Al-Tīn
Makkan Period
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
[1] By the fig and the olive;1 [2] and by the Mount Sinai, [3] and by this city (of Makkah), a haven of peace: [4] surely We created man in the best mould; [5] then We reverted him to the lowest of the low, [6] except those who have faith and do righteous deeds. Theirs is a never-ending reward. [7] Who, then, can give the lie to you, (O Prophet), about the Reward and the Punishment? [8] Is not Allah the Greatest of all sovereigns?2
1. “The fig and the olive” here refer to the regions where figs and olives are grown in great abundance and where a large number of Prophets were raised; that is, Syria and Palestine.
2. Human beings both want and expect ordinary judges to mete out justice, to punish the criminals and reward the righteous. If such is their expectation from worldly judges, what should their expectation be from God, the Greatest of all judges? Is it proper to believe that God will treat the righteous and the wicked alike? Is it credible that He will let both the righteous and the wicked to simply end up in dust, without rewarding those who merit it for their good deeds and without punishing those who deserve it for their evil deeds?