Sura-18 [Al Kahf mecca 69]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s version:
[Ruby’s note – These verses could be taken to mean that God can render a failure [even from the seemed most successful and invincible state] in various ways, often through unexpected events. All keys and control are in His disposition alone.]
وَاضْرِبْ
لَهُم مَّثَلًا
رَّجُلَيْنِ...
18:32. Set forth to them the parable of two men:
... جَعَلْنَا لِأَحَدِهِمَا جَنَّتَيْنِ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَحَفَفْنَاهُمَا بِنَخْلٍ...
for one of them We provided two gardens of grapevines and surrounded them with date-palms:
... وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمَا زَرْعًا ﴿٣٢﴾
in between the two We placed corn-fields.
C2375. Here is a simple parable of the contrast between two men.
- One was purse-proud, and forgot that what he had was from Allah, by way of a trust and a trial in this life.
- The other boasted of nothing: his trust was in Allah.
The worldly wealth of the first was destroyed, and he had nothing left. The second was the happier in the end.
كِلْتَا الْجَنَّتَيْنِ
آتَتْ أُكُلَهَا
وَلَمْ تَظْلِمْ
مِنْهُ شَيْئًا...
33. Each of those gardens brought forth its produce, and failed not in the least therein:
... وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَالَهُمَا نَهَرًا ﴿٣٣﴾
in the midst of them We caused a river to flow.
وَكَانَ
لَهُ ثَمَرٌ فَقَالَ
لِصَاحِبِهِ
وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُ...
34. (Abundant) was the produce this man had: he said to his companion, in the course of a mutual argument:
... أَنَا أَكْثَرُ مِنكَ مَالًا وَأَعَزُّ نَفَرًا ﴿٣٤﴾
"More wealth have I than you, and more honor and power in (my following of) men."
C2376. The two men began to compare notes.
The arrogant one was puffed up with his possessions, his income, and his large family and following, and thought in his self-complacency that it would last for ever.
He was also wrong in looking down on his Companion, who, though less affluent, was the better man of the two.
وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُ
وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ
لِّنَفْسِهِ...
35. He went into his garden in a state (of mind) unjust to his soul:
C2377. It was not wealth that ruined him, but the attitude of his mind. He was unjust, not so much to his neighbour, as to his own soul. In his love of the material, he forgot or openly defied the spiritual.
As verse 37 shows, he took his companion with him, to impress him with his own importance, but the companion was unmoved.
... قَالَ مَا أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَذِهِ أَبَدًا ﴿٣٥﴾
He said, "I deem not that this will ever perish.
وَمَا أَظُنُّ
السَّاعَةَ
قَائِمَةً...
36. "Nor do I deem that the Hour (of Judgment) will (ever) come:
... وَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَى رَبِّي لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا مُنقَلَبًا ﴿٣٦﴾
even if I am brought back to my Lord, I shall surely find (there) something better in exchange."
C2378. Here comes out the grasping spirit of the materialist.
In his mind "better" means more wealth and more power, of the kind he was enjoying in this life, although in reality, even what he had, rested on hollow foundations and was doomed to perish and bring him down with it.
قَالَ
لَهُ صَاحِبُهُ
وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُ...
37. His companion said to him, in the course of the argument with him:
... أَكَفَرْتَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَكَ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ سَوَّاكَ رَجُلًا ﴿٣٧﴾
"Dost thou deny Him Who created thee out of dust, then out of a sperm-drop, then fashioned thee into a man?
C2379. The three stages of man's creation:
first dust, or clay, itself created out of nothing and forming the physical basis of his body; then, out of the produce of the earth as incorporated in the parents body, the sperm drop (with the corresponding receptive element), and then when the different elements were mixed in due proportion, and the soul was breathed into him, the fashioned man.
لَّكِنَّا
هُوَ اللَّهُ
رَبِّي وَلَا
أُشْرِكُ بِرَبِّي
أَحَدًا ﴿٣٨﴾
38. "But (I think) for my part that He is Allah, my Lord, and none shall I associate with my Lord.
وَلَوْلَا إِذْ
دَخَلْتَ جَنَّتَكَ
قُلْتَ مَا شَاء
اللَّهُ لَا
قُوَّةَ إِلَّا
بِاللَّهِ...
39. "Why didst thou not, as thou wentest into thy garden, say:
'Allah's Will (be done)!
There is no power but with Allah!'
C2380. The companion's argument divides itself into five parts.
1. He remonstrates against the proud man denying Allah.
2. He, from his own spiritual experience, proclaims that Allah is One and that He is good.
3. He points out to him the better way of enjoying Allah's gifts, with gratitude to Him.
4. He expresses contentment and satisfaction in Allah's dealings with him.
5. He gives a warning of the fleeting nature of this world's goods and the certainty of Allah's punishment for inordinate vanity.
... إِن تُرَنِ أَنَا أَقَلَّ مِنكَ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا ﴿٣٩﴾
If thou dost see me less than thee in wealth and sons,
فَعَسَى
رَبِّي أَن
يُؤْتِيَنِ
خَيْرًا مِّن
جَنَّتِكَ...
18:40. "It may be that my Lord will give me something better than thy garden,
... وَيُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهَا حُسْبَانًا مِّنَ السَّمَاء فَتُصْبِحَ صَعِيدًا زَلَقًا ﴿٤٠﴾
and that He will send on thy garden thunderbolts (by way of reckoning) from heaven, making it (but) slippery sand! --
C2381. The punishment was that of thunderbolts (husbanan), but the general meaning of the word includes any punishment by way of a reckoning (hisab), and I think that an earthquake is also implied, as it alters water-courses, diverts channels underground, throws up silt and sand, and covers large areas with ruin. (R).
أَوْ
يُصْبِحَ مَاؤُهَا
غَوْرًا فَلَن
تَسْتَطِيعَ
لَهُ طَلَبًا ﴿٤١﴾
18:41. "Or the water of the garden will run off underground so that thou wilt never be able to find it."
وَأُحِيطَ
بِثَمَرِهِ
فَأَصْبَحَ
يُقَلِّبُ
كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى
مَا أَنفَقَ
فِيهَا...
42. So his fruits (and enjoyment) were encompassed (with ruin), and he remained twisting and turning his hands over what he had spent on his property,
C2382. "Fruits", "spent", "twisting of the hands", should all be understood in a wide metaphorical sense, as well as the literal sense.
He had great income and satisfaction, which were all gone. What resources he had lavished on his property! His thoughts had been engrossed on it; his hopes had been built on it; it had become the absorbing passion of his life. If he had only looked to Allah, instead of to the ephemeral goods of this world!
... وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا...
which had (now) tumbled to pieces to its very foundations,
... وَيَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًا ﴿٤٢﴾
and he could only say,
"Woe is me! would I had never ascribed partners to my Lord and Cherisher!"
C2383. In this case, in his mind, there was his own Self and his Mammon as rivals to Allah!
وَلَمْ
تَكُن لَّهُ
فِئَةٌ يَنصُرُونَهُ
مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ
وَمَا كَانَ
مُنتَصِرًا ﴿٤٣﴾
43. Nor had he numbers to help him against Allah, nor was he able to deliver himself.
C2384. He had built up connections and obligated dependents, and was proud of having his "quiver full". But where were all things when the reckoning came? He could not help himself; how could others be expected to help him!
هُنَالِكَ
الْوَلَايَةُ
لِلَّهِ الْحَقِّ...
44. There, the (only) protection comes from Allah, the True One.
... هُوَ خَيْرٌ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًا ﴿٤٤﴾
He is the Best to reward, and the Best to give success.
C2385. All else is vanity, uncertainty, the sport of Time. The only hope or truth is from Allah. Other rewards and other successes are illusory: the best Reward and the best Success come from Allah.
Other versions:
Asad’s version
18:32 AND PROPOUND unto them the parable of two men, upon one of whom We had bestowed
two vinyards, and surrounded them with date-palms, and placed a field of grain in-between. 42
(18:33) Each of the two gardens yielded its produce and never failed therein in any way, for We had caused a stream to gush forth in the midst of each of them.
(18:34) And so [the man] had fruit in abundance. And [one day] he said to his friend, bandying words with him, "More wealth have I than thou, and mightier am I as regards [the number and power of my] followers!"
18:35 And having [thus] sinned against himself, he entered his garden, saying, "I do not think that this will ever perish!
(18:36) And neither do I think that the Last Hour will ever come. But
even if [it should come, and] I am brought before my Sustainer, 43 1 will surely find something even better than this as [my last] resort! "
18:37 And his friend answered him in the course of their argument: "Wilt thou blaspheme against Him who has created thee out of dust," and then out of a drop of sperm, and in the end has fashioned thee into a [complete] man? (18:38) But as for myself, [I know that] He is God, my Sustainer; and I cannot attribute divine powers to any but my Sustainer." 45
18:39 And [he continued:] "Alas, 46 if thou hadst but said, on entering thy garden, 'Whatever God wills [shall come to pass, for] there is no power save with God!' Although, as thou seest, I have less wealth and offspring than thou,
(18:40) yet it may well be that my Sustainer will give me something better than thy garden - just as He may let loose a calamity out of heaven upon this [thy garden], so that it becomes a heap of barren dust
(18:41) or its water sinks deep into the ground, so that thou wilt never be able to find it again! "
18:42 And [thus it happened:] his fruitful gardens were encompassed [by ruin], and there he was, wringing his hands over all that he had spent on that which now lay waste, with its trellises caved in; and he could but say, "Oh, would that I had not attributed divine powers to any but my Sustainer!"
(18:43) - for now he had nought 47 to succour him in God's stead, nor could he
succour himself.
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[[Asad’s notes :-
42 This parable connects with verses 7-8 of this surah, and serves as an illustration of the statement that "all beauty on earth is a means by which God puts men to a test".
43 Lit., "brought back [or "referred"] to my Sustainer" - i.e., for judgment.
44 See second half of note 47 on 3:59, and note 4 orr 23:12.
45 Lit., "I shall not for "do not"] associate anyone [or "anything"] with my Sustainer" - i.e., "I cannot associate in my mind wealth or poverty with any power or creative cause other than Him" (Qiffal, as quoted by Razi).
46 For an explanation of my rendering of law-la as "alas", see note 1 19 on 10:98.
47 Lit., "he had no host whatever". ]]