The Quran

Preface

وَالبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخرُجُ نَباتُهُ بِإِذنِ رَبِّهِ ۖ وَالَّذي خَبُثَ لا يَخرُجُ إِلّا نَكِدًا ۚ كَذٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الآياتِ لِقَومٍ يَشكُرونَ

Yusuf Ali

From the land that is clean and good, by the will of its Cherisher, springs up produce, (rich) after its kind:¹ but from the land that is bad, springs up nothing but that which is niggardly: thus do we explain the signs by various (symbols) to those who are grateful.²

The triple parable explained in the last note is here continued. (1) In the physical world, the fertilising showers of rain yield a rich harvest on good soil, but bad soil yields little or nothing, (2) In the, spiritual world, also, God’s Mercy evokes no response in some souls which have chosen evil. (3) In the final reckoning, though all will be raised, not all will achieve the fulfilment of their lives.
Those who are grateful are those who joyfully receive God’s Message, and respond to it by deeds of holiness and righteousness.