  
The Unique Artistry Of Fruits And Vegetables
 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)
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