A father had run a productive orchard and always left a portion for the poor at harvest. When he died, his sons looked at the numbers and decided the charity was waste. They swore they would harvest at first light, quietly, before anyone could come asking, “Without any reservation.” (68:18), meaning they did not say insha Allah, if Allah wills.
While they slept, a visitation from their Lord passed over the garden and left it black as a harvested field (68:19-20). They set off at dawn whispering to each other to keep the poor out today (68:24), and when they arrived they thought they had taken a wrong turn. Then the most level-headed among them, who had told them earlier to glorify Allah, said the sentence that reframed everything: “Did I not say to you, ‘if only you would glorify?’” (68:28). They admitted they had been transgressors, and turned to each other blaming, and finally turned to Allah hoping for something better in exchange.