Signs of Allah

Signs of Allah in Fruits

  The conscientious person, who sees a large variety of fruit on the dining table, thinks the following:

That out of the dark soil come fruits of diverse colours, a variety of fragrances, with extremely clean contents, each of which has a very pleasant taste, is a great favour Allah grants people.

The banana, tangerine, orange, melon, and watermelon, in short all fruits, are created each with its wrappings. Their peels protect fruits from decay and ruin. Their fragrances are also preserved in these wrappings. Soon after their wrappings are removed, they begin to turn black and spoil.

When examined one by one, the fruits are seen to have many delicate points of significance. The tangerine and orange, for example, are segmented. If they were a single piece, it would have been more difficult to eat such juicy fruits. Yet, Allah has fashioned them in slices for people's convenience. Unquestionably, this flawless, extremely aesthetical design, perfectly addressing our needs, is one of the signs of the creation of Allah, the Most Knowing.

The strawberry, for example, is a very special fruit with its particular form and taste. The patterns on it seem as if they are meticulously designed. With its refreshing red form crowned with green leaves, it is one of the works of the matchless art of Allah. The sweetness in its fragrance and taste, and its being seedless and skinless, make it easy to eat thus reminding one the fruits of Paradise. That a fruit, which almost entirely grows in the soil, has such a beautiful and striking colour, is a very strong sign to us from our Lord Who creates it and Who manifests His art, wisdom and knowledge in the things He creates.

The presence of different fruits in each season is another subject to think about. It is a favour and grace of Allah to people that, for example, in winter, a period when people need vitamins most, such C vitamin-rich fruits as tangerines, oranges and grapefruits are available, while in summer, such fruits as cherries and thirst-quenching melons, watermelons and peaches are abundant.

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Fruits and vegetables spring from the same soil and are watered with the same water, yet they come in a dazzling variety. When we consider the multitude of different tastes and smells of fruits and vegetables, the question of how such a variety ever came about in the first place comes to mind. What causes this miscellany of the tastes and fragrances of grapes, melons, kiwis, pineapples and the like, using the same water and minerals for centuries on end, yet without ever mixing them up with each other and without ever getting them confused? Allah gives them their matchless tastes and appearances.

Both animals and humans obtain the energy they need to survive through nutrition which is produced by plants. In other words, plants have been created as a blessing to benefit all living things. Most of these blessings have been designed especially for humans. Let's take a look at our surroundings, at what we eat, and then think. First let's look at the bone-dry stalk and very thin roots of a grape vine. This bone-dry structure, one that seems so fragile that it could be broken with the slightest pull, can produce dozens of kilos of juicy grapes whose color, smell and taste have been designed especially to give pleasure to man. Now let's think about watermelons. This juicy fruit, which again comes out of dry soil, develops precisely in the season when people begin to feel the need for it, that is, in summer. Let's think about the marvelous smell of the melon that has been provided since it first came into existence, without any deterioration in its quality, and about its famous taste. When fragrances are produced in factories, people use complex quality controls and take great pains to produce a uniform odor that mimics nature; but there is no need for quality checks to preserve the natural odor of fruits.

In addition to their enticing smells, each fruit also contains ingredients that are suitable to the season. In winter, for example, we have tangerines and oranges, which are full of vitamin C and energy. Vegetables also possess any and all kinds of vitamins and minerals that living things may need.

By thinking in this manner, we could examine in turn all the plants present in nature. And at the end of this examination, we would have learned that the plants around us have been especially designed for human beings and all other creatures, in other words they have been created. Allah, Who is the Lord of the worlds, has brought into existence all nutrition for living things and has created them in such a way that the taste, smell and use of each one of them is wonderfully varied. This reveals His might and matchless artistry in creation. He informs us of this in the Qur'an:

"And also the things of varying colors He has created for you in the earth. There is certainly a Sign in that for people who pay heed." (Surat an-Nahl: 13)