Surah At-tin is a Meccan Surah with eight verses. Tin means The Fig. The Surah has been so named after the very first word at-tin.
The contents of this Surah show that it belongs to the earliest period of Makkah. It reflects the same style of the earliest revelations of Meccan period in which briefly the people have been made to realize that the judgment of the Hereafter is necessary and absolutely rational.
Its basic theme is the rewards and punishments of the Hereafter.
It states that Allah created man in best fashion and best mold. Then there are two kinds of men. Those who in spite of having been created in the finest of molds, become inclined to evil and their moral degeneration causes them to be reduced to the lowest of the low, and those who by adopting the way of faith and righteousness remain secure from the degeneration and attain the noble position.
This factual reality has been used as an argument to prove that when among the people there are these two separate and quite distinct kinds, how can one deny the judgment and retribution for deeds If the morally degraded are not punished and the morally pure are not rewarded and both end in the dust alike, it would mean that there is no justice in the Kingdom of God; whereas human nature and common sense demand that a judge should do justice. How then can one conceive that Allah, Who is the most just of all judges, would not do justice?
Allah takes oath in first three verses of this Surah. There are four meaningful oaths at the beginning of this Surah to be as an introduction to an important statement ahead. The term tin means ‘fig’, and the term zaytun means ‘olive’; the same fruit that is the source of a useful oil.
The oaths are to these two well-known fruits or to something else. There is much difference of opinion among the commentators as to the exact meaning. Some say that they mean the same two fruits that contain the extraordinary nutritive and creative properties. Some others believe that they refer to the two mountains on which the two cities of Damascus and Jerusalem are located, since these two sacred cities are the lands where many great prophets of Allah have appeared.
There was a practice among the people of Arabia that they generally named a land where a certain fruit was produced in plenty after the name of the fruit itself. Accordingly, the meaning of tin and zaytun can be the land where these fruits are grown, and it is the land of Syria and Palestine, for among the Arabs of that period this very land was well known for the production of fig and olive.
The stronger opinion is that Tin is referring to the region where Mount Judi is where Nuh’s a.s Ark landed (in Damascus/Syria). This is a region which has a lot of mountains where figs grow.
And Zaytoon refers to Mount of Olives, referring to Masjid-al-Aqsa in Palestine, associated with sacred historical importance of Esa a.s. So Tin could be referring to Nuh a.s and Zaytoon to Esa a.s.
Sacred people of Allah turns the pieces of land sacred!
Then Allah takes oath in Mount Sinai. Sinin is another name for the Sinai Peninsula, the mount where Allah spoke to Musa a.s.
Toor is not considered to be an Arabic word and was thought to be a lush green mountainous land. In Hebrew both variations existed and were known to Jewish scholars & this refers to the place where Musa a.s spoke to Allah. This mountain & its name was not known to the Arabs and when Prophet pbuh, the unlettered Arab Messenger, told the Jews of this location, which was only known to their scholars, it caused them to wonder how he could have possibly known this classified information.
Then finally Allah takes oath in ‘the city of security‘ referring Mecca, a land which was known as a secure region even in pagan times. Its sacred character was always respected, and no fighting was allowed in its territory even against criminals & murderers; so when they reached there they were in complete security. This land is considered especially important in Islam, so important that its animals, trees and birds should be left in complete security; even more so is the state of people. The land where the Final Messneger emerged! And a land for which Ibrahim a.s made dua!
In the first ayah teen comes before zaytoon and the benefit of this sequence is that the former is one of the fruits of Jannah but the latter is more blessed as Allah gives it more elevation in the Quran. Beyond zaytoon is Mount Sinai where Allah spoke to Musa and so we have a further elevation and then the house of Allah that Ibrahim a.s built, where the final revelation came and where the final messenger was born. Thus, we see in the sequencing a transition from the blessed to the most blessed.
This ayah is the response to the oaths taken. Allah is telling us through these oaths that Nuh, Esa, Musa a.s and Muhammad pbuh is evidence that man was created above all creatures and in the best fashion for a larger goal.
The term taqwim means to form something into an appropriate shape in a moderate regulation. It means that Allah has created man proportionately in all respects; both from the bodily point of view and from the spiritual and rational point of view because He has settled all faculties in him and prepared him appropriately to cover a great path towards development.
This is the truth for which the oath has been sworn by the lands of the fig and the olive (i.e. Syria and Palestine) and Mt. Sinai and Makkah, the city of peace. Man’s having been created in the most excellent of molds means that he has been given the finest body which no other living being has been given, and he has been blessed with the noblest faculties of thought, knowledge and intellect which no other creature has been blessed with. Then, since the most sublime model these excellencies and unique merits of mankind’s are the Prophets, and no creation can have a higher rank than they, so that Allah may choose it for appointment to the office of Prophethood, an oath has been sworn by the places associated with the Prophets of God to bear testimony to man’s having been created in the finest of molds.
Thus, the verse means to say: “We created mankind in such an excellent mold that it produced men who attained to the most sublime rank of Prophethood.”
After having been created in the finest of molds when man uses the powers of his body and mind in evil ways that Allah granted him, his status is caused to reach the lowest of low means beneath everything of creation. This is a truth which one commonly observes at individual level and also in human society. People become so overwhelmed by greed, selfishness, lustfulness, addiction to intoxicants, meanness, rage and fury and such other traits that morally they are actually reduced to the lowest of the low.
There is no wild species of animals in the world which may equal this human falling into evil acts in any degree. The same is also the case with other evil traits: man proves himself to he the lowest of the low in whichever evil he indulges, anything against the orders of the Divine! So much so that he degrades even religion which is the most sacred thing, he worships the trees, animals, fire, idols etc. If Man uses his faculties aright and follows Allah’s law, he will reach the high and noble destiny intended for him. But if he rebels against Allah, and using his talents and faculties, follows after evil, he will fall even lower than the beast.
Allah created man in a balance of body and spirit. When there is an imbalance in this then the flaws of mankind manifest themselves. This imbalance can occur through people engrossing themselves in worldly affairs too much, which can cause their spiritual connection to Allah to suffer. But when there is a balance of spiritual worship to Allah and permissible worldly matters, man gets strong and in the most upright position. When these two components are balanced, man is made the highest of the high but when imbalanced he is lowered.
Remember next time we go against Allah, we somewhere be fiiting into Asfala-Safileen!
Here the exception is given from those who would get into lowest of low, the only people safe are those who submit and act to the energy demanded. Whose path is correct and follow the Divine route.
The word mamnoon comes from mann which means cut and ghayru mamnoon means that which will not be cut off. In Arabic al Maneen is used to refer to the cloud of dust in the desert which becomes so thick that you cannot see through it and your view is cut off. The implication is that those who stay firm in belief and do good deeds for Allah’s pleasure will get a reward that does not get cut off. Deeds are temporary but the rewards for performing actions for Allah’s pleasure are endless.
Then Allah says that O Prophet pbuh! Who can after this Clear Truth still reject you being the Messenger and reject the Deen, concerning the rewards and punishments? Another translation of this verse can be: “What can after this (O man ) make you deny the judgment ?” In both cases the intention and purpose remains the same. That is when it is a common observation in human society that a section of mankind which has been created in the best of molds and nature, is rendered lowest of the low because of moral degradation, and the other section remains secure by adopting the path of constant faith and righteousness in view of its being created in the best of molds and nature, how can judgment be denied after this ?
Does common sense require that the end of both these men be the same? Does justice demand that neither those who are reduced to the lowest of the low be punished nor those who strive to adopt a righteous life be rewarded?
When man demands even the petty judges of the world to do justice, punish the culprits and reward the doers of good, what is man’s opinion about God?
Is He not the greatest of all judges? If you think he is the greatest of all judges, do you think that He will not do any justice? Do you expect that He will treat the good and the evil alike? Will those who commit the vilest of deeds in the world and those who perform righteous deeds, both end in the dust: neither will any be punished for his evil deeds, nor any be rewarded for his good works? Most surely Allah will make the matter clear!
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