Episode 2
Episode 2: They Set Out at Dawn Whispering, Then Were Shocked
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In the morning, not knowing what had struck their garden overnight, they roused one another to hurry to the harvest. Allah said, "And they called one another at morning, ‘Go early to your crop if you would harvest’" (Qur'an 68:21-22). They set out whispering, plotting so that not a single poor person could share in the garden's yield. Allah said, "So they set out, while lowering their voices, ‘There will surely not enter it today upon you any poor person.’ And they went early in determination, (assuming themselves) able (to prevent)" (Qur'an 68:23-25). They felt fully in command of the garden and sure they could bar anyone. But when they arrived and saw it scorched, they were stunned. Allah said, "But when they saw it, they said, ‘Indeed, we are lost (astray); rather, we have been deprived’" (Qur'an 68:26-27). At first they thought they had taken a wrong turn, because the garden was no longer recognisable; then they realised it truly was their garden — and that they themselves had been deprived of its fruit as a requital for their stinginess. Reflection: withholding the right of the poor and scheming to avoid sharing does not increase wealth; rather it can strip away its blessing. A plan built on greed collapses in an instant before Allah's decree. Source & Note: evidence from the Qur'an, 68:21-27. Their intent to bar the poor and their shock at seeing the garden are the Qur'an's own text, not added narrative.
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Episode 3: Realising Their Wrong, Glorifying Allah, and Regret