In the second part of this series, stories from Surah Kahf, we come across the story of a man with two gardens.
The parable is about two men, one blessed by Allah with enormous wealth and offspring. His heart was greedy and boastful, while the other was poor but grateful to Allah.
Allah s.w.t mentions in the Quran,
وَاضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلًا رَّجُلَيْنِ جَعَلْنَا لِأَحَدِهِمَا جَنَّتَيْنِ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَحَفَفْنَاهُمَا بِنَخْلٍ وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمَا زَرْعًا ﴿٣٢﴾ كِلْتَا الْجَنَّتَيْنِ آتَتْ أُكُلَهَا وَلَمْ تَظْلِمْ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَالَهُمَا نَهَرًا ﴿٣٣﴾ وَكَانَ لَهُ ثَمَرٌ فَقَالَ لِصَاحِبِهِ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُ أَنَا أَكْثَرُ مِنكَ مَالًا وَأَعَزُّ نَفَرًا ﴿٣٤﴾
And present to them an example of two men: We granted to one of them two gardens of grapevines, and We bordered them with palm trees and placed between them [fields of] crops. Each of the two gardens produced its fruit and did not fall short thereof in anything. And We caused to gush forth within them a river.
The story mainly highlights the attitude of the rich man towards his blessings. Allah has endowed him with two lush gardens with crops in between. The vineyards produced some of the most delicious and expensive fruits. They were encircled by palm trees that provided both dates and protection for the orchards. The garden was self-irrigated by a river, adding to its luxury. The crops yielded their full potential and never failed, allowing him to reap the most profit. Allah also blessed him with wealth outside of those gardens.
One day, the poor man comes to him, and they have a conversation;-
The wealthy man brags and compares his wealth & offspring with the poor man. He enters the garden with arrogance and, discredits Allah for his blessings. He says what he has right now will stay with him forever and then the Day will never come, and even if he returns to His Lord, he will receive something even better.
Sometimes, we get caught up in the blessings of this world that we forget our Aakhirah. We often think that if there is something perfect in our lives, it will be with us forever and, we will only deserve better in the future. That is the deception of Dunya.
The poor man stands there in silence until he replies to him with the most humbling question. He reminds him of his humble origins, dust, and sperm. The poor man did not get impressed by the rich man's fancies but remained grateful and reaffirmed his belief in the oneness of Allah and admonished him.
He taught him to praise Allah whenever he entered his gardens and reminded him of the Greatness of Allah. He asked him to utter, ‘Ma Sha Allah La haul a walaa quwwata illaa billah'.
The poor man knew he had less in this world. Still, he believed in Allah and hoped he would receive the ultimate reward in the Hereafter. He warned the rich man of calamity and punishment of Allah. And then it had fallen upon him!
وَأُحِيطَ بِثَمَرِهِ فَأَصْبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى مَا أَنفَقَ فِيهَا وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا وَيَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًا ﴿٤٢﴾
And his fruits were encompassed [by ruin], so he turned his hands about [in dismay] over what he had spent on it, while it had collapsed upon its trellises, and said “Oh, I wish I had not associated with my Lord anyone.”
The gloom enveloped his gardens, turning them into a wasteland. And he called upon Allah when there was no other help for him, with the regret that he had associated Allah with partners. There is no acceptance of Tawba after the punishment has occurred.
وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُ فِئَةٌ يَنصُرُونَهُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ مُنتَصِرًا ﴿٤٣﴾
And there was for him no company to aid him other than Allah, nor could he defend himself.
When nothing of his wealth and people remained, that was when the rich man was humbled. He could not help himself nor receive any aid from his men or wealth. His arrogance ultimately destroyed him in the end.
هُنَالِكَ الْوَلَايَةُ لِلَّهِ الْحَقِّ هُوَ خَيْرٌ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًا ﴿٤٤﴾
There the authority is completely for Allah, the Truth. He is best in reward and best in the outcome.
This is Allah's authority! He is better at rewarding and punishing. May Allah protect us from His Punishment!
In this parable, we see that Allah tests both the rich and the poor. The blessing of wealth is a test of gratitude to Allah and generosity to the less fortunate, while the poor are tested with patience and trust in Allah. Also, we see that arrogance destroys a person, whereas humility elevates him. Finally, we learn that the Dunya is a vessel for tests and trials. Those who pass them are indeed successful.
May Allah make us among those who are humble and grateful to Him. May make Allah us among them who are successful in this world and the Hereafter.
