بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
Allah says:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ ثَمَرَاتٍ مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهَا ۚ وَمِنَ الْجِبَالِ جُدَدٌ بِيضٌ وَحُمْرٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهَا وَغَرَابِيبُ سُودٌ
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ وَالدَّوَابِّ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ كَذَٰلِكَ ۗ إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّـهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ
See you not that Allah sends down water (rain) from the sky, and We produce therewith fruits of varying colours, and among the mountains are streaks white and red, of varying colours and (others) very black.
And of men and Ad -Dawab (moving living creatures, beasts, etc.), and cattle, in like manner of various colours. It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, Oft-Forgiving. [Surah Faatir (35) : 27 – 28]
In these two verses, one aspect is repeated three different times – that of colours. First, the fruits are mentioned and then the mountains and then living creatures. Each of the three come in different colours.
Ibn Kathir (rahimahullah) states in his explanation of these two verses:
“Allah tells us of His complete and perfect power of creation. He tells us how He makes different kinds of things from one thing, which is the water that He sends down from the heaven. From water He brings forth fruits of various colors, yellow, red, green, white and other colors, as we can see in the immense variety of their colors, tastes and scents. This is like another Ayah where Allah says:
﴿وَفِى الاٌّرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُّتَجَـوِرَتٌ وَجَنَّـتٌ مِّنْ أَعْنَـبٍ وَزَرْعٌ وَنَخِيلٌ صِنْوَنٌ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَنٍ يُسْقَى بِمَآءٍ وَحِدٍ وَنُفَضِّلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَى بَعْضٍ فِى الاٍّكُلِ إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لآيَـتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ ﴾
(And in the earth are neighbouring tracts, and gardens of vines, and green crops, and date palms, growing into two or three from a single stem root, or otherwise, watered with the same water; yet some of them We make more excellent than others to eat. Verily, in these things there are Ayat for the people who understand.) (13:4)
﴿وَمِنَ الْجِبَالِ جُدَدٌ بِيضٌ وَحُمْرٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَنُهَا﴾
(and among the mountains are Judad, white and red, of varying colors) means, He created the mountains like this, with different colors, as we also see that there are indeed white and red mountains, and in some of them there are streaks which are also of varying colors. Ibn Abbas said Al-Judad means pathways. This was also the view of Abu Malik, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and As-Suddi. And there are some mountains which are very black. Ikrimah said, “Al-Gharabib means mountains which are high and black. This was also the view of Abu Malik, Ata Al-Khurasani and Qatadah. Ibn Jarir said, “When the Arabs describe something as being very black, they say Ghirbib.
﴿وَمِنَ النَّاسِ وَالدَّوَآبِّ وَالاٌّنْعَـمِ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَنُهُ كَذَلِكَ﴾
(And likewise, men and moving creatures and cattle are of various colors.) means, the same is true of living creatures too, humans and animals, all creatures which walk on their feet, and cattle. Here something general is followed by something specific. These are all different too, for among mankind there are Berbers, Ethiopians and some non-Arabs who are very black, and Slavs and Romans who are very white, and the Arabs who are in between, and the Indians. Allah says in another Ayah:
﴿وَاخْتِلَـفُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَنِكُمْ إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لأَيَـتٍ لِّلْعَـلَمِينَ﴾
(and the difference of your languages and colors. Verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge) (30:22). Similarly, animals and cattle vary in their colors, even within one species, and a single animal may have patches of different colors. Blessed be Allah, the Best of creators.”
So, all these colours essentially point to the power and perfection of Allah.
These aren’t the only two verses that mention colours i.e. not a specific colour (here’s an article about that), rather the word “alwan” which means colours). There are a few others and they mention other things like honey.
Let’s go through each of the things mentioned in these verses so we can ponder over how perfectly Allah has created everything.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ ثَمَرَاتٍ مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهَا ۚ وَمِنَ الْجِبَالِ جُدَدٌ بِيضٌ وَحُمْرٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهَا وَغَرَابِيبُ سُودٌ
See you not that Allah sends down water (rain) from the sky, and We produce therewith fruits of varying colours, and among the mountains are streaks white and red, of varying colours and (others) very black. [Surah Faatir (35) : 27]
So, imagine the various colours of fruits:
Another verse mentions crops i.e. fruits and vegetables.
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَسَلَكَهُ يَنَابِيعَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعًا مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ حُطَامًا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ
See you not, that Allah sends down water (rain) from the sky, and causes it to penetrate the earth, (and then makes it to spring up) as water-springs and afterward thereby produces crops of different colours, and afterward they wither and you see them turn yellow, then He makes them dry and broken pieces. Verily, in this, is a Reminder for men of understanding. [Surah Az-Zumar (39) : 21]
So, here are fruits and vegetables of various colours:
Beautiful, isn’t it? All of this just shows the power and perfection of the Lord, Most High.
And that’s not all. The colours of fruits and vegetable actually have a meaning. Similar coloured fruits and vegetables actually have similar benefits!
Absolutely amazing, isn’t it? Each colour actually has a meaning in terms of health. Yet, many people don’t even realise that.
Oh, and there’s something to their shapes as well:
MOUNTAINS
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ ثَمَرَاتٍ مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهَا ۚ وَمِنَ الْجِبَالِ جُدَدٌ بِيضٌ وَحُمْرٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهَا وَغَرَابِيبُ سُودٌ
See you not that Allah sends down water (rain) from the sky, and We produce therewith fruits of varying colours, and among the mountains are streaks white and red, of varying colours and (others) very black. [Surah Faatir (35) : 27]
So, there are white mountains:
And there are red mountains:
And there are red and white mountains too:
And black mountains:
And there are other colours as well:
That’s not all. There are mountains which are multi-coloured:
Glorious, isn’t it?
HUMANS
وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّلْعَالِمِينَ
And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge. [Surah Ar-Rum (30) :22]
Ibn Kathir states in his explantion of the above verse:
“
﴿وَمِنْ ءَايَـتِهِ﴾
(And among His signs) indicating His magnificent power.
﴿خَلَقَ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالأَرْضَ﴾
(is the creation of the heavens and the earth,) The heavens with their vast height and brightness and beauty of the stars and planets, and the earth with its density and its mountains, valleys, seas, plains, animals and trees.
﴿وَاخْتِلَـفُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ﴾
(and the difference of your languages) So, we see that some speak Arabic, and the Tatars have their own language, as do the Georgians, Romans, Franks, Berbers, Tou Couleurs (of Sudan), Ethiopians, Indians, Persians, Slavs, Khazars, Armenians, Kurds and others. Only Allah knows the variety of languages spoken among the sons of Adam. And the difference of their colors mentioned here refers to their appearance, for all the people of this world, from the time that Allah created Adam, and until the Hour begins, each of them has two eyes, two eyebrows, a nose, a forehead, a mouth and two cheeks, but none of them looks like another; there is bound to be some difference in posture, appearance and speech, whether it is apparent or is hidden and can only be noticed with careful observation. Each face has its own characteristics and does not look like another; even if there was a group of people who looked alike, having a beautiful or ugly characteristic in common, there would still be a difference between one person and the next.
﴿إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لأَيَـتٍ لِّلْعَـلَمِينَ﴾
(Verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge.)“
So, humans come in different colours and have different appearances. In fact, the colour and personality of humans is in accordance with the earth as the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) stated.
عن أَبُي مُوسَى الأَشْعَرِي قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم : إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ آدَمَ مِنْ قَبْضَةٍ قَبَضَهَا مِنْ جَمِيعِ الأَرْضِ فَجَاءَ بَنُو آدَمَ عَلَى قَدْرِ الأَرْضِ جَاءَ مِنْهُمُ الأَحْمَرُ وَالأَبْيَضُ وَالأَسْوَدُ وَبَيْنَ ذَلِكَ وَالسَّهْلُ وَالْحَزْنُ وَالْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ . زَادَ فِي حَدِيثِ يَحْيَى : وَبَيْنَ ذَلِكَ . وَالإِخْبَارُ فِي حَدِيثِ يَزِيدَ
Abu Musa al-Ashari (radiallahu anhu) reported the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) as saying : “Allah created Adam from a handful that He took from all the earth ; so the children of Adam are in accordance with the earth : there are red, white, black, and some in between, smooth and rough, bad and good.” In the Hadith of Yahya (one of the narrators) it adds: “And some in between.” And the wording of the narration is that of Yazid. [Sunan Abee Dawood, Hadeeth No. 4693. Graded “sahih” (authentic) by Shaikh Al-Albani.]
So, the different skin colours of people are basically a sign of the power of Allah. Instead, people use it as an excuse to oppress others!
Apparently, racists don’t seem to understand that Allah will not take into account the amount of melanin their skins have but rather will take into account their deeds.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم : إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَأَعْمَالِكُمْ
Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) reported Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) as saying: Verily Allah does not look at your appearance and your wealth but He looks at your heart and your actions. [Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 6221]
LIVING CREATURES
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ وَالدَّوَابِّ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ كَذَٰلِكَ ۗ إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّـهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ
And of men and Ad -Dawab (moving living creatures, beasts, etc.), and cattle, in like manner of various colours. It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, Oft-Forgiving. [Surah Faatir (35) : 28]
Here’s an example of a creature which can change into multiple colours:
That’s just one creature. What about the other billions that exist?
And how about these rainbow ants? Their colour becomes whatever they eat!
Here’s an article where a brother actually tried to feed them different coloured food to see what happened.
HONEY
وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ
ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًا ۚيَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
And your Lord inspired the bee, saying: “Take you habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect. Then, eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of your Lord made easy (for you).” There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colour wherein is healing for men. Verily, in this is indeed a sign for people who think. [Surah An-Nahl (16) : 68-69]
Honey comes in a variety of colours. And by variety, I mean variety.
And sometimes you may end up getting some interesting coloured honey:
Yes, that’s all real honey. The bees apparently guzzled on some stuff that maybe they shouldn’t have and these were the results.
The colour of honey isn’t without meaning. Dark honey has more antioxidants than light honey and has greater health benefits.
Also, whilst honey has many health benefits (which the verse itself alludes to by referring to it as a cure), apparently each type of honey is good for different health issues.
Here are two articles that discuss various types of honey:
Huge list of 22 Honey and their Medicinal Properties
Exploring 36 Honey Floral Varieties
STUFF ON THIS EARTH
وَمَا ذَرَأَ لَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مُخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
And whatsoever He has created for you on this earth of varying colours [and qualities from vegetation and fruits, etc. (botanical life) and from animal (zoological life)]. Verily! In this is a sign for people who remember. [Surah An-Nahl (16) : 13]
Ibn Kathir states in his explanation of this verse:
وَمَا ذَرَأَ لَكُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مُخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ
(And whatsoever He has created of varying colors on the earth for you. ) When Allah points out the features of the skies, He also points out the wondrous things that He has created on earth, the variety of its animals, minerals, plants and inanimate features, all having different colors and shapes, benefits and qualities.
﴿إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَذَّكَّرُونَ﴾
(Verily, in this is a sign for people who reflect.) meaning (those who remember) the blessings of Allah and give thanks to Him for them.”
Here’s an example of the colour in minerals:
A girl’s Best Friend (i.e. Diamonds) also comes in different colours:
And yes, it naturally occurs in different colours but these can get their colour enhanced later (i.e. by people). They’re called fancy coloured diamonds.
Plants and trees also come in different colours:
And that’s not all.
Sand comes in different colours. Here’s an example of the variation in sand colour of just the sand in the Sahara desert:
Here are some other sand colours:
Rocks come in different colours too:
And let’s not forget about the seashells:
And it’s not just stuff on this earth that is colourful. The sky can get pretty colourful too, you know.
And our galaxy isn’t too bland either:
And the galaxy next door (Andromeda) isn’t bad at all:
Magnificent, isn’t it?
As I mentioned in my first post on this website, this is just this world, so what about Paradise? And this world and Paradise are both created. If they are so beautiful, then what about the One who created them?
The whole purpose of our creation was so that we can know and worship the Creator. The Quran was revealed to show us how to fulfill this purpose.
So, these colours are mentioned in the Quran for a reason. It’s so that we can ponder over the creation of Allah and realise His power and perfection and increase in iman (faith) and servitude.
But do we ponder? Or are we heedless?
And does our iman increase after seeing the beauty of creation? Do we increase in servitude to the Creator?
Or do we behave like those who know all the scientific facts and all the amazing places to visit in the world, yet are heedless of the matters of the hereafter?
يَعْلَمُونَ ظَاهِرًا مِّنَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ عَنِ الْآخِرَةِ هُمْ غَافِلُونَ
أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِم ۗ مَّا خَلَقَ اللَّـهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۗ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ النَّاسِ بِلِقَاءِ رَبِّهِمْ لَكَافِرُونَ
They know only the outside appearance of the life of the world (i.e. the matters of their livelihood, like irrigating or sowing or reaping, etc.), and they are heedless of the Hereafter.
Do they not think deeply (in their ownselves) about themselves (how Allah created them from nothing, and similarly He will resurrect them)? Allah has created not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, except with truth and for an appointed term. And indeed many of mankind deny the Meeting with their Lord. [Surah Ar-Rum (30) : 7-8]
What’s the point of marvelling at purple sand, or pink diamonds or multicoloured mountains if it has no effect on your life?
And what effect could seeing these have, you ask? Well, one effect is lessening the anxiety of a person and giving them hope.
Every person has multiple times in their life when they are just stuck. Perhaps they have severe health issues, perhaps it’s a huge debt, perhaps it’s family issues, perhaps their boss is a wacko, perhaps it’s university pressure, perhaps they are possessed by a jinn, perhaps they just had a tsunami or perhaps they are going through a civil war.
Seeing this magnificence and colour will make them realise how powerful the One who created them is. It will also make them realise how perfect He is, having put everything in its appropriate place.
So, they will increase in hope knowing that He is also powerful enough to help out of their current predicament, no matter how bad it is and that they don’t need anyone except Him, and they will supplicate to Him for help.
They will also be patient, knowing that He has a perfect plan in place for them and that everything that happens to them is for a reason.
Another effect that seeing all these colours could have is cheering up a person and causing to be less dull in their own lives.
So, seeing these wonderful things should bring about a change in the person and make them know Allah more and make them more obedient to Him.
That’s what the two verses, mentioned at the beginning of this post, allude to:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ ثَمَرَاتٍ مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهَا ۚ وَمِنَ الْجِبَالِ جُدَدٌ بِيضٌ وَحُمْرٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهَا وَغَرَابِيبُ سُودٌ
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ وَالدَّوَابِّ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ كَذَٰلِكَ ۗ إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّـهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ
See you not that Allah sends down water (rain) from the sky, and We produce therewith fruits of varying colours, and among the mountains are streaks white and red, of varying colours and (others) very black.
And of men and Ad -Dawab (moving living creatures, beasts, etc.), and cattle, in like manner of various colours. It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, Oft-Forgiving. [Surah Faatir (35) : 27 – 28]
Ibn Kathir states in his explanation of the second verse:
“Allah then says:
﴿إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ﴾
(It is only those who have knowledge among His servants that fear Allah.) meaning, only those who have knowledge truly fear Him as He should be feared, because the more they know about the Almighty, All-Powerful, All-Knowing Who has the most perfect attributes and is described with the most beautiful Names, the more they will fear Him. Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas commented on the Ayah:
﴿إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ﴾
(It is only those who have knowledge among His servants that fear Allah.) those who know that Allah is able to do all things. Ibn Abbas said, “The one among His servants who knows about Ar-Rahman, is the one who does not associate anything in worship with Him; the one who accepts as lawful that which He has permitted and accepts as unlawful that which He has prohibited. He obeys His commands and is certain that he will meet Him and be brought to account for his deeds. Said bin Jubayr said, “Fear is what stands between you and disobeying Allah, may He be glorified.” Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, “The knowledgeable person is the one who fears Ar-Rahman with regard to the Unseen, who likes that which Allah wants him to like, and who shuns that which angers Allah.” Then Al-Hasan recited:
﴿إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ﴾
(It is only those among His servants who have knowledge that fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Almighty, Oft-Forgiving.) Sufyan Ath-Thawri narrated from Abu Hayyan At-Taymi from a man who said, “It used to be said that the knowledgeable are of three types: (first) one who knows Allah and the command of Allah, (second) one who knows Allah but does not know the command of Allah, and (third) one who knows the command of Allah but does not know Allah. The one who knows Allah and the command of Allah is the one who fears Allah and knows the limits (Hudud) and the obligatory duties (Faraid). The one who knows Allah but does not know the command of Allah is the one who fears Allah but does not know the limits (Hudud) and the obligatory duties (Faraid). The one who knows the command of Allah but does not know Allah is the one who knows the limits (Hudud) and the obligatory duties (Faraid) but does not fear Allah.”
So, let’s be of those who actually benefit from this rainbow of colours present all around us. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have fulfilled the reason which we were created for in the first place.