68:17a: إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ (ʾinnā balawnāhum) Indeed, We have tried them (ইন্না বালাওনাহুম্; b-l-w / ব-ল-ও – to test, try // balawnā // Hebrew: bālāh "to wear out, test by wearing out") 68:17b: كَمَا بَلَوْنَا (kamā balawnā) as We tried (কামা বালাওনা; b-l-w / ব-ল-ও – to test, try // balawnā // Akkadian: balû "to come to an end, be consumed") 68:17c: أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ (ʾaṣḥāba l-jannati) the companions of the garden (আসহাবা ল্-জান্নাতি; ṣ-ḥ-b / স-হ-ব – to accompany // ʾaṣḥāb // Syriac: ṣaḥbā "companion" ; j-n-n / জ-ন-ন – to cover, conceal // jannah // Hebrew: gan "garden") 68:17d: إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا (ʾidh ʾaqsamū) when they swore (ইয আক্বসামূ; q-s-m / ক-স-ম – to swear, divide // ʾaqsamū // Ge'ez: qasama "to distribute") 68:17e: لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا (layaṣrimunnahā) that they would surely harvest it (লাইয়াসরিমুন্নাহা; ṣ-r-m / স-র-ম – to cut off, harvest // yaṣrimunna // Aramaic: ṣəram "to cut") 68:17f: مُصْبِحِينَ (muṣbiḥīna) in the morning (মুসবিহীন; ṣ-b-ḥ / স-ব-হ – morning, become // muṣbiḥīn // Ugaritic: ṣbḥ "morning") Tafsīr 68:17: The Parable of the Test This verse introduces a parable of divine trial, equating the arrogance of the Quraysh with that of the owners of a lush garden. Classical commentators emphasize this as a historical story of retribution for ingratitude. Modernists see it as a timeless allegory for the self-destruction that follows from selfish materialism and forgetting social duties. Sufis interpret the "garden" as the soul's potential, which is laid waste by the ego's vow to hoard spiritual fruits instead of sharing them.
68:18a: وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ (walā yastathnūna) And they made no exception (ওলা ইয়াস্তাছ্নূনা; th-n-y / থ-ন-য় – to bend, fold, except // yastathnūna // Hebrew: šānāh "to repeat, do again") Tafsīr 68:18: Hubris of Omission This short verse captures the owners' fatal flaw: their failure to make an exception for God's will (by saying "if God wills") or for the share of the poor. Classically, this is seen as the direct cause of their loss, a neglect of piety. Modern thinkers view it as a psychological portrait of entitlement, an inability to conceive of any power beyond their own. Esoterically, to not "make an exception" is to deny contingency and claim absolute control, severing one's connection to the Divine source of all blessings.
68:19a: فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا (faṭāfa ʿalayhā) So there came upon it (ফাত্বাফা 'আলাইহা; ṭ-w-f / ত-ও-ফ – to go around, encompass // ṭāfa // Syriac: ṭwp "to go round") 68:19b: طَائِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ (ṭāʾifun min rabbika) a visitation from your Lord (ত্বাইফুম্ মির রব্বিকা; ṭ-w-f / ত-ও-ফ – to go around, encompass // ṭāʾif // Hebrew: ṭāp̄ "to circle" ; r-b-b / র-ব-ব – to be lord, master, sustain // rabb // Ugaritic: rb "great, chief") 68:19c: وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ (wahum nāʾimūna) while they were asleep (ওয়াহুম্ নাইমূনা; n-w-m / ন-ও-ম – to sleep // nāʾimūn // Akkadian: nâlu "to lie down, sleep") Tafsīr 68:19: Unseen Intervention Divine intervention arrives as an encompassing calamity while the plotters are heedless in sleep. Ancient exegetes describe a literal fire or frost sent by God. For classical scholars like Ibn Kathīr, it highlights divine power acting when human beings are most vulnerable and unaware. Modern interpretations see "sleep" as a metaphor for moral slumber and heedlessness. Sufis understand the ṭāʾif as a divine reality that encircles and reclaims a heart that has become lost in the "night" of egoistic planning.
68:20a: فَأَصْبَحَتْ (faʾaṣbaḥat) So it became (ফাআসবাহাত্; ṣ-b-ḥ / স-ব-হ – morning, become // ʾaṣbaḥat // Syriac: ṣbaḥ "it dawned") 68:20b: كَالصَّرِيمِ (kaṣ-ṣarīmi) like a harvested field (কাস্-সারীম্; ṣ-r-m / স-র-ম – to cut off, harvest // ṣarīm // Aramaic: ṣəram "to cut") Tafsīr 68:20: Harvest of Ruin The garden, once lush, is rendered desolate, as if already harvested or burned to blackness. The irony is stark: they intended a selfish harvest and were met with a divine one of ruin. Al-Ṭabarī notes the ambiguity of ṣarīm (dark night, or reaped field), both signifying utter destruction. For modernists, it symbolizes how greed scorches the very source of wealth. The Sufi lesson is that when the heart is deprived of charity and remembrance, its spiritual vitality vanishes overnight, leaving only blackened emptiness.
68:21a: فَتَنَادَوْا (fatanādaw) Then they called one another (ফাতানাদাও; n-d-w / ন-দ-ও – to call out // tanādaw // Hebrew: nādad "to roam, flee," from a call) 68:21b: مُصْبِحِينَ (muṣbiḥīna) in the morning (মুসবিহীন; ṣ-b-ḥ / স-ব-হ – morning, become // muṣbiḥīn // Ge'ez: ṣabḥa "he dawned") Tafsīr 68:21: The Heedless Call Unaware of the disaster, they call to each other at dawn, proceeding with their plan. This verse highlights their persistence in their flawed intention, driven by mutual encouragement in sin. Classical tafsīr points to their eagerness to commit the transgression before others are awake. A modern reading sees this as the momentum of a corrupt system, where participants reinforce each other's greed. Esoterically, it is the ego calling to its own faculties, urging them on towards a selfish goal, oblivious that the spiritual foundation has already crumbled.
68:22a: أَنِ اغْدُوا (ʾani gh-dū) "Go early (আনি গ্দূ; gh-d-w / গ-দ-ও – to go early in the morning // gh-dū // South Arabian: gdw "morning") 68:22b: عَلَىٰ حَرْثِكُمْ (ʿalā ḥarthikum) to your crop (আলা হারছিকুম্; ḥ-r-th / হ-র-থ – to plow, cultivate, crop // ḥarth // Akkadian: erēšu "to cultivate") 68:22c: إِن كُنتُمْ صَارِمِينَ (ʾin kuntum ṣārimīna) if you would harvest." (ইন কুন্তুম্ সারিমীন্; ṣ-r-m / স-র-ম – to cut off, harvest // ṣārimīn // Syriac: sarmā "cutting") Tafsīr 68:22: Eagerness for Deprivation Their call to action reveals their single-minded focus: securing their harvest before the needy can ask for their share. Classical views stress the sin of their intention to withhold God-given charity. Modern interpretations focus on the theme of exploitative capitalism, where profit is the sole motive for production ("if you would harvest"). For Sufis, the "crop" is the fruit of one's actions; the rush to "harvest" it for oneself, without acknowledging the Source or sharing its grace, is the essence of spiritual blindness.
68:23a: فَانطَلَقُوا (fanṭalaqū) So they set out (ফান্ ত্বলাকূ; ṭ-l-q / ত-ল-ক – to be free, set out // inṭalaqū // Hebrew: ḥālaq "to be smooth, to get away") 68:23b: وَهُمْ يَتَخَافَتُونَ (wahum yatakhafatūna) while they were whispering (ওয়াহুম্ ইয়াতাখাফাতূনা; kh-f-t / খ-ফ-ত – to be low, quiet // yatakhafatūna // Ge'ez: ḫafata "to be silent") Tafsīr 68:23: Conspiracy of Silence They proceed with stealth and secrecy, their whispering indicative of their guilty conscience. They know their plan is shameful. Ibn 'Abbās noted their intent was to hide their actions from the poor. This verse is seen classically as a depiction of conspiratorial sin. For modernists, it highlights the shame inherent in social injustice, which often thrives in secrecy rather than open proclamation. Spiritually, "whispering" represents the inner plotting of the lower self (nafs), which works in the quiet corners of the heart to subvert generous impulses.
68:24a: أَن لَّا يَدْخُلَنَّهَا (ʾan lā yadkhulannahā) "That there shall not enter it (আল্ লা ইয়াদ্খুলান্নাহা; d-kh-l / দ-খ-ল – to enter // yadkhulanna // Aramaic: ʿəlal "to enter") 68:24b: الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكُم (l-yawma ʿalaykum) upon you today (ল্-ইয়াওমা 'আলাইকুম্; y-w-m / য়-ও-ম – day // yawm // Hebrew: yōm "day") 68:24c: مِّسْكِينٌ (miskīnun) any needy person." (মিসকীনুন্; s-k-n / স-ক-ন – to be still, poor // miskīn // Akkadian: muškenu "commoner, poor person") Tafsīr 68:24: The Stated Transgression Here, their whispered conspiracy is made explicit: their goal is to ensure no poor person benefits from their wealth on that day. Classical exegesis identifies this as the specific sin that invited divine wrath—the institutionalization of stinginess. A modern perspective views this as the creation of exclusionary economic policies that systematically disenfranchise the poor. The esoteric meaning relates to the heart that barricades itself, refusing to allow any humbling "poverty" or neediness to enter, thereby blocking the flow of divine grace.
68:25a: وَغَدَوْا (waghadaw) And they went early (ওয়াগাদাও; gh-d-w / গ-দ-ও – to go early in the morning // ghadaw // South Arabian: gdw "morning") 68:25b: عَلَىٰ حَرْدٍ (ʿalā ḥardin) with a determined purpose (আলা হারদিন্; ḥ-r-d / হ-র-দ – to prevent, be angry, be determined // ḥard // Syriac: ḥraḏ "to watch, guard against") 68:25c: قَادِرِينَ (qādirīna) thinking they had the power (ক্বাদিরীনা; q-d-r / ক-দ-র – to have power, to decree // qādirīn // Akkadian: qadāru "to be able") Tafsīr 68:25: Delusion of Power They set out, firm in their resolve and confident in their ability to execute their miserly plan. The word ḥard carries connotations of both anger (at the poor) and firm intent. Classical commentators highlight their arrogance in believing they had absolute power (qādirīn) over their possessions and fortunes. Modernists interpret this as the hubris of the wealthy and powerful who believe they are masters of their own destiny. For the Sufi, this is the ultimate delusion: the ego believing it has power independent of God's sustaining decree (qadar).
68:26a: فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهَا (falammā raʾawhā) But when they saw it (ফালাম্মা রায়াওহা; r-ʾ-y / র-'-য় – to see // raʾawhā // Hebrew: rāʾāh "to see") 68:26b: قَالُوا (qālū) they said (ক্বালূ; q-w-l / ক-ও-ল – to say // qālū // Aramaic: qālā "voice, sound") 68:26c: إِنَّا لَضَالُّونَ (ʾinnā laḍāllūna) "Indeed, we are lost!" (ইন্না লাদ্বাল্লূনা; ḍ-l-l / দ-ল-ল – to be lost, go astray // ḍāllūn // Ge'ez: ḍalala "to be mistaken") Tafsīr 68:26: The Shock of Reality The moment of confrontation with the ruined garden shatters their delusion. Their first reaction is disorientation; they think they have lost their way to the wrong location. Al-Rāzī notes this initial denial is a psychological defense before accepting the calamity. This verse classically demonstrates how sin leads to literal and figurative "lostness" (ḍalāl). In a modern sense, it reflects the disorienting shock when a supposedly infallible economic or social system suddenly collapses. The soul, upon seeing the ruin of its spiritual state, first thinks it is mistaken, unable to recognize itself.
68:27a: بَلْ نَحْنُ (bal naḥnu) "Nay, we are (বাল্ নাহ্নু; b-l / ব-ল – rather, nay // bal // Hebrew: bəlī "without, not") 68:27b: مَحْرُومُونَ (maḥrūmūna) deprived!" (মাহরূমূনা; ḥ-r-m / হ-র-ম – to forbid, deprive // maḥrūmūn // Syriac: ḥrem "to forbid, consecrate") Tafsīr 68:27: The Painful Realization Denial quickly gives way to the correct and more painful conclusion: they were not lost, but deprived. They sought to deprive the poor but were themselves deprived by God of their entire livelihood. Classical exegesis stresses this perfect and ironic retribution. Modern scholars see it as a natural law: a society that deprives its most vulnerable will ultimately be deprived of prosperity and stability. The Sufi understands that in trying to withhold blessings from others, one creates a barrier (ḥarām) that deprives one's own soul of receiving divine grace.
68:28a: قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ (qāla ʾawsaṭuhum) The most moderate of them said (ক্বালা আওসাতুহুম্; q-w-l / ক-ও-ল – to say // qāla // Ugaritic: ql "voice" ; w-s-ṭ / ও-স-ত – middle, just, best // ʾawsaṭ // Hebrew: tōḵ "midst") 68:28b: أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ (ʾalam ʾaqul lakum) "Did I not say to you (আলাম্ আকুল্ লাকুম্; q-w-l / ক-ও-ল – to say // ʾaqul // Aramaic: qālā "voice, sound") 68:28c: لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ (lawlā tusabbiḥūna) 'If only you would exalt [Allah]?'" (লাওলা তুসাব্বিহূনা; s-b-ḥ / স-ব-হ – to praise, glorify // tusabbiḥūn // Syriac: shabbaḥ "to praise") Tafsīr 68:28: The Voice of Reason The most just or wisest (ʾawsaṭ) among them, who had previously counseled piety, speaks up. His reminder connects their loss directly to their failure to glorify God (tasbīḥ). Classically, tasbīḥ here means both saying "Subḥān Allāh" and acknowledging God's transcendence over their greedy plans, effectively meaning "Why did you not say 'In shā Allāh'?" A modern view is that the "moderate" voice represents the conscience that warns against injustice. Esoterically, the ʾawsaṭ is the heart (qalb), the center of being, which always cautions the ego against forgetting God.
68:29a: قَالُوا سُبْحَانَ (qālū subḥāna) They said, "Glory be (ক্বালূ সুব্হানা; q-w-l / ক-ও-ল – to say // qālū // Ugaritic: ql "voice" ; s-b-ḥ / স-ব-হ – to praise, glorify // subḥāna // Syriac: shabbaḥ "to praise") 68:29b: رَبِّنَا (rabbinā) to our Lord! (রব্বিনা; r-b-b / র-ব-ব – to be lord, master, sustain // rabb // Ugaritic: rb "great, chief") 68:29c: إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ (ʾinnā kunnā ẓālimīna) Indeed, we have been wrongdoers." (ইন্না কুন্না যালিমীনা; ẓ-l-m / য-ল-ম – to do wrong, be dark // ẓālimīn // Hebrew: ṣalmāwet "shadow of death, deep darkness") Tafsīr 68:29: Repentance and Confession Their immediate response to the reminder is repentance. They glorify God, acknowledging His perfection and power, and then confess their own wrongdoing (ẓulm). This is the classic first step of turning back to God. For al-Ṭabarī, this admission is the pivotal moment of their story, shifting from rebellion to submission. For modern ethics, it is the acceptance of responsibility that is prerequisite for reform. Sufis see this as the soul's return from the darkness (ẓulm) of self-assertion to the light of acknowledging God's absolute sovereignty.
68:30a: فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ (faʾaqbala baʿḍuhum) Then they turned (ফাআক্ববালা বা'দুহুম্; q-b-l / ক-ব-ল – to face, accept, approach // ʾaqbala // Akkadian: qablu "battle," facing each other) 68:30b: عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ (ʿalā baʿḍin) to one another (আলা বা'দিন্; b-ʿ-ḍ / ব-'-দ – part, some // baʿḍ // Ge'ez: bǝ'ǝd "each other") 68:30c: يَتَلَاوَمُونَ (yatalāwamūna) blaming each other (ইয়াতালাওয়ামূনা; l-w-m / ল-ও-ম – to blame // yatalāwamūn // Hebrew: lā'am "to find fault") Tafsīr 68:30: Cycle of Blame After their collective confession to God, they descend into blaming one another. This human tendency to deflect personal responsibility even after a general admission of guilt is captured here. Classical commentators see this as a sign of imperfect repentance, a residual trace of their earlier state. A psychological reading would see this as a natural stage of grief and processing failure. From a spiritual perspective, this shows the ego attempting to reassert itself, trying to find a scapegoat rather than shouldering its own share of the wrong.
68:31a: قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا (qālū yā waylanā) They said, "O woe to us! (ক্বালূ ইয়া ওয়াইলানা; q-w-l / ক-ও-ল – to say // qālū // Ugaritic: ql "voice" ; w-y-l / ও-য়-ল – woe, destruction // wayl // Hebrew: 'ôy "woe") 68:31b: إِنَّا كُنَّا (ʾinnā kunnā) Indeed, we have been (ইন্না কুন্না; k-w-n / ক-ও-ন – to be, exist // kunnā // Aramaic: kūn "to be firm, exist") 68:31c: طَاغِينَ (ṭāghīna) transgressors." (ত্বাগীনা; ṭ-gh-y / ত-গ-য় – to transgress, exceed limits // ṭāghīn // Syriac: ṭ'ā "to go astray") Tafsīr 68:31: Acknowledging Transgression Moving beyond blame, they reach a deeper level of self-awareness, collectively crying out in sorrow and admitting their fundamental state was one of transgression (ṭughyān). This term signifies exceeding proper bounds, a rebellion against divine limits. Classically, this is seen as a more profound confession than just being "wrongdoers" (ẓālimīn). Modern thought frames this as recognizing a systemic rebellion against moral order. For Sufis, ṭughyān is the very essence of the ego's nature—its constant attempt to overstep its bounds and claim divinity.
68:32a: عَسَىٰ رَبُّنَا (ʿasā rabbunā) "Perhaps our Lord will ('আসা রব্বুনা; ʿ-s-y / '-স-য় – perhaps, it may be // ʿasā // Hebrew: `āśāh "to do, make" (with a sense of potential) ; r-b-b / র-ব-ব – to be lord, master // rabb // Ugaritic: rb "chief") 68:32b: أَن يُبْدِلَنَا (ʾan yubdilanā) substitute for us (আইঁ ইউব্দিলানা; b-d-l / ব-দ-ল – to change, substitute // yubdila // Akkadian: badālu "to change") 68:32c: خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا (khayran minhā) something better than it (খাইরাম্ মিন্হা; kh-y-r / খ-য়-র – to be good, choose // khayr // Aramaic: khayr "strength, goodness") 68:32d: إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا (ʾinnā ʾilā rabbinā) Indeed we, to our Lord, (ইন্না ইলা রব্বিনা; r-b-b / র-ব-ব – to be lord, master // rabb // Ge'ez: rabb "lord") 68:32e: رَاغِبُونَ (rāghibūna) are desirous." (রাগিবূনা; r-gh-b / র-গ-ব – to desire, long for // rāghibūn // Syriac: rgeb "to desire") Tafsīr 68:32: Hope in Repentance Their repentance culminates in hope, turning their desire (raghbah) away from the lost garden and towards their Lord. They hope for a better substitute, demonstrating a shift in attachment from the created to the Creator. Classical tafsīr debates whether they were forgiven and granted a better garden. Modernists see the "better substitute" as moral and spiritual renewal, not necessarily material. Sufis view this as the pivotal movement of the soul: ceasing to desire worldly things and turning one's entire longing towards God alone.
68:33a: كَذَٰلِكَ الْعَذَابُ (kadhālika l-ʿadhābu) Such is the punishment (কাযালিকা ল্-'আযাবু; ʿ-dh-b / '-য-ব – to punish, torment // ʿadhāb // Old South Arabian: 'ḏb "torment") 68:33b: وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ (walaʿadhābu l-ʾākhirati) and the punishment of the Hereafter (ওয়ালা'আযাবু ল্-আখিরাতি; ʾ-kh-r / '-খ-র – to be last, after // ākhirah // Ge'ez: 'aḫārī "last") 68:33c: أَكْبَرُ (ʾakbaru) is greater (আক্বারু; k-b-r / ক-ব-র – to be great // ʾakbar // Ugaritic: kbr "great") 68:33d: لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ (law kānū yaʿlamūna) if only they knew (লাও কানূ ইয়া'লামূনা; ʿ-l-m / '-ল-ম – to know // yaʿlamūn // Hebrew: `ālam "to be hidden" (root of olam, "world, hidden time")) Tafsīr 68:33: The Universal Lesson The parable concludes with a direct address, universalizing its lesson. The destruction of the garden is a mere sample of divine retribution in this world. The punishment of the Hereafter is far greater. Classical exegesis emphasizes this as a warning to the Quraysh and all who are arrogant about their wealth. Modern thought interprets it as a statement on consequence: immoral actions have worldly repercussions, but the ultimate moral accounting is in the Hereafter. The final clause underscores that true knowledge leads to piety, while ignorance fuels transgression.