۞ Recite to them the parable of two men! One of them We provided with two vineyards which We surrounded with date-palms, and placed a field of grain in between; 32 Each of the two gardens brought forth its produce and stinted not aught thereof; and We caused to gush forth in the midst of the twain a river. 33 And he had fruit. And he said unto his comrade, when he spake with him: I am more than thee in wealth, and stronger in respect of men. 34 And having [thus] sinned against himself, he entered his garden, saying, "I do not think that this will ever perish! 35 Nor do I think that the Hour will come. Even if I returned to my Lord, I should surely find a better place than this' 36 While conversing with him his neighbour exclaimed: "Do you deny Him Who created you out of dust, then out of a drop of sperm, and then fashioned you into a complete man? 37 As for myself, Allah alone is my Lord, and I associate none with my Lord in His Divinity. 38 When entering your garden, you should have said, "This is what God willed; All Power belongs to Him. Even if you consider me inferior to yourself in wealth and offspring, 39 yet it may well be that my Sustainer will give me something better than thy garden - just as He may let loose a calamity out of heaven upon this [thy garden,] so that it becomes a heap of barren dust 40 Or some morning the water thereof will be lost in the earth so that thou canst not make search for it. 41 So his fruits were encircled (with ruin). And he remained clapping his hands with sorrow over what he had spent upon it, while it was all destroyed on its trellises, he could only say: "Would I had ascribed no partners to my Lord!" [Tafsir Ibn Kathir] 42 And there was for him no company to aid him other than Allah, nor could he defend himself. 43 For thus it is: all protective power belongs to God alone, the True One. He is the best to grant recompense, and the best to determine what is to be. 44