Surah Al-Kahf • Ayah 35

The Example of the Rich Idolators and the Poor MuslimsAfter mentioning the idolators who were too arrogant to sit with the poor and weak among Muslims, showing off before them with their wealth and noble lineage, Allah then gives a parable for them of two men, one of whom Allah gave two gardens of grapes, surrounded with palm trees and cultivated with crops throughout. All of the trees and plants were abundantly fruitful, providing readily accessible, good quality produce. Allah says:كِلْتَا الْجَنَّتَيْنِ آتَتْ أُكُلَهَا(Each of those two gardens brought forth its produce,) meaning, produced its fruits,وَلَمْ تَظْلِمِ مِّنْهُ شَيْئًا(and failed not in the least therein,) meaning, nothing at all was diminishing.وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَـلَهُمَا نَهَراً(and We caused a river to gush forth in the midst of both.) means, rivers were flowing through them here and there.وَكَانَ لَهُ ثَمَرٌ(And he had Thamar,) It was said that what was meant here was wealth, and it was said that what was meant were fruits, which is the more apparent meaning here. This is also supported by the alternative recitation, Thumr, which is the plural of Thamrah (fruit) just as Khushb is the plural of Khashab (wood). Others recite it as Thamar.فَقَالَ(and he said) the owner of the two gardensلَصَـحِبِهِ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُ(to his companion in the course of discussion) means, while he was disputing with him and boasting to him and showing off,أَنَاْ أَكْثَرُ مِنكَ مَالاً وَأَعَزُّ نَفَراً(I am greater than you in wealth and have a mightier entourage.) meaning, `I have more servants, attendants and children.' Qatadah said, "This, by Allah, is the wish of the immoral to have a lot of wealth and a large entourage. Rوَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ(And he went into his garden having been unjust to himself.) meaning, in his disbelief, rebellion, arrogance and denial of the Hereafter.قَالَ مَآ أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَـذِهِ أَبَداً(He said: "I do not think this will ever perish.") Thus he was allowing himself to be deceived because of the plants, fruits and trees that he saw, and the rivers flowing through the different parts of his gardens. He thought that it could never come to an end or cease or be destroyed. This was because of his lack of understanding and the weakness of his faith in Allah, and because he was enamored with this world and its adornments, and because he disbelieved in the Hereafter. So he said:وَمَآ أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً("And I do not think the Hour will ever come...") meaning, will ever happenوَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَى رَبِّى لأَجِدَنَّ خَيْراً مِّنْهَا مُنْقَلَباً(and if indeed I am brought back to my Lord, I surely shall find better than this when I return to Him.) meaning, `if there is a Hereafter and a return to Allah, then I will have a better share than this with my Lord, for if it were not that I am dear to Him, He would not have given me all this.' As Allah says elsewhere:وَلَئِن رُّجِّعْتُ إِلَى رَبِّى إِنَّ لِى عِندَهُ لَلْحُسْنَى(But if I am brought back to my Lord, surely there will be for me the best with Him.) 41:50أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِى كَفَرَ بِـَايَـتِنَا وَقَالَ لأوتَيَنَّ مَالاً وَوَلَداً (Have you seen him who disbelieved in Our Ayat and said: "I shall certainly be given wealth and children if I will be alive again).")19:77 He took it for granted that Allah would give him this, without any sound evidence for that. The reason why this Ayah was revea- led was because of Al-`As bin Wa'il, as we will explain in the appropriate place, if Allah wills. In Allah we put our trust.

فخر و غرور ٭٭ [41-فصلت:50] ‏چونکہ اوپر مسکین مسلمانوں اور مالدار کافروں کا ذکر ہوا تھا، یہاں ان کی ایک مثال بیان کی جاتی ہے کہ دو شخص تھے جن میں سے ایک مالدار تھا، انگوروں کے باغ، اردگرد کھجوروں کے درخت، درمیان میں کھیتی، درخت پھلدار، بیلیں ہری، کھیتی سرسبز، پھل پھول بھرپور، کسی قسم کا نقصان نہیں، ادھر ادھر نہریں جاری تھیں۔ اس کے پاس ہر وقت طرح طرح کی پیداوار موجود، مالدار شخص۔ اس کی دوسری قرأت «ثُمْر» بھی ہے یہ جمع ہے «ثَمْرَۃ» کی جیسے «خَشْبَة» کی جمع «خُشْبٌ» ۔ الغرض اس نے ایک دن اپنے ایک دوست سے فخر و غرور کرتے ہوئے کہ میں مال میں، عزت و اولاد میں، جاہ و حشم میں، نوکر چاکر میں تجھ سے زیادہ حیثیت والا ہوں۔ ایک فاجر شخص کی تمنا یہی ہوتی ہے کہ دنیا کی یہ چیزیں اس کے پاس بکثرت ہوں۔ یہ اپنے باغ میں گیا اپنی جان پر ظلم کرتا ہوا یعنی تکبر، اکڑ، انکار قیامت اور کفر کرتا ہوا۔ اس قدر مست تھا کہ اس کی زبان سے نکلا کہ ناممکن ہے میری یہ لہلہاتی کھیتیاں، یہ پھلدار درخت، یہ جاری نہریں، یہ سرسبز بیلیں کبھی فنا ہو جائیں۔ حقیقت میں یہ اس کی کم عقلی، بےایمانی اور دنیا کی خر مستی اور اللہ کے ساتھ کفر کی وجہ تھی۔ اسی لیے کہہ رہا ہے کہ میرے خیال سے تو قیامت آنے والی نہیں۔ اور اگر بالفرض آئی بھی تو ظاہر ہے کہ اللہ کا میں پیارا ہوں ورنہ وہ مجھے اس قدر مال و متاع کیسے دے دیتا؟ تو وہاں بھی وہ مجھے اس سے بھی بہتر عطا فرمائے گا۔ جیسے اور آیت میں ہے «وَلَئِن رُّجِعْتُ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي إِنَّ لِي عِندَهُ لَلْحُسْنَىٰ» [ 41- فصلت: 50 ] ‏ اگر میں لوٹایا گیا تو وہاں میرے لیے اور اچھائی ہو گئی۔ اور آیت میں ارشاد ہے «اَفَرَءَيْتَ الَّذِيْ كَفَرَ بِاٰيٰتِنَا وَقَالَ لَاُوْتَيَنَّ مَالًا وَّوَلَدًا» [ 19- مريم: 77 ] ‏ یعنی تو نے اسے بھی دیکھا جو ہماری آیتوں سے کفر کر رہا ہے، اور باوجود اس کے اس کی تمنا یہ ہے کہ مجھے قیامت کے دن بھی بکثرت مال و اولاد ملے گی، یہ اللہ کے سامنے دلیری کرتا ہے اور اللہ پر باتیں بناتا ہے۔ اس آیت کا شان نزول عاص بن وائل ہے جیسے کہ اپنے موقعہ پر آئے گا ان شاءاللہ۔صفحہ نمبر4891

قَالَ مَآ اَظُنُّ اَنْ تَبِيْدَ هٰذِهٖٓ اَبَدًایعنی میرا یہ باغ ہر لحاظ سے مثالی ہے۔ اسے میں نے باقاعدہ منصوبہ بندی کے تحت ہر قسم کے خطرات سے محفوظ بنا رکھا ہے۔ انگوروں کی نازک بیلوں کے گردا گرد کھجوروں کے بلند وبالا درخت سنتریوں کی طرح کھڑے ہر قسم کے طوفان اور باد صرصر کے تھپیڑوں سے اس کی حفاظت کر رہے ہیں۔ آب پاشی کے لیے نہر کا وافر پانی ہر وقت موجود ہے۔ لہٰذا میں نہیں سمجھتا کہ اسے کبھی کسی قسم کا کوئی خطرہ لاحق ہوسکتا ہے۔

CommentaryThe word: ثَمَرٌ‌ (thamar) in: وَكَانَ لَهُ ثَمَرٌ‌ (And he had wealth - 34) means the fruit of trees as well as wealth, in an absolute sense. At this place, Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، Mujahid and Qatadah have taken it in the later sense (Ibn Kathir) According to the Lexicon, al-Qamus, this word is used to denote the fruit of the tree and wealth of all kinds. This tells us that not only did he own gardens and farms, he also had gold, silver and other luxuries. Even his words reported by the Qur'an: (I am greater than you in wealth -34) also express the same sense. (Ibn Kathir)About the statement: مَا شآء اللہ لا قُوَۃَ اِلَّا بِاللہِ : "[ Everything is ] as Allah wills. There is no power except with Allah," it has been reported in Shu'ab al-'Iman on the authority of Sayyidna Anas ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "whoever sees something, likes it - and says 'masha'Allahu la quwwata illa bil-lah' - nothing will harm it (that is, what he likes will stay protected).' And it appears in other reports, 'whoever recites this kalimah when he likes something he sees, it will stay protected against the evil eye.'The gist of the arguments of these two persons, as explained by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi (رح) in Khulasa-e-TafsirThese verses have described the event of two persons one of whom had a lot of wealth and, proud of it, he refused to accept that there is any life after death, and if there is one, he claimed, he will be given more wealth and reward therein. His argument was that if Allah was not pleased with him, he would not have this amount of wealth in this world.The other person, though less than him in wealth, was a true believer. He refuted the argument of the former one by saying that the worldly wealth is not a sign of one's being close to Allah, because the worldly benefits are given by Allah, in one way or the other, even to the disbelievers and sinful persons, rather to the snakes, scorpions and beasts. It is a horrible mistake to presume that they are the signs of one's being approved by Allah. Therefore, neither your wealth is the proof of your behaviour being approved by Allah, nor my lesser wealth is a proof of disapproval by Him. Allah's approval or disapproval depends on one's faith and deeds alone and not on the amount of wealth one has.