Transliteration:( Thumma sha qaqnal-arda shaqqa. )
Divine intervention is fundamental to every stage of growth, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. Just as the rain nourishes the weak sapling, allowing it to sprout from the earth, it is through Allah's will that the very soil splits to allow life to emerge.
The verse, "Then We split the earth in clefts," signifies the divine act of causing the earth to open in such a way that seeds, planted by man or carried by nature, can take root and grow. Man's role is limited to preparing the ground by plowing and planting, but beyond that, it is Allah who has endowed the earth with the power to nurture seeds and transform them into plants.
Allah has created the seeds with the inherent qualities to sprout, and it is He who has fashioned the earth in such a way that, combined with water, it breaks open the seeds and provides the nourishment necessary for each species to grow. Without this divine wisdom and intervention, man would be unable to cultivate any kind of food, regardless of his efforts.
It is a constant reminder that growth, in all its forms, depends not just on the physical actions we take, but on the grace and power of Allah.
The tafsir of Surah Abasa verse 26 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Abasa ayat 17 which provides the complete commentary from verse 17 through 32.
(80:26) and cleaved the earth, cleaving it asunder;[19]
19. Then We split the earth in clefts: Implies cleaving it in a way that the seeds, or seed-stones, or vegetable seedlings that man sows or plants in it, or which are deposited in it by winds or birds, or by some other means, should sprout up. Man can do nothing more than to dig the soil, or plough it, and bury in it the seeds that God has already created. Beyond this everything is done by God. It is He Who has created the seeds of countless species of vegetable; it is He Who has endowed these seeds with the quality that when they are sown in the soil, they should sprout up and from every seed, vegetable of its own particular species should grow. Again it is He Who has created in the earth the capability that in combination with water it should break open the seeds and develop and nourish every species of vegetable with the kind of food suitable for it. Had God not created the seeds with these qualities and the upper layers of the earth with these capabilities, man could not by himself have arranged any kind of food on the earth.
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