﴿ تُؤْتِىٓ أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍۭ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا ۗ وَيَضْرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ ﴾

“yielding its fruit at all times by its Sustainer's leave. And [thus it is that] God propounds parables unto men,' so that they might bethink themselves [of the truth].”

It produces its fruit every season (ḥīn), by leave of its Lord�He [Abū Bakr al-Sijzī] said, �Ibn al-Musayyib used to say the word ḥīn is six months. A man posed the question: �I have sworn an oath that my wife will not visit her family for a ḥīn. So what is a ḥīn?� Saʿd said, �The ḥīn lasts from the time that the date palm flowers until the time that its datesripen, or from the time that its dates ripen until it blossoms.� Ibn ʿAbbās y said, �Kulla ḥīn means morning and night.� He is of the same view as Sahl Ibn ʿAbd Allāh who said, �God coined this similitude referring to the people who have gnosis (maʿrifa) of God with regard to their performing His obligations night and day.��Sahl was asked about the meaning of His words: