Where the story is told

The story is in Quran 68:17-33, in Surah al-Qalam. It starts with the meaning that Allah has tried "them" as He tried the companions of the garden. Commentators generally understand "them" here as the people of Makkah who were denying the Prophet ﷺ, so the story is given as a warning about blessings that can be taken away.

The Quran does not say who these owners were, where the garden was, what kind of fruit it had or how many people there were. It gives us the events and the lesson.

The plan made without "if Allah wills"

The meaning of the verses is that they swore they would pick the fruit of the garden early in the morning, without making any exception (68:17-18). Scholars explain that making an exception means saying "if Allah wills", and that they did not say it.

As the plan unfolded, we see something more. They called to one another in the morning to go early to the crop, and they set off whispering to each other, "No poor person will enter it today" (68:21-24). So their plan was not only confident but also stingy: they wanted to keep the harvest from those in need.

They went early, determined and sure of their ability (68:25). Everything depended on their own strength and plan.

The calamity at night

The Quran says that while they were asleep, an affliction from their Lord came upon the garden, and by morning it was as if it had been harvested or cut down (68:19-20).

The verses do not describe what the affliction was. What matters is that it came from Allah, that it came at night, and that it came before their plan was carried out. Their plan was made, and Allah's decree came first.

The discovery, the blame and the repentance

When they saw the garden, they said, "We have lost our way", and then, "No, we have been deprived" (68:26-27). The first reaction was confusion, as though they had come to the wrong garden. Then they understood.

Then the best of them, or the most moderate, spoke up. He reminded them: "Did I not say to you, why do you not glorify Allah?" (68:28). The Quran does not tell us the details of what he had said earlier.

At this point, they changed. They said, "Glory be to our Lord! We were wrongdoers" (68:29). They turned to each other and began to blame one another (68:30), and then said, "Woe to us, we were transgressors" (68:31). They finished with hope: "Perhaps our Lord will give us in exchange something better than it. Indeed, to our Lord we turn in hope" (68:32).

The Quran closes with the lesson: "Such is the punishment [of this world], and the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew." Arabic: «كَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْعَذَابُ ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ» The Quran does not say what Allah gave them afterwards, and we should not add to it.

The link with inshaAllah

The story is often connected with the instruction in Surah al-Kahf. The meaning of 18:23-24 is: never say about anything, "I will do that tomorrow," except by adding, "If Allah wills." And remember your Lord when you forget, and say, "Perhaps my Lord will guide me to something closer to the right course than this."

Saying inshaAllah does not mean that we should not plan or work. The owners of the garden were not blamed for planning to harvest their crop. The problem was that they spoke as if the future belonged to them, and that they planned to deny the poor. The Quran does not say that every loss is a punishment. It tells us what happened to this particular group.

InshaAllah is a reminder that we make our plans and put in the effort, while knowing that the outcome is in Allah's hands.

Lessons from this story

  • Our plans can only be carried out by Allah's permission, so it is good to say inshaAllah and mean it.
  • Blessings may be lost suddenly. Be grateful for them and do not take them for granted.
  • The poor have a share in what Allah gives. The owners planned to keep them away, and they later admitted that they were wrongdoers.
  • A righteous friend who reminds us of Allah is a mercy, and we should listen before the loss comes.
  • Repentance and returning to Allah in hope are the right response after a mistake, with sincerity instead of blaming one another.
  • Not every hardship is a punishment. But it is always a chance to look inwardly and turn to Allah.

General information for learning, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.

Sources