Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:63
سُورَةُ الوَاقِعَةِ · Meccan · Verse 63 of 96
أَفَرَءَيْتُم مَّا تَحْرُثُونَ
Translation
Consider the seeds you sow in the ground-
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'Have you considered what you sow?' al-Saadi and Ibn Ashur note the argument moves from your body to your bread, the crops you plant, the food you depend on for life itself. Ask yourself: the verse turns to the most basic human confidence, 'I grow my own food, I provide for myself.' It is about to take even that apart. I speak of 'my' harvest, 'my' work, as though the outcome were mine to command. But the verb the verse highlights is only 'sow', I place the seed; that is the whole of my contribution. This verse begins to expose how much of what I proudly call my self-sufficiency is really me performing one small step while trusting an unseen Power to do everything that actually matters.
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Ashur, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:63 is discussed in 7 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:63 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.