وَأُحِيطَ بِثَمَرِهِ فَأَصْبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى مَا أَنْفَقَ فِيهَا وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا وَيَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًا ﴿۴۲﴾ وَلَمْ تَكُنْ لَهُ فِئَةٌ يَنْصُرُونَهُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ مُنْتَصِرًا ﴿۴۳﴾ هُنَالِكَ الْوَلَايَةُ لِلَّهِ الْحَقِّ هُوَ خَيْرٌ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًا ﴿۴۴﴾ وَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ مَثَلَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَاءٍ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الْأَرْضِ فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًا تَذْرُوهُ الرِّيَاحُ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُقْتَدِرًا ﴿۴۵﴾

﴾42﴿ Wa uheeta bisamarihee faasbaha yuqallibu kaffaihi 'alaa maaa anfaqa feehaa wa hiya khaawiyatun 'alaa 'urooshihaa wa yaqoolu yaalaitanee lam ushrik bi Rabbeee ahadaa
﴾43﴿ Wa lam takul lahoo fi'atuny yansuroonahoo min doonil laahi wa maa kaana muntasiraa
﴾44﴿ Hunaalikal walaayatu lillaahil haqq; huwa khairun sawaabanw wa khairun 'uqbaa
﴾45﴿ Wadrib lahum masalal hayaatid dunyaa kamaaa'in anzalnaahu minas samaaa'i fakhtalata bihee nabaatul ardi fa asbaha hasheeman tazroo hur riyaah; wa kaanal laahu 'alaa kulli shai'im muqtadiraa

﴾42﴿ And his wealth was overwhelmed [by destruction], so he began to wring his hands over what he had spent on it, while it had collapsed upon its trellises. He said, Oh, I wish I had not associated anyone with my Lord
﴾43﴿ And he had no group to help him besides Allah, nor could he defend himself
﴾44﴿ In such a situation, authority belongs solely to Allah, the Truth. He is the best in reward and the best in outcome
﴾45﴿ And present to them the example of the life of this world: [It is] like water which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it. Then it becomes dry remnants, scattered by the winds. And Allah is over all things competent

[42] In this verse, the mention of worldly punishment and the regret of the disbeliever is made.
At times of deep sorrow and regret, a person often rubs both his hands together out of distress—this physical expression reflects intense grief.
The punishment is hinted at through his words: (يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًا) – “Oh, would that I had not associated anyone with my Lord.”
The phrase (بِثَمَرِهِ) – “over his fruits” – includes all his gardens, wealth, and possessions.
This highlights that his regret came too late, after his wealth was destroyed, and he realized the consequence of his shirk (polytheism).
[43] This verse is a refutation of shirk in control and management (shirk fī al-taṣarruf)—that false gods and other powerful entities cannot protect anyone from the punishment or calamity of Allah Most High.
(فِئَةٌ) – refers to a group or community that one might turn to for help or support during times of hardship.
Here, it refers to the false deities, as well as the companions, followers, and supporters of that disbelieving person.
The verse emphasizes that none of them could aid him or defend him from divine punishment, showing the complete futility of relying on other than Allah.
[44] In this verse, exclusive authority and control are affirmed for Allah Most High.
(الْوَلَايَةُ) – with either fatḥah or kasrah on the wāw – when attributed to Allah, both forms mean power and sovereignty.
When attributed to creation, walāyah refers to power and support, and it can also mean friendship or closeness.
(هُنَالِكَ) – “There” – refers to the time of punishment, whether in this world or the Hereafter.
(هُوَ خَيْرٌ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًا) – “He is better in reward and better in outcome” – meaning that those deeds done sincerely for Allah are far superior in both reward and end result.
The word (خَيْرٌ) here is not used as a comparative (afḍalīyah), but rather as a qualitative description, emphasizing absolute goodness without comparison to another.
[45] This verse presents the second method of instilling detachment from the world (taz'hīd fī al-dunyā): by illustrating that the world is insignificant and temporary, and therefore not worth being deceived by.
This ephemeral and lowly nature of the world is explained through a parable, similar to the example in Surah Yūnus (10:24).
The essence of the parable is that from rainfall, various lush and diverse plants grow—but after a while, they wither, crumble, and are scattered by the wind, leaving behind an empty field.
Likewise, this world is like water:
1. Water does not stay still in one place for long.
2. It does not remain in one condition—it constantly changes.
3. Whoever enters water cannot avoid getting wet, just as no one is safe from the trials of this world.
4. If water is balanced, it is beneficial—but if it overflows, it causes destruction. The same is true for the world: when it goes beyond bounds, it leads to ruin.
The variety of plants symbolizes the various forms of wealth and possessions in the world.
Just as those plants dry up and vanish into the air, worldly wealth and possessions also perish and fade away.
(مُقْتَدِرًا) – comes with an extra letter to convey emphasis and intensity in power—meaning that Allah is fully capable of enacting these changes and bringing about consequences.