The following is an excerpt from al-Bahr al-Madid (The Immense Ocean), the extraordinary tafsir of the late Moroccan scholar Ahmed Ibn ‘Ajibah. The tafsir of verses 1-10, 11-26, 60-82, 83-101, and 101-110 are also published on the IGI blog, along with an introduction to the surah.
Allah [exalted is His Majesty] said:
(32) And strike for them the parable of two men. We gave to one of them two gardens of grapevines. And We surrounded them by date palms. And We placed between them crops (33) Each of the two gardens yielded its fruits and withheld nothing thereof. And We caused to gush forth in each of them a river (34) And he had fruits. And, he said to his companion, while he was discussing with him, I am greater in wealth than you and have a mightier party (35) Then, he entered his garden, while wronging himself. He said, “I don’t believe that this will ever perish (36) Nor do I believe that the hour will occur. And if I were indeed to be returned to my Lord, I would surely find better than this as a return.” (37) His companion said, while he was debating him, “Do you disbelieve in the One who has created you from dust, then from a sperm drop, then formed you into a man? (38) Rather, it is Allah who is my Lord and I will never associate anyone with my Lord (39) If only you had entered your garden and said, ‘Whatever Allah wills. There is no might, except in Allah.’ If you consider me to be inferior to you in wealth and children (40) Then perhaps my Lord will give me that which is better than your garden and send upon it a calamity from the heavens, and it will become smooth, barren earth (41) And its water will become sunken, such that you will be unable to seek it out.” (42) Thus, his fruits were encompassed and he began to turn his palms against one another because of that which he had spent in it. And it is now collapsed upon its trellises. And he was saying, “I wish that I had not associated anyone with my Lord.” (43) And there was no party that could help him apart from Allah and he was not able to aid himself (44) There the authority belongs completely to Allah. And He is best in rewarding and best in outcome.
The Story of the Man with Two Gardens
The Real (Exalted is His Majesty) said:
“And strike for them” i.e. for the two aforementioned groups, believers and disbelievers, “a parable” of the contrast of the disobedience of the disbeliever, despite his turning about in bliss, and the obedience of the believer, despite his suffering the difficulties of poverty, and of that which has been promised to the both of them. However, this is not from the standpoint of what the disbeliever and the believer will receive in the Hereafter.
Rather, strike a parable of the situation of “two men.” These two men may be theoretical or real. If they are real, then it refers to two brothers, or partners, from among the Children of Israel. One was a disbeliever, whose name was Qutrus. The other was a believer whose name was Yahudha. They shared [earnings] of nine thousand dinars. It has also been said that they inherited the money from their father. The disbeliever spent his portion on wasteful things and land, while the believer spent his portion in different kinds of charity.
It has been narrated that the disbeliever bought a plot of land with one thousand dinars. In turn, his believing companions said, “O, Allah! So-and-so bought land with one thousand dinars. But, I wish to buy a plot of land in the Garden from you for one thousand dinars.” So, he gave one thousand dinars away in charity.
Then, his companion built a home with one thousand dinars. And he said, “O, Allah! My companion has built a house with one thousand dinars. But I wish to buy from You a house in the Garden for one thousand dinars.” So he gave one thousand dinars in charity.
Then his companion married a woman for one thousand dinars. And he said, “O Allah! So-and-so married a woman with one thousand dinars. And I am proposing through you to one of the ladies of Paradise for one thousand dinars.” So he gave away one thousand dinars in charity.
“We gave to one of them two gardens of grapevines.”
Then his companions bought a servant and some goods for one thousand dinars. So he said, “O, Allah! So-and-so bought a servant and some goods for one thousand dinars. But I buy a servant and goods of Paradise, from You, for one thousand dinars.” So he gave away one thousand dinars.
Then, he was struck with a need. So he said, “Perhaps my companion will show me his kindness.”
So, he went to his companion, but the latter said, “What did you do with your wealth?” He told his companion his story, and his companion replied, “Would you give that away in charity also? By Allah! I will not give you anything.”
When they both passed away, their situation was the same as Allah mentioned in Surah al-Saffat. Allah said “One of them said, ‘I had a companion who said to me, “Are you really of those who give charity…”’” [al-Saffat, 51-52].
Then, Allah explained their situation while in this world. He said:
“We gave one of them” i.e. the disbeliever “two gardens” meaning two orchards “of grapevines.” Of all different kinds. “And We surrounded them by date palms.” i.e. we made the date palms to encompass the grapevines in order preserve them. “And We placed between them” meaning in the midst of them “crops” so that each of the gardens should gather together all kinds of foods and fruits that are needed for life, in the best fashion and the most well-arranged manner.
“Each of the two gardens yielded its fruits” meaning its produce and provided a noble level in its providence of food “and withheld nothing thereof.” This means its produce did not decrease in any year, unlike other orchards. This is despite the fact that normally, fruits increase in some years and decrease in other.
“And We caused to gush forth in each of them” meaning in the middle of each of the two orchards “a river.” The word “nahar” can also be read “nahr.” A “nahr” is a large body of [flowing] water. And each of his gardens had a river of its own, so that there would always be water to drink, and to perpetuate the beauty of the garden.
“And We surrounded them by date palms.”
And perhaps the river’s gushing forth was delayed until after the mention of its produce - despite the fact that the process is normally the opposite - in order to convey role that each blessing, that of its produce and that of its water gushing forth, played in the perfect beauty of the two gardens. This is similar to the story of the cow [in Surah al-Baqarah] and other stories. And if they had been mentioned in their normal order, one might assume that they were combined parts of a single blessing.
“And he had fruits.” This means the owner of the two gardens had various types of wealth apart from the two gardens. “Thamar” is from the expression “his wealth bore fruit,” which means that his wealth was great.
Ibn ‘Abbas has said, “‘Thamar’ is all kinds of wealth, such as gold, silver, livestock, etc.”
Mujahid, however, said, “It is only gold and silver.”
“And, he said to his companion,” meaning to his believing brother or partner “while he was speaking with him,” i.e. discussing something with him. That was when he had asked his companion on what he had spent his wealth. The believer responded, “I sent it in front of me so that I may catch up to it.” The disbeliever responded “I am greater in wealth than you and have a mightier party” i.e. servants, helpers and male sons. They are the people who stand with and support him.
“Then, he entered his garden,” meaning the orchard that was previously described. The singular was used here, either because using the dual form here isn’t necessary for the intended meaning, or because they were both connected to one another, or because a person can only enter one thing at a time. He entered it “while wronging himself,” i.e. harming himself with his pride and disbelief. “He said,” at the moment he entered, “I don’t believe that this will ever perish” meaning “I don’t think that this garden will ever cease to be.” He said this due to the perceived distance of the appointed time, and the extent of his negligence. His statement is also a negation of the fact that this world will perish, and of the occurrence of the Hour.
That is why he said:
“Nor do I believe that the hour will occur.” This means, “I don’t believe that it will ever happen in the future.” “And if I were indeed to be returned to my Lord,” i.e. by being resurrected when the Hour occurs, as as his companion was saying, “I would surely find” in that moment “better than this” meaning better than the two gardens “as a return,” Meaning “I would be requited and rewarded with better than them.” In other words, “Since He has given me these gardens in this world, He will give me better than them in the Hereafter.” The source of such a false belief and transgressive oath was his belief that Allah had only given him what He gave him in this world because he, himself, deserved it, as well as because of his nobility. However, he didn’t perceive that it was in fact Divine enticement [istidraj].
“And he had fruits.”
“His companions said,” meaning his Muslim brother said to him, “while he was speaking with him, ‘Do you disbelieve in the One who has created you from dust,’” i.e. your origin is dust. Indeed, the creation of Adam (peace be upon him) from dust indicates that his children were also created from it. The manner of his creation was not limited to himself. Rather, it is an archetype that establishes the manner of creation of every individual of the species. The characteristics of an archetype affect every individual of the species. Thus, since he (peace be upon him) was created from dust, all of his species was created from it.
“Then from a sperm drop,” i.e. your most immediate formative substance, “then formed you into a man?” In other words, Allah created you stage by stage until you were a human male, or until you became a man. The way that the relative clause has been expressed calls to mind the evidence of the resurrection which Allah (Exalted is He) mentioned in His words “O, mankind! If you are indeed in doubt about the resurrection, then, We created you from dust…” [Surah al-Hajj, 5].
Al-Baydawi has said, “His disbelief in the resurrection was made the same as disbelieving in Allah because it is a source of doubt over the Perfect Power of Allah. For that reason, his denial of God was implied through his denial of His creating him from dust, because the One who can create him from nothing is able to repeat his creation.”
“Rather, it is Allah who is my Lord” The sentence in Arabic begins with the world “lakinna,” which was originally “Lakin Ana.” And it was originally recited that way. But the hamza was removed and the nuns were merged together. “Huwa,” translated as “It is,” is an objective, personal pronoun. It is the subject, and the predicate is “Allah who is my lord.” And the whole sentence, “It is Allah who is my Lord,” is a predicate. It has also been recited with the hamza of “ana” being present, with the option to continue or to pause, and with the pause being necessary. And the interjection returns to His words (Exalted is He) “Do you disbelieve…” It is as if the man said, “You are a disbeliever. As for me, I am a believer and a monotheist.”
“And I will never associate anyone with my Lord.” In this statement, there is an indication that his companion’s disbelief was through associating partners, as Abu Su’ud has pointed out. The Shaykh of our Shaykh Sidi Abd al-Rahman al-Fasi said, “It is apparent from His words ‘If only you had entered your garden…’ and His words ‘I wish that I had not associated…’ that his association of partners with Allah was because he never consigned the effective will to Him, and in the fact that he claimed that he was independently worthy [of His favors].”
And Wahb b. Munabbih has said, “I read in ninety of the scriptures of Allah that if anyone consigns any part of the effective will to himself, he has disbelieved.” Thus, his doubting the resurrection and denying the promise of Allah is evident disbelief.
“If only you had entered your garden” meaning your orchard “and said, ‘Whatever Allah wills’” In other words, “Why did you not say, when you entered it, ‘Whatever Allah wills,’” This means: The matter is as Allah willed. Or it means: What Allah has willed will come to pass. The believer’s intention is to prompt his companion to recognize that his gardens and what they contain are through the will of Allah (Exalted is He). If Allah wishes, He will perpetuate this abundance. And if He wishes, He will cause it to disappear.
“There is no might, except in Allah.” This means, “I am incapable of either building it or controlling its affairs, except with the Help and facilitation of Allah.”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “If someone sees anything that alarms him, and says, ‘Whatever Allah wills. There is no might, except in Allah,’ nothing will harm him.”
And he ﷺ said to Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه, “Shall I not indicate to you a word that is from the treasures of Paradise?”
He رضي الله عنه replied, “Of course, o Messenger of Allah!”
He ﷺ said, “There is no might except in Allah [la quwwata illa bi Allah]. If any slave says it, Allah (Honored and Majestic) says, ‘My slave has surrendered and submitted.’”
Hafiz ‘Abd a-Ghani al-Maqdisi’s Reports on the Dajjal, collects over one hundred Prophetic narrations on this great trial of the End Times. This translation was published by Imam Ghazali Publishing in 2023.
And he ﷺ said to Abdullah b. Qays رضي الله عنه, “Shall I not indicate to you one of the treasures of Paradise?”
The latter رضي الله عنه replied, “Of course, o Messenger of Allah!”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “There is no might nor power except in Allah [la hawla wa la quwwata illa bi Allah].”
“If you consider me to be inferior to you in wealth and children” i.e. in this world. And in this verse is a strong support for those who interpreted his party as his children. “Then perhaps my Lord will give me,” meaning in the Hereafter or in this world, “that which is better than your garden.” The meaning of this passage is, “If you consider me to be more poorer than you, my expectation is in Allah’s works (Blessed and Exalted is He). And my expectation is that He will exchange our situations: my poverty and your wealth. And that He will provide me with a garden that is better than your garden, divest you of your blessing due to denial of His blessing, and demolish your garden.
“And send upon it a calamity” meaning a punishment “from the heavens,” such as cold or a storm that will destroy it. The word “husban” (calamity) is the plural of “husbanah,” which is an affliction from the aforementioned categories. And in the Arabic language, it has also been used to name a group of arrows that are shot all at once. “And it will become smooth, barren earth” meaning polished land upon which one may slip, because its plants, trees, and buildings have been stripped away.
“And its water will become” i.e. the river in the middle of the garden will become “sunken,” meaning sunken and disappeared in the earth. And the adjectives “barren” and “sunken” are expressed in an intensive way.
“Such that you will be unable to seek it out” In other words, you will never be able to seek the water that has sunken into the earth, because there will be no trace to seek out, nor source to find.
“Thus, his fruits were encompassed” meaning his fruit-bearing trees and his other forms of wealth were destroyed. The origin of this phrase is “the encompassment of the enemy [ihatah al-‘aduww]. And it is attached to an inferred phrase. It is as if it was said, “Some of that of which he was warned occurred and his wealth was destroyed.” And it has been narrated that Allah (Exalted is He) sent a fire upon it, which incinerated it. And its water sunk into the earth.
“And he began to turn his palms against one another” meaning turning the back of one hand in the palm of the other. Or, he was hitting one hand with the other and clapping them together. This is a metaphor for regret. It is as if the verse said, “He become regretful.”
“Because of that which he had spent in it” i.e. because of the wealth that he had spent to build it. His regret was connected with his building it, rather than the immediate garden that perished, because regret is necessarily the result of actions of one’s own choosing. See: Abu al-Su’ud.
“And it is now collapsed” meaning the garden is fallen “upon its trellises” i.e. upon the pillars which were built to support the orchard. The pillars collapsed and then the orchard collapsed upon them. However, the pillars were specifically mentioned, instead of the date palms and crops, either because they are the foundation and the date palms and crops are that which beautifies it, or because mentioning the destruction of the pillars makes mentioning the destruction of the rest unnecessary, because the rest is supported and strengthened by the pillars so, their destruction is more apparent than the former. Or, it is because one normally spends more on the structure than the gardens and crops.
“And he was saying” i.e. he was turning his hands against one another and saying, “I wish that I had not associated anyone with my Lord,” as if he remembered the exhortation of his brother and knew that the destruction of his garden had only come as a result of his polytheism. As such, if he had not been a polytheist, he would not have been afflicted with that with which he was afflicted.
“And there was no party” meaning a group or collective “that could help him” i.e. that was capable of helping him to save his wealth from perishing, “apart from Allah,” because Allah alone is capable of that. “And he was not able to aid himself.” In other words, he could not, with his own power, ward off the vengeance of Allah (Blessed is He) from himself.
“There” in that station and state “the authority belongs completely to Allah.” In other words, help is from Him alone. No one else is capable of helping. And this has been read with a kasra over the qaf of “Haqq.” In this case "al Haqq” would be a description of “Allah,” and the meaning would be, “Authority to help belongs to Allah, the Real.” And it has also been read with a damma over that qaf, which would make it a description of the authority. In that case, the meaning is, “the true authority.” And the word hunalik (there) would be a place container for “help himself.” The meaning is that, at that time, the disbeliever was not able to ward off the vengeance of Allah from himself. And in this verse, there is an indication that his words, “I wish that I had not associated anyone with my Lord” were spoken out of horror and pain from the calamity that befell him. And for that reason, these words didn’t benefit him. It is like His words (Exalted is He). “Their belief would not benefit them if they were to see our punishment.”
“Each of the two gardens yielded its fruits”
At this point, Allah mentions His complete protection of His Saints. He said, “Wilayah belongs completely to Allah,” which means protection, attention and help are only from Allah, for His Saints, in this world and the Hereafter. He will not humiliate them in any of their states. Rather, He takes charge of their affairs, and of helping and guiding them, just as is the case of those who sought might through Allah, and different from those who sought might through other than Him. Thus, His words, “And there was no party” are a refutation of the words of the disbeliever “have a mightier party.” In other words, “Rather, all help is from Allah and for His Saints. And there is no help for those who seek protection in anyone other than Him.”
The gist is that if someone seeks protection from Allah, in the end he will be helped and given victory. But, if he seeks protection in anyone else, he will end up humiliated. And we seek refuge in Allah [from that].
And it is possible that, before this verse, the story had concluded. Thus, Allah returned to speaking about the matter mentioned just before the story. So, He said, “There” meaning on the Day of Judgement “the authority belongs completely to Allah.” They seek protection from Allah and believe in him. And they exonerate themselves from that which others used to worship.
“And He is best in rewarding” i.e. He is the best from whom to expect reward “and best in outcome” meaning He gives the best outcome to His Saints. In other words, theirs is from Allah the best ending. And Allah knows best.
The Indicative Lesson Contained in These Verses
Allah has shown a similitude of the contrast between one who clings to his desires, limiting his ambition to the adornments of his worldly possessions, and one who directs his ambition towards His Lord and sends forth his worldly possessions in exchange for the hereafter. The outcome for the former is regret and loss, while the outcome for the latter is Presence and satisfaction. Or, it is a similitude of the contrast between one who suffices himself with his knowledge and depends upon that, and one who exonerates himself of any might or power, seeking to arrive at Allah.
The author of Lata’if al-Minan has said:
“Do not enter the garden of your knowledge and works, or of that which you have been given of light and openings, imitating the speech of that debased person of whom Allah has informed us in His words ‘Then, he entered his garden, while wronging himself. He said, “I don’t believe that this will ever perish…”’ Rather, enter it in the manner that He has indicated to you. And say that which He prefers you to say ‘If only you had entered your garden and said, “Whatever Allah wills. There is no might, except in Allah.”’
“And understand, from this, his words (may Allah bless him and give him peace), “‘There is no might nor power except in Allah’ is a treasure from among the treasures of Paradise.” Or in another narration, it is “…a treasure from among the treasures below the throne.”
The meaning is that the appearance of the treasure is the statement, whereas its interior reality is sincere abandonment of one’s might and power and fleeing towards the might and power of Allah.
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