Once ʿUmar (bin Al-Khattab) said to the companions of the Prophet ﷺ "What do you think about this Verse:--"Does any of you wish that he should have a garden?" They replied, "Allah knows best." ʿUmar became angry and said, "Either say that you know or say that you do not know!" On that Ibn ʿAbbas said, "O chief of the believers! I have something in my mind to say about it." ʿUmar said, "O son of my brother! Say, and do not under estimate yourself." Ibn ʿAbbas said, "This Verse has been set up as an example for deeds." ʿUmar said, "What kind of deeds?" Ibn ʿAbbas said, "For deeds." ʿUmar said, "This is an example for a rich man who does goods out of obedience of Allah and then Allah sends him Satan whereupon he commits sins till all his good deeds are lost."

قَالَ عُمَرُ ؓ يَوْمًا لأَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فِيمَ تَرَوْنَ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ نَزَلَتْ {أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ} قَالُوا اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ فَغَضِبَ عُمَرُ فَقَالَ قُولُوا نَعْلَمُ أَوْ لاَ نَعْلَمُ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فِي نَفْسِي مِنْهَا شَىْءٌ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ عُمَرُ يَا ابْنَ أَخِي قُلْ وَلاَ تَحْقِرْ نَفْسَكَ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ضُرِبَتْ مَثَلاً لِعَمَلٍ قَالَ عُمَرُ أَىُّ عَمَلٍ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ لِعَمَلٍ قَالَ عُمَرُ لِرَجُلٍ غَنِيٍّ يَعْمَلُ بِطَاعَةِ اللَّهِ ﷻ ثُمَّ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ لَهُ الشَّيْطَانَ فَعَمِلَ بِالْمَعَاصِي حَتَّى أَغْرَقَ أَعْمَالَهُ {فَصُرْهُنَّ} قَطِّعْهُنَّ

[Machine] He heard him saying, Umar asked the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, "Do you know the meaning of the verse that says, 'Would any of you wish to have a garden with date-palms and vines...'" [Al-Baqarah 266]? They replied, "Allah knows best." Umar became angry and said, "Say, 'We know' or 'We do not know.'" Ibn Abbas said to himself, "I have some knowledge about it, O commander of the faithful." Umar said, "Say, 'O son of my brother, do not belittle yourself.'" Ibn Abbas gave an example of a certain action and Umar asked, "What kind of action?" Ibn Abbas replied, "A wealthy man who performs good deeds, then Allah sends devils to him, so he commits sins until his good deeds are completely destroyed."

أَنَّهُ سَمِعَهُ يَقُولُ سَأَلَ عُمَرُ أَصْحَابَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ فَفِيمَ تَرَوْنَ أُنْزِلَتْ {أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ} [البقرة 266] ؟ فَقَالُوا اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ فَغَضِبَ فَقَالَ قُولُوا نَعْلَمُ أَوْ لَا نَعْلَمُ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فِي نَفْسِي مِنْهَا شَيْءٌ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ «قُلْ يَا ابْنَ أَخِي وَلَا تَحْقِرْ نَفْسَكَ» قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ضُرِبَتْ مَثَلًا لِعَمَلٍ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ «أَيُّ عَمَلٍ؟» فَقَالَ لِعَمَلٍ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ «رَجُلٌ غَنِيٌّ يَعْمَلُ الْحَسَنَاتِ ثُمَّ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ لَهُ الشَّيَاطِينَ فَعَمِلَ بِالْمَعَاصِي حَتَّى أَغْرَقَ أَعْمَالَهُ كُلَّهَا»

[Machine] "To have a garden of palm trees and vines, with rivers flowing underneath, and to have every kind of fruit in it." [Al-Baqarah 266] "Then it was struck by a whirlwind, in which there was a fire, and it burned." [Al-Baqarah 266] So, the people asked about it and said, "Who among you would like to have such a garden?" They said, "Allah and His Messenger know better." So, Umar became angry and said, "Say, 'We know' or 'We don't know.'" Ibn Abbas said to himself, "I know something about it, O Commander of the Believers." He said, "O nephew, speak up and do not belittle yourself." Ibn Abbas said, "It is like the deeds of a rich man who does good deeds, but then Allah sends the devil to him, and he starts doing evil deeds until all his good deeds are destroyed. He had a garden that burned down just when he needed it the most, when he had many children and reached old age." He said, "Does anyone of you want to meet Allah on the Day of Resurrection, being the poorest of all his slaves in terms of his deeds, and not having anything to present?"

أَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ مِنْ نَخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ لَهُ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ} [البقرة 266] إِلَى هَا هُنَا {فَأَصَابَهَا إِعْصَارٌ فِيهِ نَارٌ فَاحْتَرَقَتْ} [البقرة 266] فَسَأَلَ عَنْهَا الْقَوْمَ وَقَالَ فِيمَا تَرَوْنَ أَنَزَلَتْ {أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ} [البقرة 266] ؟ فَقَالُوا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ فَغَضِبَ عُمَرُ وَقَالَ قُولُوا نَعْلَمُ أَوْ لَا نَعْلَمُ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فِي نَفْسِي شَيْءٌ مِنْهَا يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ «يَا ابْنَ أَخِي قُلْ وَلَا تَحْقِرْ نَفْسَكَ» قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ضُرِبَتْ مَثَلًا لِعَمَلٍ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ «لِرَجُلٍ غَنِيٍّ يَعْمَلُ بِالْحَسَنَاتِ ثُمَّ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ لَهُ الشَّيْطَانَ يَعْمَلُ بِالْمَعَاصِي حَتَّى أَغْرَقَ أَعْمَالَهُ كُلَّهَا وَكَانَتْ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ فَاحْتَرَقَتْ عِنْدَ أَحْوَجَ مَا كَانَ إِلَيْهَا حِينَ كَثُرَ الْوَلَدُ وَبَلَغَ هُوَ الْكِبَرَ» قَالَ «أَتَبْغِي أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يُوَافِيَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَبْدٌ أَفْقَرُ مَا كَانَ إِلَى عَمَلِهِ فَلَا يُوَافِيَ لَهُ شَيْءٌ»