Al-Qalam (The Pen)

21. Then, they called out to one another as soon as the morning broke.

22. [Saying:] “Go to your tilth in the morning, if you would pluck the fruits.”

23. So they departed, conversing in secret low tones [saying]:

24. “No poor man shall enter upon you into it today.”

25. And they went in the morning with a strong intention, thinking that they have power [to prevent the poor taking anything of the fruits therefrom].

The blessed Verse 21 is saying that at any rate the owners of the garden, imagining that the fruits of their orchard are ripe to be picked, called onto one another. The blessed Verse 22 says that they asked each other to proceed if they intend to pick their fruits. The Arabic word aghdu, cognate with ghadwa, implies the break of the day and the word breakfast is applied to the food eaten in the morning.

The blessed Verse 23 is saying that they proceeded toward their orchard whispering onto one another.

The blessed Verse 24 says that they said onto one another:

“Be careful lest a man in need approaches you!”

They whispered onto each other lest the needy might hear them and ask them for some meager amount of fruit to quench their hunger. The needy seemingly expected some fruit every year owing to the charity of their father. Nonetheless, such miserly and unworthy children moved so furtively that no one learns that it was time to pick up fruits.

The blessed Verse 25 is saying that that proceeded toward their orchard at day break with all their might to turn away from the needy. The Arabic word hard connotes impeding wrathfully. Thus, they raged at the expectations of the needy and made up their minds to exercise all their might to ward off their requests. The Arabic word is also applied to the years when there is no precipitation.