Dioecious And Non-Dioecious

In 13:4 of the Quran there is an interesting word that often times is mistranslated in most translations. The word is صِنْوَان ṣin’wān

[13:4] On earth, there are adjacent lots that produce orchards of grapes, crops, palm trees— صِنْوَانٌ (ṣin’wānun) and other than صِنْوَانٍ (ṣin’wānin). Although they are irrigated with the same water, we prefer some of them over others in eating. These are solid proofs for people who understand.

وَفِي الْأَرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُتَجَاوِرَاتٌ وَجَنَّاتٌ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَزَرْعٌ وَنَخِيلٌ صِنْوَانٌ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍ يُسْقَىٰ بِمَاءٍ وَاحِدٍ وَنُفَضِّلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ فِي الْأُكُلِ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

The trilateral root of this word is ص ن و and the derivative meaning for this root ussually pulls up the following:

a palm or other tree springing from the same root as others. Water, stones between two mountains. sinwan - one of the pair or more than two intertwined trees, trees growing in clusters from one root. Related family members.

So in many translations they will translate the verse the following way:

[13:4] On earth, there are adjacent lots that produce orchards of grapes, crops, palm trees— of the same root and not of the same root. Although they are irrigated with the same water, we prefer some of them over others in eating. These are solid proofs for people who understand.

But what does that even mean? To help answer this we need to look at the previous verse.

[13:3] He is the One who constructed the earth and placed on it mountains and rivers. And from the different kinds of fruits, He made them into pairs—(males and females). The night overtakes the day. These are solid proofs for people who think.

وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَدَّ الْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْهَارًا وَمِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ جَعَلَ فِيهَا زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ يُغْشِي الَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

[36:36] Glory be to the One who created in pairs (males and females) all kinds of plants from the earth, as well as themselves, and other creations that they do not even know.

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنْبِتُ الْأَرْضُ وَمِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

[43:12] He is the One who created all kinds, in pairs (male and female), and He created for you ships and livestock to ride.

وَالَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الْفُلْكِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مَا تَرْكَبُونَ

One of the names of God is الْوَاحِدُ (al-wahad) the One. This is a signifying quality of God, that there is no one else like him.

[39:4] If GOD wanted to have a son, He could have chosen whomever He willed from among His creations. Be He glorified; He is GOD, the One, the Supreme.

لَوْ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا لَاصْطَفَىٰ مِمَّا يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ سُبْحَانَهُ هُوَ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ

[6:99] He is the One who sends down from the sky water, whereby we produce all kinds of plants. We produce from the green material multitudes of complex grains, palm trees with hanging clusters, and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranate; fruits that are similar, yet dissimilar. Note their fruits as they grow and ripen. These are signs for people who believe.

وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ نَبَاتَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهُ خَضِرًا نُخْرِجُ مِنْهُ حَبًّا مُتَرَاكِبًا وَمِنَ النَّخْلِ مِنْ طَلْعِهَا قِنْوَانٌ دَانِيَةٌ وَجَنَّاتٍ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُشْتَبِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ انْظُرُوا إِلَىٰ ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَيَنْعِهِ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكُمْ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

[6:100] Yet, they set up besides GOD idols from among the jinns, though He is the One who created them. They even attribute to Him sons and daughters, without any knowledge. Be He glorified. He is the Most High, far above their claims.

وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكَاءَ الْجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمْ وَخَرَقُوا لَهُ بَنِينَ وَبَنَاتٍ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

[6:101] The Initiator of the heavens and the earth. How can He have a son, when He never had a mate? He created all things, and He is fully aware of all things.

بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُنْ لَهُ صَاحِبَةٌ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

[19:88] They said, “The Most Gracious has begotten a son!” [19:89] You have uttered a gross blasphemy. [19:90] The heavens are about to shatter, the earth is about to tear asunder, and the mountains are about to crumble. [19:91] Because they claim that the Most Gracious has begotten a son. [19:92] It is not befitting the Most Gracious that He should beget a son. [19:93] Every single one in the heavens and the earth is a servant of the Most Gracious. [19:94] He has encompassed them, and has counted them one by one.

[2:117] The Initiator of the heavens and the earth: to have anything done, He simply says to it, “Be,” and it is.

بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ

Male And Female Plants

God created the plants in pairs both male and female. When I discovered this I wash shocked, I can’t imagine what the people who received the Quran thought about this 1400 years ago. The Quran distinguishes between plants by putting them into two categories, one category the male and female grow from different roots. This kind of plant is called dioecious. Examples of dioecious plants are date palms.

Then there are plants that have both the male and the female originate from the same root, these kinds of plants are called non-dioecious. The majority of plants in the word are non-dioecious and fall into one of two categories either: bi-sexual or monoecious.

90% of plants are bi-sexual and contain the sexual reproductive parts for both the male and the female in the same location like a flower. An example of a bi-sexual plant is a cultivated grape. Monoecious plants, on the other hand, are plants that have both male and female reproductive organs on the same root, but located in different locations. An example of a monoecious plant is that of a crops like corn and wheat.

صِنْوَانٌ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍ / ṣin’wānun wa-gayr ṣin’wānin / dioecious and non-dioecious

[13:4] On earth, there are adjacent lots that produce orchards of grapes, crops, palm trees—dioecious and non-dioecious. Although they are irrigated with the same water, we prefer some of them over others in eating. These are solid proofs for people who understand.

وَفِي الْأَرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُتَجَاوِرَاتٌ وَجَنَّاتٌ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَزَرْعٌ وَنَخِيلٌ صِنْوَانٌ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍ يُسْقَىٰ بِمَاءٍ وَاحِدٍ وَنُفَضِّلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ فِي الْأُكُلِ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ