“And Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.”

“Would any of you wish to have a garden of date palms and grapevines, with rivers flowing beneath it, and every kind of fruit therein; then old age overtakes him while he has weak children, and a fiery whirlwind strikes it, burning it up? Thus Allah makes the verses clear to you, so that you may reflect.” (266)

“O you who believe, spend from the good things you have earned and from what We have brought forth for you from the earth. Do not deliberately select the inferior part of it to give away, when you yourselves would not accept it except by overlooking its defects. And know that Allah is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy.” (267)

“Would any of you wish to have a garden of date palms and grapevines, with rivers flowing beneath it?” This verse is connected to His saying, Exalted is He: “O you who believe, do not render your charities void through reminders of your generosity and injury.” His words, “Would any of you wish,” mean: Would any of you like to have a garden—that is, an orchard—of date palms and grapevines, with rivers flowing beneath it? (1)

“He has therein every kind of fruit, and old age overtakes him while he has weak children”: that is, young, frail, helpless children. “Then a fiery whirlwind strikes it, and it burns up.” A whirlwind is a violent wind that rises into the sky like a column; its plural is whirlwinds.

This is a parable Allah has set forth for the deed of the hypocrite and the one who acts for show. His deed, in its apparent goodness, is like the beauty of the garden: he benefits from it just as the owner of the garden benefits from his garden. Then, when he grows old or becomes weak, and has frail children, a fiery whirlwind strikes his garden and burns it up. Thus, he is in his greatest need of it, yet is unable to restore it because of his old age; nor can his children restore it because of their youth. He has nothing with which to support his children, and his children have nothing with which to support him. So they are all left bewildered and helpless, with no means at their disposal. Likewise, Allah renders void the deed of this hypocrite and show-off at a time when neither of them has anyone to rescue him, nor any opportunity for repentance or reprieve. (2)

ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr said: One day, ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, said to the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “Concerning whom do you think this verse was revealed: ‘Would any of you wish to have a garden of date palms and grapevines’?” They said, “Allah knows best.” ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, became angry and said, “Say, ‘We know,’ or, ‘We do not know.’” Ibn ʿAbbās, may Allah be pleased with them both, said, “I have an opinion about it, O Commander of the Believers.” ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “My nephew, speak and do not think little of yourself.” Ibn ʿAbbās, may Allah be pleased with them both, said, “It is a parable concerning a deed.” ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, asked, “Which deed?” Ibn ʿAbbās, may Allah be pleased with them both, replied, “The deed of one who acts for show.” ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “It concerns a wealthy man who acts in obedience to Allah. Then Allah sends Satan against him, and he commits sins until they drown all his deeds.” (3)

“O you who believe, spend from the good things”: that is, from the best of them. Ibn Masʿūd, may Allah be pleased with him, and Mujāhid said: from the lawful things “that you have earned” through trade and craftsmanship. This indicates that earning is permissible and that earnings are divided into wholesome and foul.

ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Aḥmad al-Malīḥī informed us; Abū Manṣūr Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Samʿān informed us; Abū