كِلْتَا ٱلْجَنَّتَيْنِ ءَاتَتْ أُكُلَهَا وَلَمْ تَظْلِم مِّنْهُ شَيْـًٔا ۚ وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَـٰلَهُمَا نَهَرًا 33
Translations
Each of the two gardens produced its fruit and did not fall short thereof in anything. And We caused to gush forth within them a river.
Transliteration
Kiltā al-jannatayn ātat ukulahā wa-lam tazlim minhu shay'ā wa-fajjarnā khilālahumā nahārā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how both gardens of the wealthy man in the parable produced their full yield without any deficiency, and Allah caused a river to flow between them. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain that this represents the apparent perfection and abundance of the man's worldly possessions, emphasizing the complete productivity of his wealth—yet as the narrative continues, this material abundance blinds him to spiritual reality and leads to his arrogance and ultimate loss. The river flowing between the gardens symbolizes the generous provision Allah granted him, which paradoxically becomes a test of his faith.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the parable of the two gardens (18:32-44), a Meccan surah teaching about the dangers of wealth-induced arrogance and heedlessness of the Hereafter. The story illustrates how a wealthy disbeliever's confidence in his material success causes him to deny resurrection and forget Allah's blessings, serving as a warning to the pagan Quraysh about relying on worldly wealth rather than faith.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) warned: 'Wealth and children are adornments of life, but the everlasting good deeds are better' (Sunan At-Tirmidhi 2329). Additionally, the hadith 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Sunan At-Tirmidhi 3895) relates to proper stewardship of blessings.
Themes
Key Lesson
Material abundance and worldly success are tests from Allah that can either increase gratitude and righteousness or lead to pride and spiritual ruin; true wealth lies in faith, good deeds, and remembrance of the Hereafter, not in the quantity of possessions or gardens.