Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “So they turned away, so We sent upon them a flood of scourge, and We replaced their two gardens with two gardens of bitter fruit, thorny trees, and a little date palm.”

from His bounty and they disbelieved to the end of it. The *fa* here is a conjunction, meaning that despite these blessings—great gardens, orchards, and a good land that forgives sins if they obeyed Allah—He said, “They turned away from what?” He says, “They turned away from thanking Allah and disbelieved.” So they turned away from gratitude and met this blessing with disbelief. What was their outcome? He said: This is the law of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) in His creation, as He the Exalted said, [Surah al-Nahl: 112] These people turned away, so Allah destroyed their homes. *Al-'Aram* is the plural of *'urmah*, which is what holds back water, such as a dam or other structure, until the time of their need. That is, the flood of their valley, which was held back by what was mentioned, so it closed off their two gardens and their wealth. means the dam, meaning that this flood is attributed to the dam, or *flood of al-'Aram* is from the perspective of attributing a thing to its attribute, i.e., the raging, sweeping flood that destroys everything it passes over. The meaning is that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) sent upon them a great flood, and that was due to the corruption of the dam they had built between these mountains. This strong dam used to collect the floods, the earth would absorb them, and they would emerge in springs. When this dam cracked, the waters flowed without measure, and that was by the power of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). So He said, He says: The previous gardens, or the two previous gardens, were all good fruits that were eaten and benefited from through buying, selling, and other means. As for the replacement, he says: *Dhawati* is the dual of *dhat* (singular). In your view, is it singular or dual? Is it the dual of *dhat* or *dhat*? Well, originally *dhat* is singular and *dhat* is for the plural, so the plural was dualized and became *akl* (fruit). It can also be said, contrary to the author's statement, that the original is *dhat*, but when it was dualized, the *waw* returned and it became meaning “possessors of,” because *dhat* means “possessor of.” Allah the Exalted said, [Surah al-Buruj: 1] meaning “the possessor of the towers.” The author said: “*Murrin* with the addition of *akl*” meaning “eaten,” and he omitted it and conjoined meaning that there are two readings. This is a phrase, and he omitted it. As for the addition, it is clear. meaning that the fruit is bitter, and it is the *arak* tree, as Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) interpreted it. The *arak* trees are these thorny ones; they have very simple leaves and are not delicious. Therefore, the author says: “*Murrin* (bitter)” instead of fruits, vegetables, crops, and others. And he says: meaning “eaten,” i.e., possessing fruit that is bitter. *Athl* instead of the pleasant, fruit-bearing trees; it was replaced by *athl*. Some said that *athl* is the *turfah* tree, but the correct view is that it is not the *turfah*, because the *turfah* remains small and does not grow large, whereas *athl* is well known. He says.
The student: Is *arak* the *akul* or the *khamt*?

The Shaykh : No, it is the *khamt*.
The student: And the *akl*?

The Shaykh : No, *akl* means that it is eaten, i.e., yes.
He said, Here he said: And there he said: Because the date palm is the best of these three types, and they were given only a little of it. And it is also little, even though the word indicates littleness, but he emphasized this littleness by saying: The summary now is that when these people turned away and did not give thanks to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), Allah sent upon them the flood, which drowned their wealth and destroyed their buildings, and He replaced them with these two gardens, which are not equal to or comparable to what came before. It is not much. And the author said: “That it is bitter” instead of those great, useful, and beneficial gardens.