Interpretation of Plants in the Quran from Tafsir Al-Azhar and Tafsir Al-Misbah

Abstract

The Quran covers every inch of human needs in the aspect of this worldly life and the hereafter. In order to practice the Quranic teachings, Muslims have to understand the meanings of each verse of the Quran. Allah has remarkably used the element of plants in His revelations which describes the importance of the connection between humans and nature. Many types of plants have been mentioned in the Quran in various situations. The aim of this paper is to identify the plant terms in the Quran and analyse the themes related to the Quranic plant. The document analysis method is applied by collecting the verses that mention the plant-related terms and then, two plant themes were created which are plants associated with the punishment of Allah and plant parts associated with the power of Allah. The selected verses from the plant categories are analysed based on the interpretations of Tafsir al-Azhar by Hamka and Tafsir al-Misbah by M. Quraish Shihab. The results suggest that the plants are used as the punishment of Allah whether in this world or in the hereafter due to the wrongdoings committed by human beings. Controlling the life cycle of a plant is an easy matter for Allah and as an example of His absolute power because He knows every single unseen event that are hidden from the mankind. In conclusion, the mentioning of plants in the Quran is to call for mankind to know Allah, worship Him as the only God and glorify the greatness of Him.