20:53

ٱلَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ مَهۡدٗا وَسَلَكَ لَكُمۡ فِيهَا سُبُلٗا وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءٗ فَأَخۡرَجۡنَا بِهِۦٓ أَزۡوَٰجٗا مِّن نَّبَاتٖ شَتَّىٰ

Allathee jaAAala lakumu alarda mahdan wasalaka lakum feeha subulan waanzala mina alssamai maan faakhrajna bihi azwajan min nabatin shatta

[It is He] who has made for you the earth as a bed [spread out] and inserted therein for you roadways and sent down from the sky, rain and produced thereby categories of various plants.

Word by word
  1. ٱلَّذِيThe One Who
  2. جَعَلَmade
  3. لَكُمُfor you
  4. ٱلۡأَرۡضَthe earth
  5. مَهۡدٗا(as) a bed
  6. وَسَلَكَand inserted
  7. لَكُمۡfor you
  8. فِيهَاtherein
  9. سُبُلٗاways
  10. وَأَنزَلَand sent down
  11. مِنَfrom
  12. ٱلسَّمَآءِthe sky
  13. مَآءٗwater
  14. فَأَخۡرَجۡنَاthen We (have) brought forth
  15. بِهِۦٓwith it
  16. أَزۡوَٰجٗاpairs
  17. مِّنof
  18. نَّبَاتٖplants
  19. شَتَّىٰdiverse
Taha · 20:53Makkah

The ground you sleep on and the roads you walk.

Signs underfoot in daily life


What He made
the eartha bed to rest on
roadwayspaths to travel
rainfrom the sky
plantssweet, sour, bitter
How I see the ground
just therebackground
spread for mea gift to stand on

Musa continued describing his Lord even after Pharaoh's interruption. The earth is a place of rest you settle down upon. He made roads to travel, sent rain, and brought out plants of every kind, some sour, some sweet, some bitter.

Your commute. The pavement under your shoes. The salad from the corner shop with three kinds of leaf. Each one is Musa's answer to "who is your Lord", sitting in plain sight.

Roads, rain and food are just normal life.

The ground, the roads and the food are all signs pointing to the One who made them.

Try this

On your next walk, name three things underfoot or nearby that Allah provided.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Who has made earth for you like a bed; and has opened ways for you therein, and has sent down water (rain) from the sky. And We have brought forth with it various kinds of vegetation (53)Eat and pasture your cattle; verily, in this are Ayat for men of understanding (54)Thereof We created you, and into it We shall return you, and from it We shall bring you out once again (55)And indeed We showed him (Fir'awn) all Our Ayat, but he denied and refused (56)

The Completion of Musa's Reply to Fir'awn

This is from the completion of Musa's speech concerning the description of His Lord when Fir'awn asked him about Him. He (Musa) said,

الَّذِي أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ

(He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright.) Then, Fir'awn attempted to present some argumentative rebuttal during Musa's reply. Yet, Musa continued by saying, "He is the One Who made the earth as a bed for you." Some recited the word as Mihadan and others recited it as Mahdan, which means 'a place of rest that you settle down upon.' It also may mean 'that which you stand upon, sleep upon or travel upon its back.'

وَسَلَكَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلًا 

(and has opened ways for you therein.) This means, 'He made roads for you to walk upon their shoulders.' This is just as He, the Exalted, said,

وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجًا سُبُلًا لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ

(And placed therein broad highways for them to pass through, that they may be guided.)(21:31)

وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِّن نَّبَاتٍ شَتَّىٰ

(and has sent down water from the sky. And We have brought forth with it various kinds of vegetation.) referring to the various species of plants, such as vegetation and fruits. Some are sour, some are sweet, some are bitter and there are other kinds as well.

كُلُوا وَارْعَوْا أَنْعَامَكُمْ

(Eat and pasture your cattle (therein);) meaning, 'something that is food for you and a palatable fruit for you, and something that is for your cattle as fodder for them, both green and dry.'

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ

(Verily, in this are Ayat.) This means proofs, signs and evidences.

لِّأُولِي النُّهَىٰ

(for men of understanding.) meaning those who possess correct and upright intelligence realizing that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, and there is no true Lord other than Him.

مِنْهَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ وَفِيهَا نُعِيدُكُمْ وَمِنْهَا نُخْرِجُكُمْ تَارَةً أُخْرَىٰ

(Thereof We created you, and into it we shall return you, and from it We shall bring you out once again.) meaning, 'the earth is your beginning. For your father, Adam, was created with dirt from the surface of the earth. You also will be returned to the earth. This means that you will become dirt when you die and decay.' The statement, "And from it We shall bring you out once again," means,

يَوْمَ يَدْعُوكُمْ فَتَسْتَجِيبُونَ بِحَمْدِهِ وَتَظُنُّونَ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

(On the Day when He will call you, and you will answer with His praise and obedience, and you will think that you have stayed (in this world) but a little while!)[17:52] This Ayah is similar to Allah's statement,

قَالَ فِيهَا تَحْيَوْنَ وَفِيهَا تَمُوتُونَ وَمِنْهَا تُخْرَجُونَ

(He said: "Therein you shall live, and therein you shall die, and from it you shall be brought out.")(7:25)

Musa showed Fir'awn all of the Signs but He did not believe

Concerning Allah's statement,

وَلَقَدْ أَرَيْنَاهُ آيَاتِنَا كُلَّهَا فَكَذَّبَ وَأَبَىٰ

(And indeed We showed him (Fir'awn) all Our Ayat, but he denied and refused.) This means that the proofs, signs and evidences were established against Fir'awn and he saw them with his own eyes, but he still denied and rejected them due to his disbelief, abstinence and transgression. This is as Allah, the Exalted, says,

وَجَحَدُوا بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَا أَنفُسُهُمْ ظُلْمًا وَعُلُوًّا

(And they belied them wrongfully and arrogantly, though they themselves were convinced thereof.)(27:14)