Al-Qalam 68:19–24

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِّن رَّ‌بِّكَ (Then, there whirled around it a whirl (of calamity) from your Lord, while they were asleep….68:19). The word 'whirl' refers to 'a whirl of calamity' as a result of which Divine punishment overtook the garden in a sudden and swift sweep. Some narratives report that it was a fire which burnt every standing crop, and reduced it to black ashes.

وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ (...while they were asleep.... 68:19). In other words, the devastating disaster overtook the entire garden while its owners were asleep.

فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالصَّرِ‌يمِ (Thus, on the next morning, it was like a harvested field ….68:20). The word sarim means to harvest or to collect a crop from the fields'. The word sarim in the context of the verse is used in the sense of masrum or maqtu`, meaning 'harvested or cut'. This signifies that the fire burnt the field and stripped it bare. The word sarim also means 'night'. From this point of view, the verse signifies 'the field became burnt up and black like night'. [ Mazhari ].

فَتَنَادَوْا مُصْبِحِينَ (So, they called out each other as the morning broke 68:21). This means that they starting waking up each other in the early morning that they should set out early if they wanted to harvest.

وَهُمْ يَتَخَافَتُونَ (...while they were whispering to each other ... 68:23). They were speaking in a low voice, lest a poor man should hear their talk and accompany them.