The Owners of the Garden: the story in the Quran

The story

1. 1

   The garden owners' oath

   The Quran states that Allah had tested a group of garden owners in the past just as He tested the people of Mecca. They swore that when morning came, they would surely harvest all the produce of the garden (Al-Qalam, 17).

   But they failed to take one important step: they did not say "insha'Allah," meaning they did not tie the outcome of their plan to Allah's will (Al-Qalam, 18). This seemed a small matter at first glance, but it was actually a flaw showing that their hearts were heedless of Allah.

2. 2

   The intention to deprive the poor

   Their plan was not simply to harvest the produce quickly. Whispering to one another, they had agreed that not even one poor person should enter the garden that day (Al-Qalam, 24). In other words, their aim was to withhold even the share the poor usually received.

   This is the moral center of the account. Blessing comes from Allah, and a portion of it belongs to those in need. Suppressing this right and keeping the provision given to them entirely for themselves was both stinginess and ingratitude.

3. 3

   The garden ruined in a single night

   While they slept, a calamity from their Lord swept over the garden, and it was left as if pitch black, cut down to its roots (Al-Qalam, 19-20).

   Early in the morning they called to one another and set out for the garden, whispering so as not to let the poor in. But when they saw the garden, they could not recognize it. At first they said, "We have lost our way," then they realized the truth: "No, we have been deprived" (Al-Qalam, 26-27).

4. 4

   Regret and repentance

   The most moderate among them reminded them: "Did I not tell you that you should glorify Allah?" Then they all realized their mistake and said: "Glory be to our Lord! Indeed, we have been wrongdoers" (Al-Qalam, 28-29).

   They then began to blame one another and confessed their transgression. In the end, they turned to hoping for something better from their Lord (Al-Qalam, 32). The Quran concludes this lesson thus: such is the punishment of this world, but the punishment of the Hereafter is greater still; if only they knew (Al-Qalam, 33).

This account is narrated in Surah Al-Qalam (17-33) and given as a warning to the polytheists of Mecca. It shows that a blessing can be taken away just as it was given, and that stinginess and forgetting Allah drive away blessing. This account is distinct from the example of "the owner of the two gardens" in Surah Al-Kahf (Al-Kahf, 32-44); that account concerns the test of two different men.

• Provision comes from Allah; a share of it belongs to the poor, and withholding it drives away blessing.
• When we say we will do something, we must say "insha'Allah" and leave the outcome to Allah (Al-Qalam, 18).
• Allah tests in this world too; the loss of a blessing is sometimes a warning meant to awaken us.
• The door of sincere regret and repentance is always open (Al-Qalam, 32).
• However severe the punishment of this world may be, the punishment of the Hereafter is greater still (Al-Qalam, 33).

References are drawn from Quran verses, available authentic hadith and reliable scholarship.

• QuranSurah Al-Qalam, 17

  This verse contains Allah's testing of the garden owners and their oath to harvest the produce in the morning.

• QuranSurah Al-Qalam, 19

  This verse narrates the calamity that swept over the garden while they slept.

• QuranSurah Al-Qalam, 29

  This verse states the garden owners realizing their mistake, glorifying Allah, and confessing that they had been wrongdoers.

• Scholarly sourceTDV İslam Ansiklopedisi, "Kalem Sûresi"

  This article explains how the account (verses 17-32) shows the consequences of ingratitude for a blessing and of encroaching on others' rights.

Other narratives found in the Quran.

• The Owner of the Two Gardens

  The instructive parable of an arrogant garden owner and his believing friend

• Qarun

  The arrogance and fate of Qarun, a wealthy man from Musa's people

Common questions about this story.

• What is the story of the Owners of the Garden about?

  The story of the Owners of the Garden tells of people who owned a fruitful garden, swore to harvest its produce hidden from the poor, and did not say "insha'Allah." While they slept, the garden was destroyed, and the owners, unable to recognize it in the morning, felt regret and repented (Al-Qalam, 17-33).

• What was the real mistake of the garden owners?

  They neither tied the harvesting of the produce to Allah's will (they did not say "insha'Allah") nor allowed even one poor person into the garden, intending to withhold the share of the poor. This was both stinginess and ingratitude (Al-Qalam, 18, 24).

• Did the garden owners repent?

  Yes. Upon seeing that the garden was destroyed, they realized their mistake, glorified Allah, saying "we have been wrongdoers," and turned to hoping for something better from their Lord (Al-Qalam, 29-32).

• Is this story the same as "the Owner of the Two Gardens" in Surah Al-Kahf?

  No. The garden owners in Surah Al-Qalam are a group who withheld produce from the poor. The account in Surah Al-Kahf (32-44) is about a wealthy man who boasted of his garden and a humble believer; these are different accounts.

• What do we learn from this account?

  We learn that blessing comes from Allah, that withholding the poor's due drives away blessing, and the importance of saying "insha'Allah" and tying every plan to Allah. Sincere repentance, however, is always possible (Al-Qalam, 32).