وَ اضْرِبْ And set forth لَهُمْ to them مَّثَلًا the example رَّجُلَیْنِ of two men: جَعَلْنَا We provided لِاَحَدِهِمَا for one of them جَنَّتَیْنِ two gardens مِنْ of اَعْنَابٍ grapes وَّ حَفَفْنٰهُمَا and We bordered them بِنَخْلٍ with date-palms وَّ جَعَلْنَا and We placed بَیْنَهُمَا between both of them زَرْعًاؕ crops كِلْتَا Each الْجَنَّتَیْنِ (of) the two gardens اٰتَتْ brought forth اُكُلَهَا its produce وَ لَمْ and not تَظْلِمْ did wrong مِّنْهُ of it شَیْـًٔا ۙ anything وَّ فَجَّرْنَا And We caused to gush forth خِلٰلَهُمَا within them نَهَرًاۙ a river وَّ كَانَ And was لَهٗ for him ثَمَرٌ ۚ fruit فَقَالَ so he said لِصَاحِبِهٖ to his companion وَ هُوَ while he یُحَاوِرُهٗۤ (was) talking with him اَنَا I am اَكْثَرُ greater مِنْكَ than you مَالًا (in) wealth وَّ اَعَزُّ and stronger نَفَرًا (in) men 18. Al-Kahf Page 298 وَ دَخَلَ And he entered جَنَّتَهٗ his garden وَ هُوَ while he ظَالِمٌ (was) unjust لِّنَفْسِهٖ ۚ to himself قَالَ He said مَاۤ Not اَظُنُّ I think اَنْ that تَبِیْدَ will perish هٰذِهٖۤ this اَبَدًاۙ ever وَّ مَاۤ And not اَظُنُّ I think السَّاعَةَ the Hour قَآىِٕمَةً ۙ will occur وَّ لَىِٕنْ And if رُّدِدْتُّ I am brought back اِلٰی to رَبِّیْ my Lord لَاَجِدَنَّ I will surely find خَیْرًا better مِّنْهَا than this مُنْقَلَبًا (as) a return قَالَ Said لَهٗ to him صَاحِبُهٗ his companion وَ هُوَ while he یُحَاوِرُهٗۤ was talking to him اَكَفَرْتَ Do you disbelieve بِالَّذِیْ in One Who خَلَقَكَ created you مِنْ from تُرَابٍ dust ثُمَّ then مِنْ from نُّطْفَةٍ a minute quantity of semen ثُمَّ then سَوّٰىكَ fashioned you رَجُلًاؕ (into) a man لٰكِنَّاۡ But as for me هُوَ He اللّٰهُ (is) Allah رَبِّیْ my Lord وَ لَاۤ and not اُشْرِكُ I associate بِرَبِّیْۤ with my Lord اَحَدًا anyone وَ لَوْ لَاۤ And why (did you) not اِذْ when دَخَلْتَ you entered جَنَّتَكَ your garden قُلْتَ say مَا What شَآءَ wills اللّٰهُ ۙ Allah لَا (there is) no قُوَّةَ power اِلَّا except بِاللّٰهِ ۚ with Allah اِنْ If تَرَنِ you see اَنَا me اَقَلَّ lesser مِنْكَ than you مَالًا (in) wealth وَّ وَلَدًاۚ and children فَعَسٰی It may be رَبِّیْۤ that my Lord اَنْ that my Lord یُّؤْتِیَنِ will give me خَیْرًا better مِّنْ than جَنَّتِكَ your garden وَ یُرْسِلَ and will send عَلَیْهَا upon it حُسْبَانًا a calamity مِّنَ from السَّمَآءِ the sky فَتُصْبِحَ then it will become صَعِیْدًا ground زَلَقًاۙ slippery اَوْ Or یُصْبِحَ will become مَآؤُهَا its water غَوْرًا sunken فَلَنْ so never تَسْتَطِیْعَ you will be able لَهٗ to find it طَلَبًا to find it وَ اُحِیْطَ And were surrounded بِثَمَرِهٖ his fruits فَاَصْبَحَ so he began یُقَلِّبُ twisting كَفَّیْهِ his hands عَلٰی over مَاۤ what اَنْفَقَ he (had) spent فِیْهَا on it وَ هِیَ while it (had) خَاوِیَةٌ collapsed عَلٰی on عُرُوْشِهَا its trellises وَ یَقُوْلُ and he said یٰلَیْتَنِیْ Oh! I wish لَمْ I had not associated اُشْرِكْ I had not associated بِرَبِّیْۤ with my Lord اَحَدًا anyone وَ لَمْ And not تَكُنْ was لَّهٗ for him فِئَةٌ a group یَّنْصُرُوْنَهٗ (to) help him مِنْ other than دُوْنِ other than اللّٰهِ Allah وَ مَا and not كَانَ was مُنْتَصِرًاؕ (he) supported هُنَالِكَ There الْوَلَایَةُ the protection لِلّٰهِ (is) from Allah الْحَقِّ ؕ the True هُوَ He خَیْرٌ (is the) best ثَوَابًا (to) reward وَّ خَیْرٌ and (the) best عُقْبًا۠ (for) the final end
(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."
(18:43) And there was no host, beside Allah, to help him, nor could he be of any help to himself.
(18:44) (Then he knew) that all power of protection rests with Allah, the True One. He is the best to reward, the best to determine the end of things.
36. In order to understand the context of this parable one would do well to recall verse 28 above which was in fact revealed in response to the arrogant attitude displayed by the Quraysh chiefs. They had disdainfully refused to sit in the company of poor and humble believers. They had expressed their readiness to listen to the Prophet’s teaching only if his assembly was cleared of these ordinary, poor believers.
It is also pertinent at this stage to consider this parable in conjunction with another in al-Qalam, 68: 17-33. Furthermore, it is also useful to bear in mind the following verses: Maryam 19: 73-4, al-Mu’ minun 23: 55-61, Saba’ 34: 36, and Fussilat 41: 49-50.
37. That is, he entered his orchards which he considered no less than Paradise. Small, mean people are easily puffed up by worldly successes, and they tend to believe that their achievements in this world are-synonymous with Paradise. So great are these successes and attainments in their eyes that they hardly see any reason to strive for the attainment of Paradise in the Hereafter.
38. They claim that if the Next Life really does come about, then they will be even better off. For the prosperity that they enjoy in this world — at least, as they see it is only indicative of the fact that they are God’s favorites.
39, The person concerned did not deny the existence of God. In fact, the words and even if I am returned to my Lord’) (see verse 36) positively indicate that he did believe in the existence of God. Still, he was branded by his neighbor as one who denied God. The reason for this is that kufr does not merely consist in denying the existence of God. In addition, pride, arrogance, vainglory and the denial of the Hereafter also constitute kufr of God; for the faith required of man does not merely consist of affirming God’s existence; it also requires affirming. Him as the Master, the Lord, and the Sovereign. Whoever focuses his attention exclusively upon himself, who considers his attainments, his wealth and his high social standing not as gifts from God but the result of his own ability and effort, who thinks that his wealth will endure and that none has the power to deprive him of it, and who thinks that he is accountable to no one — such a person in fact does not believe in God in the sense in which he is required to; that is, he does not believe in Him as his Master, Lord, and Sovereign.
40. Whatever God alone wills come to happen, for man does not have the power to make things happen according to his wishes. Whatever man does is only by God’s aid and succor.