The Owner of Two Gardens

The owner of two gardens is a parable figure from Surah al-Kahf (18:32-44). God had given him two prosperous gardens; instead of being grateful, he became proud of his wealth, doubted the Resurrection, and looked down on his believing companion. The latter reminded him who had created him. Then God destroyed his gardens, and the man regretted — too late — having associated false deities with his Lord.

The Quran offers the parable of two men. To one, God had given two prosperous gardens — vines, date palms and crops, watered by a river — yielding great produce (18:32-33).

Instead of recognising this blessing, this man became proud. He said to his companion: 'I am richer than you and mightier in clan' (18:34) and, entering his garden, 'I do not think all this will ever perish... nor that the Hour will come' (18:35-36).

His believing companion rebuked him: 'Do you deny the One who created you from dust, then from a drop, then fashioned you into a complete man?' and invited him to recognise that everything comes from God's will (18:37-39).

Then the harvest was 'completely devastated.' The man wrung his hands in regret over all he had invested, and cried out too late: 'If only I had not associated false deities with my Lord!' (18:42).

This is a parable (mathal): the Quran identifies neither the man, nor the place, nor the era — the essential is the lesson, not the identity. We therefore add no name. Not to be confused with 'the People of the Garden' (Ashab al-Janna, Surah al-Qalam, 68): that is a distinct, separate account.

The parable of the two gardens warns against the pride of wealth and forgetting God: to believe one's possessions eternal is already to be in the process of losing them. The believer attributes everything to God ('such is the will of God'); the ungrateful one only recognises his fault once everything is reduced to nothing.

Propose-leur la parabole de deux hommes. A l'un, Nous avons donné deux vignobles séparés par un champ cultivé et bordés de dattiers.

18:32

Disposant de fruits à profusion, il dit à son compagnon au cours d'une discussion : « Je suis plus riche que toi et plus puissant par mon clan. »

18:34

Je ne crois pas non plus que sonnera l'Heure. Et à supposer que je doive être ramené à mon Seigneur, je connaîtrai certainement un sort bien meilleur. »

18:36

Sa récolte fut alors entièrement dévastée. Il se mit à se tordre les mains de dépit, se souvenant de tous les biens investis dans ce jardin à présent totalement détruit et s'exclamant : « Si seulement je m'étais gardé d'associer de fausses divinités à mon Seigneur ! »

18:42