Indeed, We have tested those ˹Meccans˺ as We tested the owners of the garden—when they swore they would surely harvest ˹all˺ its fruit in the early morning,68:17

leaving no thought for Allah’s Will.68:18

Then it was struck by a torment from your Lord while they slept,68:19

so it was reduced to ashes.68:20

Then by daybreak they called out to each other,68:21

˹saying,˺ “Go early to your harvest, if you want to pick ˹all˺ the fruit.”68:22

So they went off, whispering to one another,68:23

“Do not let any poor person enter your garden today.”68:24

And they proceeded early, totally fixated on their purpose.68:25

But when they saw it ˹devastated˺, they cried, “We must have lost ˹our˺ way!68:26

In fact, we have been deprived ˹of our livelihood˺.”68:27

The most sensible of them said, “Did I not urge you to say, ‘Allah willing.’?”68:28

They replied, “Glory be to our Lord! We have truly been wrongdoers.”68:29

Then they turned on each other, throwing blame.68:30

They said, “Woe to us! We have certainly been transgressors.68:31

We trust our Lord will give us a better garden than this, ˹for˺ we are indeed turning to our Lord with hope.”68:32

That is the ˹way of Our˺ punishment ˹in this world˺. But the punishment of the Hereafter is certainly far worse, if only they knew. 68:33

Allah sets an example for the polytheists of Quraish by sending them the honorable Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, but they belied him and rejected his message. This rejection mirrors the story of the man with two gardens. The people of the Garden were in Dawran which belonged to Bani Harsh - one of the fortified cities of Yemen. The word Dawran is the name of the mountain which overlooks the city. These people had a garden with various ripe fruits and plants ready for harvest. They secretly planned to pluck the fruits in the morning to avoid giving any to the poor or needy. They made this oath without saying "If Allah wills". Consequently, Allah disabled them and sent a fire that burnt their garden completely. As the story goes, they woke up and called out to each other to go to the garden early to pluck the fruits before the poor could come asking for charity. They left with a strong intention, thinking they had the power to prevent the poor from taking anything. However, when they reached the garden, they found it in ruins and said, "Verily, we have gone astray," realizing they had lost their way to their garden. They acknowledged they had been punished for their bad intentions and were deprived of the garden's blessings. The best among them, the most moderate and just one, reminded them, "Did I not tell you: why say you not: Insha'Allah (If Allah wills)." They acknowledged their wrongdoing, saying, "Glory to Our Lord! Verily, we have been Zalimun (wrong-doers)." They turned on each other, blaming one another for their plight, regretting their actions, but it was too late. It was said that these brothers inherited the garden from their late father, who used to give generously in charity. When they took over, they denied their father's charitable acts and intended to keep the fruits for themselves.