Let's Go Fruit Picking

By: Zulkifli Khair

Despite the end of strawberry season, there are apple, grapes and many more to come – fruits harvesting season during summertime in the north hemisphere. Don’t miss out. Plucking and eating the sweet juicy plum under its tree is really a remarkable experience, especially if it is your first time. So, let’s go fruit picking, as well as fruit eating!

By the way, there are plenty signs of the Creator on fruits. For instance, fruits of diverse colours, tastes, fragrances and sizes produced from the same soil and climate. In the mean time, I used to pick reddish apple, greenly pear and yellowish plum in the same farm. Once at the tropical farm, I used to eat yellowish banana, reddish and hairy rambutan and blackish mangosteen in the same farm.

On the other hand, God creates varieties of single fruit. For example, subhanAllah, the varieties of apple are in the following table, which in the seasonal order:

Picking time Variety
Early August George Cave
Early August Grenadier
End August Merton Knave
Mid to end August Discovery
Early September James Grieve
Early September Worcester Pearmain
Mid-September Laxton’s Fortune
Mid-September Ellison’s Orange
Mid- September St. Edmund Russet
Late September Lord Lambourne
Late September Egremont Russet
Late September Golden Noble
End September Sunset
Early October Kidd’s Orange Red
Early October Cox’s Orange Pippin
Early October Bramley’s Seedling
Early October Howgate Wonder
Early October Lane’s Prince Albert
Early October Spartan
Mid-October Golden Delicious
Mid to end October Idared
Late October Orlean’s Reinette

The wide range of various fruits is explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an:

"It is He Who sends down water (rain) from the sky, and with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds, and out of it We bring forth green stalks, from which We bring forth thick clustered grain. And out of the date palm and its spathe come forth clusters of dates hanging low and near, and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates, each similar (in kind) yet different (in variety and taste). Look at their fruits when they begin to bear, and the ripeness thereof. Verily! In these things there are signs for people who believe." (Al-An’am, 6: 99)

So many verses about fruits in the Qur’an with several terms like thamar, thamarat, fakihah, fawakih and jana (fruits), nakhl and nakhil (dates), ‘inab and a’nab (grapes), rumman (pomegranates), teen (figs) and zaitun (olives). There is also thalh (banana tree) as in Ar-Rahman. However, it never limits the vast variety of fruits in the world, the great favour from God.

It is also very amazing by thinking of fruits juicy flesh that originally comes from the tasteless and without Vitamin C fresh water of rain. Definitely, through photosynthesis, fruits determined by the rain, by the nature, which is governed by God:

"And We sent down from the sky water (rain) in (due) measure, and We gave it lodging in the earth, and verily, We are Able to take it away. Then We brought forth for you therewith gardens of date-palms and grapes, wherein is much fruit for you, and whereof you eat. And a tree (olive) that springs forth from Mount Sinai, that grows oil, and (it is a) relish for the eaters." (Al-Mu’minun, 23: 18-20)

Thence, God Himself makes a challenge, asking human to send down water from sky as in al-Waqi’ah, 56: 68-69 and al-Mulk, 67: 30. The story of Saba in the Qur’an (Saba, 34: 15-17), lays a great lesson. Since the civilised Sabaean people turned away from Allah, the flood of Arim finally destroyed their great civilization including their gardens and fruits farms. Allah replaced their sweet juicy fruits with the bitter fruits. The utmost conclusion here is fruits are from God. Man sows, plants, sprays, prunes etc, but God gives life for it to grow, develop and ripe.

While you are picking and eating the ready-to-eat food made by God, try to visualize that you are able to do it in your kitchen, dining room and bedroom. What such of paradise life! Says Allah: "Reclining upon the couches lined with silk brocade, and the fruits of the two Gardens will be near at hand." (Ar-Rahman, 55: 54)

In another passage, Allah states:
"And the shade thereof is close upon them, and the bunches of fruits thereof will hang low within their reach (to be picked)." (Al-Insan, 76: 14)

Now, imagine you are now inside the fruit farm, eating juicy oranges or plum or whatever juicy or thirst quenching fruits you are most like. The juicy flesh mixes with the saliva, stimulating the microvilli on your tongue, which then start making nerve signals. After that, accelerating the signals towards brain.

The brain interprets the signals and identifies the taste. Later they are translated into expression such as “aaah, it’s lovely juicy” or “so delicious, so tangy!” Nevertheless, this is only a tiny speck of provision compared to the universe of provisions in the truly paradise. Paradise life is beyond the dimension of space and time, beyond our imagination.

There is Greatness of God behind fruit picking. There are beauties of paradise in hereafter behind fruit picking too. Thus, to reflect ourselves about this impermanent life. Either in the backyard or fruit farm, enjoy fruit picking with our heart and mind!


References:

Harun Yahya. (1999). Perished Nations. London: Ta-Ha Publishers. Pg. 118-121.

Harun Yahya. (2000). Deep Thinking. London: Ta-Ha Publishers. Pg. 58-61.

Reader’s Digest. (1977). Food from your Garden. London: Reader’s Digest. Pg. 70-71.

The Noble Quran in the English, a summarized version of At-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir with comments from Sahih Al-Bukhari by Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Available at: http://www.ibnkathir.com/noblequran.htm