At-Tin

وَٱلتِّينِ وَٱلزَّيْتُونِ ۱

{ والتين والزيتون } أي المأكولين أو جبلين بالشام ينبتان المأكولين.

By the fig and the olive, that is, the two [edible] foods — or [these denote the names of] two mountains in Syria on which these two foods grow —

وَطُورِ سِينِينَ ۲

{ وطور سينين } الجبل الذي كلم الله تعالى عليه موسى، ومعنى (سينين) المبارك أو الحسن بالأشجار المثمرة.

and [by] the Mount Sinai, the mountain on which God, exalted be He, spoke to Moses (sīnīn means ‘the one blessed’ or ‘the fair one with fruitful trees’),

وَهَـٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدِ ٱلْأَمِينِ ۳

{ وهذا البلد الأمين } مكة لأمن الناس فيها جاهلية وإسلاما.

and [by] this secure land: Mecca, as people were secure in it in the time of pagandom and [are still secure in it] in Islam.

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ فِىٓ أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ ۴

{ لقد خلقنا الإنسن } الجنس { فى أحسن تقويم } تعديل لصورته.

Verily We created man (al-insān: the generic) in the best of forms, [in the best] proportioning of his shape.

ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَـٰهُ أَسْفَلَ سَـٰفِلِينَ ۵

{ ثم رددنه } في بعض أفراده { أسفل سفلين } كناية عن الهرم والضعف فينقص عمل المؤمن عن زمن الشباب، ويكون له أجره بقوله تعالى:

Then, in the case of certain individuals of his [species], We reduced him to the lowest of the low — a metaphor for old age and weakness, at which point a believer’s deeds are fewer than when he was young; but he will still have his reward, as God, exalted be He, says:

إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فَلَهُمْ أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍ ۶

{ إلا } أي لكن { الذين ءامنوا وعملوا الصلحت فلهم أجر غير ممنون } مقطوع. وفي الحديث

" إذا بلغ المؤمن من الكبر ما يعجزه عن العمل كتب له ما كان يعمل "

except those who believe and perform righteous deeds, for they shall have an unfailing reward, one unending — in a hadīth [it is stated], ‘When a believer reaches that stage of old age which prevents him from performing [good] deeds, then what he used to do is recorded in his favour [instead]’.

فَمَا يُكَذِّبُكَ بَعْدُ بِٱلدِّينِ ۷

{ فما يكذبك } أيها الكافر { بعد } أي بعد ما ذكر من خلق الإنسان في أحسن صورة، ثم رده إلى أرذل العمر الدال على القدرة على البعث { بالدين } بالجزاء المسبوق بالبعث والحساب؟ أي ما يجعلك مكذبا بذلك ولا جاعل له؟

So what makes you deny, O disbeliever, thereafter — after the mention of man being created in the best of forms and his being reduced to the vilest of age, all of which indicates the power [of God] to resurrect — the Judgement?, the Requital that will be preceded by the Resurrection and the Reckoning. In other words, what makes you disbelieve in all this? Nothing does!

أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَحْكَمِ ٱلْحَـٰكِمِينَ ۸

{ أليس الله بأحكم الحكمين }؟ أي هو أقضى القاضين وحكمه بالجزاء من ذلك. وفي الحديث

" من قرأ والتين إلى آخرها فليقل: بلى وأنا على ذلك من الشاهدين "

Is not God the fairest of all judges?, the most just of all judges. His passing judgement by means of [the process of] requital is one such example. In a hadīth [it is stated], ‘Whoever recites [sūrat] wa’l-tīni, ‘By the fig’, to the end of it, let him then say, “Yes Indeed! And I am of those who bear witness to this!” ’