A short narrative in the Chapter of the Pen (al-qalam) recalls an affliction that is visited upon the owners of an orchard. One morning, they prepare themselves to harvest their fruit earlier than usual. They “tell each other secretly” that no poor wretch might come upon them, expecting a share. But when they reach the orchard, they are not early enough. A visitor has already been been there, and laid waste the orchard like a parched and dusty field. At first, they think that they are lost (dallun), but then sit back and consider their experience. “They blame each other”, but some also remind them to reconsider their actions and their moral compass.
This is a familiar narrative that evil intentions will sometimes face a lesser punishment, a timely reminder for those who take heed. The greater punishment will leave no respite. But this narrative sometimes conceals hidden nuggets. Familiarity and repetition may become veils to insight.
A closer look at two verbs (yatakhafatun and yatalawamun) is worth a pause. They turn our attention to deep-seated human responses to prosperity and loss. Hoping to keep the full harvest for themselves, the owners of the orchards wished that there were no poor around. They wished that the plentiful harvests were taken from the trees, and stored and hoarded in safe places. “They tell each other secretly.” In one sense, this is an oxymoron. A secret is kept to oneself, and once told to another can no longer be called a secret. But the effect of the verb speaks of a deep or secret desire by the rich and prosperous to maintain a safe distant from the wretched. They should not be accosting one at road intersections. They should not be sullying the portals and corridors of power. Told and untold, the secret runs deep.
Yatalawamun is an equally dominant reaction, this time when an affliction or even minor mishap comes to pass. “They blame each other” as they confront the devastation, looking for a scape-goat to identify and crucify. It is a knee-jerk response, looking to protect the self. Blaming the other happens on the level of the everyday, often in a family, a company, a nation and on the globe. Rene Girard has reminded us that this is probably the origin of human socialibilty. Someone must be blamed so that others can live.
But this narrative concludes with a more hopeful vision for the future. Perhaps, one of them says, our Provider will exchange this for something better.
