That is, we declare our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, far above our own miserliness and blameworthy conduct.

“Then a calamity from your Lord swept over it while they slept.” [al-Qalam: 19]

That is, it came upon it at night. The word tā’if (a visitation) is used only for a night-time occurrence; for daytime, they say, “I went around it by day.”

“And by morning it was like the blackness of night.” [al-Qalam: 20]

That is, like the dark night. The word sarīm also means daytime—it is a word with opposite meanings. Another explanation is that “like al-sarīm” means like something cut off at its roots. Another is that it means like something already harvested, whose yield has been taken—that is, it contained no fruit. It was also said that it became like a tract of land called al-Sarīm, a well-known place in Yemen, six miles from Sanaa.

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Calamities, then, come from Allah Most High as trials by which He tests His servants because of what their hands have earned, while pardoning much. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:

“Whatever misfortune befalls you is because of what your own hands have earned, and He pardons much.” [al-Shūrā: 30]

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Whoever suffers a calamity, remains patient, seeks Allah’s reward, is content with His decree, and submits to His command will be among the rightly guided who receive glad tidings of blessings and mercy from Allah. For He, Most High, says:

“And give glad tidings to the patient,” [al-Baqarah: 155] “who, when a calamity befalls them, say, ‘Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we shall return.’” [al-Baqarah: 156] “Upon them are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and it is they who are rightly guided.” [al-Baqarah: 157]

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If a calamity damages any fruit or other produce of the earth that a man has purchased, the scholars differ greatly over whether he is entitled to a reduction in the purchase price on account of that calamity. This applies when he purchased the produce separately from the underlying property, or together with that property after the time when the produce could lawfully be sold. If, however, he purchased it together with the underlying property before that time, there is, by consensus, no entitlement to a reduction for calamity damage.