وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ 18
Translations
Without making exception.
Transliteration
wa lā yastathnaun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This phrase means 'and they will not make exceptions' or 'and they do not except,' referring to the people of the garden (mentioned in the preceding verses) who swore an oath to harvest their fruits but failed to mention 'If Allah wills' (Insha'Allah). According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this ayah emphasizes their arrogance in making absolute statements about their future plans without acknowledging Allah's will and decree, which led to the destruction of their garden as a divine punishment for their heedlessness.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative (verses 17-33) about the two gardens belonging to wealthy men, which serves as a parable about reliance on wealth without acknowledgment of Allah's sovereignty. The context illustrates the consequence of forgetting to attribute all affairs to Allah's will, a central theme in Surah Al-Qalam which addresses the Prophet's detractors.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim: 'Whoever says he will do something tomorrow should say: Insha'Allah (If Allah wills)' - This directly relates to the lesson of not making absolute statements without conditioning them on Allah's will.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches Muslims the essential spiritual practice of conditioning all future plans and statements with 'Insha'Allah' (If Allah wills), recognizing that true control over all affairs belongs to Allah alone. It reminds us that material success without humility and acknowledgment of Divine sovereignty can lead to ruin.