وَٱلْبَلَدُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُۥ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِۦ ۖ وَٱلَّذِى خَبُثَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا نَكِدًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ 58
Translations
And the good land - its vegetation emerges by permission of its Lord; but that which is bad - nothing emerges except sparsely, with difficulty. Thus do We diversify the signs for a people who are grateful.
Transliteration
Wal-baladu at-tayyibu yakhruju nabaatuhu bi-idhni rabbih, wal-ladhi khabutha laa yakhruju illaa nakidan, kadhalika nusarrifu al-ayati li-qawmin yashkurun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah uses the metaphor of fertile and barren land to illustrate the difference between receptive and unreceptive hearts. The good land (tayyib) produces abundant vegetation by Allah's permission, while corrupt land (khabith) yields only sparse, difficult growth—paralleling how sincere believers benefit from divine signs while those with hardened hearts derive little benefit. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as both a literal agricultural lesson and a spiritual allegory for the human soul's capacity to receive divine guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah Al-A'raf, which emphasizes divine signs and human responsibility. It contextualizes the broader theme of the surah: just as Allah's signs in nature are evident to all, yet only the grateful and thoughtful benefit from them, so too does divine revelation affect hearts differently based on their spiritual condition and receptivity.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The example of the one who recites the Qur'an is like the citron, whose fragrance is pleasant and taste is good; and the one who does not recite the Qur'an is like the date-palm tree which has no fragrance but has a good taste.' (Sahih Bukhari 5059). This hadith similarly illustrates differential spiritual fruit from receptive versus unreceptive conditions.
Themes
Key Lesson
Our spiritual growth depends not merely on exposure to divine guidance, but on the condition of our hearts—we must cultivate receptivity, sincerity, and gratitude to truly benefit from Allah's signs. Like fertile soil requires proper preparation, the human heart must be cleansed of arrogance and pride to flourish spiritually.
Related Ayahs
وَأَوْرَثْنَا ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَانُوا۟ يُسْتَضْعَفُونَ مَشَـٰرِقَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَغَـٰرِبَهَا ٱلَّتِى بَـٰرَكْنَا فِيهَا ۖ وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ عَلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا۟ ۖ وَدَمَّرْنَا مَا كَانَ يَصْنَعُ فِرْعَوْنُ وَقَوْمُهُۥ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْرِشُونَ
And We caused the people who had been oppressed to inherit the eastern regions of the land and the western ones, which We had blessed. And the good word [i.e., decree] of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because of what they had patiently endured. And We destroyed [all] that Pharaoh and his people were producing and what they had been building.
قَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا۟ لِمَنْ ءَامَنَ مِنْهُمْ أَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ صَـٰلِحًا مُّرْسَلٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ ۚ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلَ بِهِۦ مُؤْمِنُونَ
Said the eminent ones who were arrogant among his people to those who were oppressed - to those who believed among them, "Do you [actually] know that Ṣāliḥ is sent from his Lord?" They said, "Indeed we, in that with which he was sent, are believers."
۞ وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا ۗ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ ۚ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ
And to the ʿAad [We sent] their brother Hūd. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. Then will you not fear Him?"
وَمَا تَنقِمُ مِنَّآ إِلَّآ أَنْ ءَامَنَّا بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّنَا لَمَّا جَآءَتْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَآ أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَتَوَفَّنَا مُسْلِمِينَ
And you do not resent us except because we believed in the signs of our Lord when they came to us. Our Lord, pour upon us patience and let us die as Muslims [in submission to You]."