Overall meaning : Allah Almighty concludes the parable of the two men by throwing light on the dire consequences the unbelieving man suffered: Destruction encompassed his fruitful garden and ravaged everything in it, and there he was, wringing his hands in grief and regret over all that he had spent on his garden, which now lay waste, having turned upside down. He could but say, ‘If only I had worshipped none else besides my Lord!’ He had none of those he had long bragged about having to protect him against Allah’s punishment when it descended upon him, nor could he save himself from it. In such a situation, protection comes only from Allah, the true God, to whom all turn in such ordeals and believe in Him, abandoning all the false gods they worship besides Him. Allah, however, only protects His pious servants who obey His commands. He gives them the best reward and the best outcome.