The hamzah in 'Ayyawaddu' is for denial. And it has been recited: 'he has gardens, and weak offspring.' And the whirlwind is the wind that circles on the earth, then rises toward the sky like a column. This is a parable for one who does good deeds not seeking the face of Allah. When the Day of Resurrection comes, he finds them nullified, and he will regret at that moment like one who had a garden of the most beautiful gardens and most abundant in fruits, but he became old, and he had weak children, and the garden was their livelihood and enjoyment, and it was destroyed by a thunderbolt. And Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, asked about it from the Companions, and they said: Allah knows best. He became angry and said: Say we know or we do not know. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I have something in my mind about it, O Commander of the Faithful. [It was narrated by al-Bukhari from the hadith of Ubaid bin Umair: that Umar asked... and he mentioned it.] He said: Speak, O my nephew, and do not belittle yourself. He said: I have given a parable for an action. He said: For which action? He said: For a wealthy man who does good deeds, then Allah sends him the devil, and he acts with disobedience until he drowns all his deeds. [The phrase 'drowns all his deeds' in some copies of al-Jalal is 'burns,' with a ha, and so is the phrase in al-Nasafi.] And from al-Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him: This is a parable that, by Allah, few people understand: an old man whose body has weakened and whose children have increased is most in need of his garden, and indeed one of you, by Allah, is most in need of his deeds when the world has cut off from him. If you say: How did he say (A GARDEN OF PALMS AND GRAPES) then he said: (HE HAS IN IT FROM EVERY FRUIT)? [Mahamud, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 'If you say: Why did he mention the palms and grapes first... etc.? Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is from the aspect of repeating what is of concern twice, generally and specifically, and similar to it is (IN THEM ARE FRUITS AND PALMS AND POMEGRANATES), but in that verse he began with the general and in this verse he began with the specific, and the intended meaning is what we have pointed out, and Allah knows best.] I say: The palms and grapes, since they are the noblest of trees and the most beneficial, were specified in mention, and the garden was made from them - even though it contains other trees - giving them precedence over others, then he followed them with the mention of all fruits. It is also possible that he means by fruits the benefits that he would obtain from them, as in His saying: (AND HE HAD FRUIT) after His saying: (TWO GARDENS OF GRAPES AND WE SURROUNDED THEM WITH PALMS). If you say: What is the significance of his saying AND OLD AGE HAS AFFECTED HIM? I say: The waw is for the state, not for conjunction. Its meaning is that he has a garden and old age has affected him. And it is said: It is wished that it would be so, and I wish it were so, so the conjunction is carried on the meaning, as if it were said: Would any of you wish that he had a garden and old age had affected him?