction to Sūrah 105); hence it was a secure land, or a land made safe; cf. 29:67: Or have they not considered that We have made a secure sanctuary while people are snatched away all around them? Some say that the fig and the olive (v. 1) is a reference to Jerusalem, where Jesus was sent, Mount Sinai is a reference to the place where God spoke to Moses, and this land made safe is a reference to the place where the Prophet Muhammad was sent (IK).
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J truly We created man in the most beautiful stature,
4 This verse begins the response to the oath taken in vv. 1–3. It is one of the most emphatic affirmations of humanity’s exalted status, before which the angels were ordered, Prostrate unto Adam (2:34; 7:11; 17:61; 18:50; 20:116). Although the human being is made of clay, God declares in 38:72, I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My Spirit. Here man is taken to mean all of humanity, male and female, believer and disbeliever alike. Taqwīm, translated stature, is a verbal noun from the verb qawwama, “to raise, shape, form, or arrange.” Here it is taken to indicate something that has become what it truly ought to be by achieving harmony and balance (R). An indication of this stature is that the human being stands upright while every other creature is created with his face stooped down (67:22; Āl, Q, R, Sh, Ṭ). Yet the most beautiful stature is not taken as a reference simply to the human physical form, since the physical is also a symbol of “inner comportment,” as human beings are “the best of God’s creation both outwardly and inwardly” (Q), as expressed in a famous ḥadīth qudsī, “Truly God created Adam in His image” (Āl, Q, Sh; cf. Genesis 1:27). This ḥadīth is understood to mean that human beings are created with such attributes as life, knowledge, power, will, speech, hearing, and sight (the qualities most often used in Islamic theology to describe God), which are in fact Divine Attributes that God has caused to be reflected in human beings (Q). Human beings are able to manifest all of the Divine Names and Qualities, whereas all other created beings are only able to manifest a limited range of the Divine Names and Qualities (see 2:31c). “For this reason the philosophers say that [man] is a microcosm, since all that makes up created entities is gathered within him” (Q). Verses such as 30:8 and 51:21 can be seen as a call to human beings to reflect upon their exalted status and live in accord with it. When vv. 1–3 are taken as a reference to the locations of revelation, that human beings are created in the most beautiful stature can be seen as a reference to that aspect of their nature that is receptive to revelation.
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Z then We cast him to the lowest of the low,
5 With regard to the outward human form, this verse can be seen as a reference to old age, when faculties are diminished, sometimes to the point of decrepitude (IK, Q, R, Ṭ), similar to 36:68: And whomsoever We give long life, We cause him to regress in creation (see also 16:70). With regard to the inner reality, it can be taken as a reference to human beings falling below their true nature and consequently being cast into the Fire (Āl, IK, Q, R, Ṭ); such people are the lowest of creation for failing to fulfill the requirements of being created in the most beautiful stature (Āl). In this vein, the lowest of the low can be understood as a reference to the state of disbelievers, of whom 7:179 says, Such as these are like cattle. Nay, they are even further astray, or as a reference to the place in which they will be cast (Āl).
According to some, the lowest of the low should be read “the lowest, lowly,” with “lowly” (sāfilīn) referring to the state of abasement experienced by those who are cast down and implying that their own condition has condemned them.
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j save those who believe and perform righteous deeds; for theirs shall be a reward unceasing.
6 This verse makes it more likely that the preceding verse refers to the inner reality of human beings. A reward unceasing (cf. 41:8; 68:3; 84:25) is one that is never decreased or cut off in this life or the next (R). Regarding this world, it is said to refer to the fact that if people maintain religious practice, they continue to receive reward for required acts of worship even when sickness renders them unable to perform them or travel causes them to shorten prayers or break the fast (Āl, Q), as is permitted under Islamic Law. Regarding the next world, it refers to the bounties of Heaven.
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z What then will make you deny religion?
7 As translated, this verse is a question posed to those who deny the revelation, the Resurrection, and other aspects of religion. It may also be addressing belief in the Prophet specifically, as if to say, “Who would deny thee, O Messenger, after the appearance of these proofs of religion” (Q, R, Ṭ), though this reading is considered grammatically problematic by some (Āl). The verse also indicates amazement that anyone could witness human beings coming from a drop (see 16:4; 18:37; 22:5; 35:11; 36:77; 40:67; 53:46; 75:37; 76:2; 80:19) and rising to the most beautiful stature, yet still deny the Resurrection (Āl, Q, R).
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{ Is not God the most just of judges?
8 Cf. 6:57: Judgment belongs to God alone; He relates the Truth, and He is the best of deciders; 11:45. God is also referred to as the best (or most just) of judges (7:87; 10:109; 12:80). In relation to the preceding verses, the implication is that human beings differ, because some leave the state of the most beautiful stature and descend to the lowest of the low, while others remain in the most beautiful stature, and it is only logical that they would differ in recompense according to God’s most just judgment (Ṭb). As the Prophet is commanded to say in another verse, God will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein you used to differ (22:69). This is in reference to the great difference between believers and disbelievers, and the good and the wicked indicated in several verses (e.g., 5:100; 6:51; 13:16; 32:18–22; 35:19–22; 38:28; 39:9; 40:58; 59:20).