68:19 Al-Qalam (The Pen)

{ فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ } أي: عذاب نزل عليها ليلًا { وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ } فأبادها وأتلفها

ولهذا حنثهم الله في أيمانهم فقال تعالى "فطاف عليها طائف من ربك وهم نائمون" أي أصابتها آفة سماوية.

قَالُواْ سُبْحَـنَ رَبّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَـلِمِينَ- فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ يَتَلَـوَمُونَ- قَالُواْ يوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَـغِينَ- عَسَى رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْراً مّنْهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَى رَبّنَا رغِبُونَ- كَذَلِكَ الْعَذَابُ وَلَعَذَابُ الاْخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ لَوْ كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُونَ-

Then a visitation from your Lord visited it that is a fire consumed it during the night while they slept.

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.