Opens by swearing "by the pen and what they inscribe," and directly rebuts Meccan accusations that Muhammad was possessed or insane — among the earliest recorded responses to public mockery he faced once he began openly reciting. It also tells a brief parable of garden owners who plotted to harvest their fruit secretly at dawn to avoid sharing with the poor, only to wake and find the garden destroyed overnight — a cautionary tale about stinginess and its consequences. The surah briefly reflects on how the wrongdoers wish they had submitted, but by then it will be too late, comparing their situation to their earlier hardened rejection despite being invited while still capable of choosing differently — emphasizing timing and opportunity as central to accountability.
One of the earliest surahs, defending Muhammad's sanity against public mockery — shows how early the pushback against him began. The garden parable is frequently used in discussions of generosity, illustrating how plans built around avoiding charitable obligation can unravel in ways the planners never anticipated. That emphasis on the timing of opportunity — that the same choice, offered too late, no longer helps — is frequently cited in discussions of the value of acting on conviction while still able to, rather than assuming realization alone will be sufficient later.