وَاضۡرِبۡ لَهُمۡ مَّثَلًا رَّجُلَيۡنِ جَعَلۡنَا لِاَحَدِهِمَا جَنَّتَيۡنِ مِنۡ اَعۡنَابٍ وَّحَفَفۡنٰهُمَا بِنَخۡلٍ وَّجَعَلۡنَا بَيۡنَهُمَا زَرۡعًا ؕ
كِلۡتَا الۡجَـنَّتَيۡنِ اٰتَتۡ اُكُلَهَا وَلَمۡ تَظۡلِمۡ مِّنۡهُ شَيۡـئًـا ۙ وَّفَجَّرۡنَا خِلٰـلَهُمَا نَهَرًا ۙ
وَكَانَ لَهٗ ثَمَرٌ ۚ فَقَالَ لِصَاحِبِهٖ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهٗۤ اَنَا اَكۡثَرُ مِنۡكَ مَالًا وَّاَعَزُّ نَفَرًا
وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهٗ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفۡسِهٖ ۚ قَالَ مَاۤ اَظُنُّ اَنۡ تَبِيۡدَ هٰذِهٖۤ اَبَدًا ۙ
وَّمَاۤ اَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَآئِمَةً ۙ وَّلَـئِنۡ رُّدِدْتُّ اِلٰى رَبِّىۡ لَاَجِدَنَّ خَيۡرًا مِّنۡهَا مُنۡقَلَبًا
قَالَ لَهٗ صَاحِبُهٗ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهٗۤ اَكَفَرۡتَ بِالَّذِىۡ خَلَقَكَ مِنۡ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِنۡ نُّـطۡفَةٍ ثُمَّ سَوّٰٮكَ رَجُلًاؕ
لّٰـكِنَّا۟ هُوَ اللّٰهُ رَبِّىۡ وَلَاۤ اُشۡرِكُ بِرَبِّىۡۤ اَحَدًا
وَلَوۡلَاۤ اِذۡ دَخَلۡتَ جَنَّتَكَ قُلۡتَ مَا شَآءَ اللّٰهُ ۙ لَا قُوَّةَ اِلَّا بِاللّٰهِ ۚ اِنۡ تَرَنِ اَنَا اَقَلَّ مِنۡكَ مَالًا وَّوَلَدًا ۚ
فَعَسٰى رَبِّىۡۤ اَنۡ يُّؤۡتِيَنِ خَيۡرًا مِّنۡ جَنَّتِكَ وَيُرۡسِلَ عَلَيۡهَا حُسۡبَانًا مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ فَتُصۡبِحَ صَعِيۡدًا زَلَـقًا ۙ
اَوۡ يُصۡبِحَ مَآؤُهَا غَوۡرًا فَلَنۡ تَسۡتَطِيۡعَ لَهٗ طَلَبًا
وَاُحِيۡطَ بِثَمَرِهٖ فَاَصۡبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيۡهِ عَلَىٰ مَاۤ اَنۡفَقَ فِيۡهَا وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلٰى عُرُوۡشِهَا وَيَقُوۡلُ يٰلَيۡتَنِىۡ لَمۡ اُشۡرِكۡ بِرَبِّىۡۤ اَحَدًا
Translation
(18:32) (O Muhammad), propound a parable to them.36 There were
two men of whom We bestowed upon one of the two vineyards, surrounding both
of them with date-palms and putting a tillage in between. (18:33) Both the vineyards yielded abundant produce without failure and We
caused a stream to flow in their midst (18:34) so the owner had fruit in abundance and he said to his neighbour,
while conversing with him: "I have greater wealth than you and I am stronger
than you in numbers." (18:35) Then he entered his vine-yard37 and said, wronging himself:
"Surely, I do not believe that all this will ever perish. (18:36) Nor do I believe that the Hour of Resurrection will ever come to
pass. And even if I am returned to my Lord, I shall find a better place than
this."38 (18:37) While conversing with him his neighbour exclaimed: "Do you deny Him
Who created you out of dust, then out of a drop of sperm, and then fashioned
you into a complete man?39 (18:38) As for myself, Allah alone is my Lord, and I associate none with
my Lord in His Divinity. (18:39) When you entered your vineyard, why did you not say: 'Whatever Allah
wills shall come to pass, for there is no power40 save with Allah!'
If you find me less than yourself in wealth and children (18:40) it may well be that my Lord will give me something better than your
vineyard, and send a calamity upon your vineyard from the heavens and it will
be reduced to a barren waste, (18:41) or the water of your vineyard will be drained deep into the ground
so that you will not be able to seek it out." (18:42) Eventually all his produce was destroyed and he began to wring his
hands in sorrow at the loss of what he had spent on it, and on seeing it fallen
down upon its trellises, saying: "Would I had not associated anyone with my
Lord in His Divinity."
Commentary
36. In order to understand the significance of this parable we should keep
in view( Ayat 28 )in which arrogant chiefs of Makkah were told that the poor companions
of the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not be discarded to please them.
37. He considered his gardens to be Paradise. Thus he behaved like those mean
persons who, when rise to power and wealth, are always involved in the misunderstanding
that they are enjoying Paradise in this world, therefore they do not stand in
need of any other Paradise.
38. That is, I don’t think there is any life after death, but supposing there
be one, I shall fare even better there than in my present life, for my prosperity
is a clear proof that I am a favorite of God.
39. This shows that unbelief in Allah is not confined to the denial of the
existence of God in so many words, but arrogance, pride, vanity and the denial
of the Hereafter are also kufr. Although that person did not deny the existence
of Allah, he professed it as is apparent from his words (And if I am brought
back to my Lord), yet in spite of his profession, his neighbor charged him with
unbelief in Allah. This is because the person, who considers his wealth and
his grandeur etc. to be the fruits of his own power and capability and not the
favors of Allah, and who thinks that they are everlasting and none can take
than away from him and that he is not accountable to anyone, is guilty of unbelief
in Allah, even though he might profess belief in Him, for he acknowledges Allah
as a Being and not as his Master, Owner and Sovereign. In fact, belief in Allah
demands not merely the profession of His existence but also the acknowledgment
of His Sovereignty, Mastery, Rule and the like.
40. That is, If we are able to do anything, it is by the help and support
of Allah alone.
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