16-10 He it is Who sends down water from the clouds for you; it gives drink, and by it (grow) the trees on which you feed.
هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ ۖ لَّكُم مِّنْهُ شَرَابٌۭ وَمِنْهُ شَجَرٌۭ فِيهِ تُسِيمُونَ (۱۰)
16-11 He causes to grow for you thereby herbage, and the olives, and the date-palms, and the grapes, and all the fruits. Surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect.
يُنۢبِتُ لَكُم بِهِ ٱلزَّرْعَ وَٱلزَّيْتُونَ وَٱلنَّخِيلَ وَٱلْأَعْنَـٰبَ وَمِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةًۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (۱۱)
16-12 And He has made subservient for you the night and the day and the sun and the moon. And the stars are made subservient by His command. Surely there are signs in this for a people who understand.
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ وَٱلنُّجُومُ مُسَخَّرَٰتٌۢ بِأَمْرِهِۦٓ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَعْقِلُونَ (۱۲)
16-13 And what He has created for you in the earth is of varied hues. Surely there is a sign in this for a people who are mindful.a
وَمَا ذَرَأَ لَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَٰنُهُۥٓ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةًۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَذَّكَّرُونَ (۱۳)
16-13a: الوان – The meaning of لَوۡن is color but sometimes by اَلۡوان is meant grains and different varieties, as for example اتٰی بالاَلوانِ من الاحادیث means talk on a variety of subjects (R). Similarly, in this verse الوان signifies different kinds of blessings. In another verse, attention is drawn to the differences in color in ٱخْتِلَـٰفُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَٰنِكُمْ : the diversity of your tongues and colors (30:22).
In all these Divine blessings, attention is drawn to the Creator of these blessings who has made the fruits of the world and the stars in heavens to equally work for the benefit of mankind. This cannot be done by Jesus, who the Christians have made into God, nor Raam or Krishan, who the Hindus have taken for gods, nor the idols of the idol worshippers. It is also revealed that even the sun and the moon are made subservient and put to work for the benefit of man. The limits within which these things work have also been defined which clearly shows that there is a power who prescribes these limits. This intricate design manifests the existence of the One who brought it into existence.
16-14 And He it is Who has made the sea subservient that you may eat fresh flesh from it and bring forth from it ornaments which you wear. And thou seest the ships cleaving through it, so that you seek of His bounty and that you may give thanks.a
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى سَخَّرَ ٱلْبَحْرَ لِتَأْكُلُوا۟ مِنْهُ لَحْمًۭا طَرِيًّۭا وَتَسْتَخْرِجُوا۟ مِنْهُ حِلْيَةًۭ تَلْبَسُونَهَا وَتَرَى ٱلْفُلْكَ مَوَاخِرَ فِيهِ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ (۱۴)
16-14a: طَرِيًّۭ – It means fresh and the word طراوت : freshness or verdure is derived from it. لَحْمًۭا طَرِيًّۭ means the meat of fish.
حِلْيَةًۭ تَلْبَسُونَهَا : ornaments which you wear, shows that the Quran addresses both males and females simultaneously because ornaments are worn by women, as in أَوَمَن يُنَشَّؤُا۟ فِى ٱلْحِلْيَةِ : Is one decked in ornaments… (43:18). By حِلْيَةًۭ here is meant pearls etc.
مَوَاخِرَ – It is the plural of ماخِرَۃ or ship and the term مَخَرت السَّفِیۡنة means the ships cleaving through the water.
The subservience of the sea is that humans rule the sea through boats and ships and benefit in many ways from it. Allah has made nature subservient to humans, but they cannot benefit from it until they put in hard work.
16-15 And He has cast firm mountains in the earth lest it quake with you, and rivers and roads that you may go aright,a
وَأَلْقَىٰ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ رَوَٰسِىَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَأَنْهَـٰرًۭا وَسُبُلًۭا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ (۱۵)
16-15a: تَمِيدَ – For مَادَ یَمِیۡدُ see 5-112a and مَیۡد means اِضۡطِرِابُ الشئ العظیم : severe agitation as for example the quaking of the earth (R). The meaning of مَادَ is to be moved, shaken, upset, the inclining of a thing to one side, and also giving something to another. أَن
تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ can therefore be interpreted in two ways: to give humans food, and to prevent it from quaking. Given that rivers are also mentioned with the mountains, the meaning of providing food is also very appropriate because if there were no mountains, there would be no rivers. The food supply for humans depends on the presence of mountains and rivers. That mountains and rivers are under the command of أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ and not سُبُلًۭا is manifest from the fact that rivers do not serve the same purpose as roads. A hadith states:
لَمَا خلق اللّٰہ الارضَ جعلتۡ تمید فَاَرۡسٰھا بالجبال: When Allah created the earth, it was in a state of great upheaval and then Allah created mountains and this statement is borne out by science, namely that the creation of the mountains greatly reduced the agitation of the earth in the form of earthquakes.
16-16 And landmarks. And by the stars they find the right way.
وَعَلَـٰمَـٰتٍۢ ۚ وَبِٱلنَّجْمِ هُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ (۱۵)
16-17 Is He then Who creates like him who creates not? Do you not then mind?a
أَفَمَن يَخْلُقُ كَمَن لَّا يَخْلُقُ ۗ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ (۱۶)
16-17a: After mentioning these unlimited blessings that Allah has created for humans, it is stated whether the one who creates is the like of the one who does not create. من یخلق : Who creates is only the Being of Allah as in له الخلق خَـٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ and لَّا يَخْلُقُ : who creates not are all false deities. Because the topic is the worship of the Creator, those who did not create cannot be the ones to be worshipped. Instead of benefiting from things that are created for them. humans take them as deities and start worshipping them.
16-18 And if you would count Allah’s favors, you would not be able to number them. Surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.a
وَإِن تَعُدُّوا۟ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ (۱۸)
16-18a: After mentioning the blessings that Allah has created for humans, His attributes of Forgiveness and Mercy are mentioned because humans are often ungrateful for many blessings and do not appreciate them. Allah responds with forgiveness in the face of this ingratitude. For blessings that man puts to his use, Allah’s attribute of mercy brings about good results. The mention in the next verse of مَا تُسِرُّونَ : what you conceal is to the same blessings that one does not put to use and instead conceals them and مَا تُعْلِنُونَ are the blessings that he manifests by using them.
16-19 And Allah knows what you conceal and what you do openly.
وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُسِرُّونَ وَمَا تُعْلِنُونَ (۱۹)
16-20 And those whom they call on besides Allah created naught, while they are themselves created.
وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَا يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْـًۭٔا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ (۲۰)
16-21 Dead (are they), not living. And they know not when they will be raised.a
أَمْوَٰتٌ غَيْرُ أَحْيَآءٍۢ ۖ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ (۲۱)
16-21a: These two verses show that the humans that people call upon as gods have died and not a single one is alive, and further that they have no knowledge about when they will be raised. Why is this subject broached here? It is because of the statement in the previous verses that the One who creates cannot be like the one who cannot create. Even the worshippers of those who have been deified concede that they did not create anything. After furnishing this certain proof, it is now stated that not only did these false deities not create anything but that they themselves are created and they faced the same condition that every created being faces, which is death. The rising mentioned in the verse is another name for the second birth and hence it is stated that just as they had no part in the first creation, they have no part in the second creation. This verse clearly shows that Jesus, who is taken for a god by a large section of humanity was dead at the time this verse was revealed. The words غَيْرُ أَحْيَآءٍۢ: not living after أَمْوَٰتٌ : dead is used for emphasis because just the use of the word أَمْوَٰتٌ by itself could have left open the possibility that death may occur at some future time. Hence it is stated emphatically that even now, at the time of revelation, they are dead. The Christian objection that the Holy Ghost, which is another name for Gabriel, is not included in “dead (are they) not living” is erroneous on several grounds. Firstly, in the Christian creed the Holy Ghost is not the name of Gabriel but it is a fictitious person of the Christian Godhead. Secondly, the reference here is only to humans who are deified because there is a mention of rising after death and the rising is only for humans and lastly, the Christians do not pray to the Holy Ghost like they do to Jesus.
Bayan-ul-Quran 