Overall meaning : This noble surah opens with the ‘disconnected letters’, which have already been discussed at the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah. Allah Almighty then declares that these are the verses of the miraculous and highly significant and truly magnificent Qur’an, and that the Qur’an which has been revealed to you, Prophet, from your Lord is the truth that cannot in any account be obscured by falsehood, but most people do not believe this out of sheer obstinacy and arrogance, despite its absolute clarity. Allah Almighty, who has revealed this book, is He who raised the seven heavens by His power without any pillars—as you can see—then He established Himself upon the Throne in a manner befitting His majesty and glory, and He has made the sun and the moon subservient to His creatures for their benefit, each running its course until an appointed time, which is the end of the world and the beginning of Judgement Day. He directs all affairs of this life and the life to come and makes clear the signs testifying to His absolute power so that you may become certain of being resurrected after death and returned to Him for judgement and recompense.
It is He who has spread the earth wide and made it suitable for your livelihoods, placed upon it firm mountains to hold it in place and rivers for you to drink from as well as for other benefits, and of every kind of fruit He has placed in it two types (such as the white and the black, the sweet and the sour), and He causes the night to cover the day with its darkness. Surely in all this there are signs of Allah’s power for people who reflect on them and thus find solid evidence of Allah’s oneness and perfect attributes.
The earth itself, Allah states, has astounding wonders of His creation. There are on it tracts of land of different natures parcels of land adjacent to each other, some of which are arable and suitable for growing what is of benefit to people, while some others are salty and unsuitable for cultivation. In the good, arable land there are vineyards, various crops and date palms stemming from the same root or standing alone. All these grow in the same kind of soil and are watered by the same water, yet they differ in taste, shape, colour, scent, leaves, flowers and benefit; and He makes some taste better than others. Surely in all this there are signs of Allah’s power for people who use their intellect to guide them to what will benefit them and help them comprehend Allah’s commands and prohibitions.