وَمِن ثَمَراتِ النَّخيلِ وَالأَعنابِ تَتَّخِذونَ مِنهُ سَكَرًا وَرِزقًا حَسَنًا ۗ إِنَّ في ذٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِقَومٍ يَعقِلونَ

And from the fruits of date palms and grapevines, you obtain sugar and good provision. In this, there is a sign for those who think.

وَأَوحىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذي مِنَ الجِبالِ بُيوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمّا يَعرِشونَ

Your Lord inspired the bee: “Establish your hives in the mountains, the trees, and what they construct.”

ثُمَّ كُلي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَراتِ فَاسلُكي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًا ۚ يَخرُجُ مِن بُطونِها شَرابٌ مُختَلِفٌ أَلوانُهُ فيهِ شِفاءٌ لِلنّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ في ذٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِقَومٍ يَتَفَكَّرونَ

Then, feed on the various fruits, and traverse the paths of your Lord with precision. From within their bodies comes a syrup of varying colors, wherein there is healing for people. In this, there is a sign for those who ponder.

وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُم ثُمَّ يَتَوَفّاكُم ۚ وَمِنكُم مَن يُرَدُّ إِلىٰ أَرذَلِ العُمُرِ لِكَي لا يَعلَمَ بَعدَ عِلمٍ شَيئًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَليمٌ قَديرٌ

God created you; then He will cause you to die. Some of you will be reduced to the most feeble age, so they don’t know anything after having known. God is All-Knowing, Most Capable.

وَاللَّهُ فَضَّلَ بَعضَكُم عَلىٰ بَعضٍ فِي الرِّزقِ ۚ فَمَا الَّذينَ فُضِّلوا بِرادّي رِزقِهِم عَلىٰ ما مَلَكَت أَيمانُهُم فَهُم فيهِ سَواءٌ ۚ أَفَبِنِعمَةِ اللَّهِ يَجحَدونَ

God has favored some of you with more provisions than others. Yet those who are favored wouldn’t hand over their provision to those whom their right hands possess so they become equal to them therein. Do they then deny God’s blessings?

وَيَعبُدونَ مِن دونِ اللَّهِ ما لا يَملِكُ لَهُم رِزقًا مِنَ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ شَيئًا وَلا يَستَطيعونَ

They worship powerless idols instead of God, idols that don’t have the power to provide for them from the heavens and the earth.

فَلا تَضرِبوا لِلَّهِ الأَمثالَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعلَمُ وَأَنتُم لا تَعلَمونَ

So, don’t set up parallels to God. God knows, and you don’t know.

ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا عَبدًا مَملوكًا لا يَقدِرُ عَلىٰ شَيءٍ وَمَن رَزَقناهُ مِنّا رِزقًا حَسَنًا فَهُوَ يُنفِقُ مِنهُ سِرًّا وَجَهرًا ۖ هَل يَستَوونَ ۚ الحَمدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَل أَكثَرُهُم لا يَعلَمونَ

God presents an example: A slave, powerless and owned by his master, versus a man whom We’ve provided with a good livelihood, which he spends secretly and openly. Can they be considered equal? Praise be to God, but most of them don’t know.

وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَجُلَينِ أَحَدُهُما أَبكَمُ لا يَقدِرُ عَلىٰ شَيءٍ وَهُوَ كَلٌّ عَلىٰ مَولاهُ أَينَما يُوَجِّههُ لا يَأتِ بِخَيرٍ ۖ هَل يَستَوي هُوَ وَمَن يَأمُرُ بِالعَدلِ ۙ وَهُوَ عَلىٰ صِراطٍ مُستَقيمٍ

God illustrates another example: Two men, one mute, incapable of doing anything useful, is completely dependent on his master; no matter how he directs him, he brings nothing good. Can he be compared to one who promotes justice and follows a straight path?

وَلِلَّهِ غَيبُ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ ۚ وَما أَمرُ السّاعَةِ إِلّا كَلَمحِ البَصَرِ أَو هُوَ أَقرَبُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلىٰ كُلِّ شَيءٍ قَديرٌ

To God belongs the unseen realms of the heavens and the earth. The coming of the Hour is as swift as the blink of an eye, or even swifter. God has power over everything.