Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Know that the life of this world is but play and amusement.”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Exegesis of His saying, the Exalted: “Know that the life of this world is but play and amusement”
Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Hadid: 20] When Allah mentioned the conditions of the believers and the conditions of the disbelievers while they are in this world, each person working according to his own nature, He clarified the reality of this world: what it is. He commanded us to know this so that a person would strive to reflect and contemplate. The command to know a reality means that what is required is that you reflect deeply until the matter becomes clear to you.
And it is this life of ours, [Al-Hadid 57:20] five things: play with the limbs, and amusement with the hearts.
As for playing with the limbs: Such as a person doing deeds that prevent him from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer.
As for amusement with the hearts, that is heedlessness. This is more severe and greater. May Allah protect us and you from the heedlessness of the heart, and may He give life to our hearts and your hearts. Heedlessness is great; it deprives you of all the pleasures of obedience and bars you from all its effects.because of His saying, the Exalted: [Surah al-Kahf: 28] He did not say: “Do not obey those whose tongues We have silenced,”He said: “(Those whose hearts We have made heedless)” And how much we remember with our tongues while our hearts are heedless. This undoubtedly diminishes the reward and diminishes the effects resulting from the remembrance, such as the rectification of the heart, turning toward Allah, and its repentance to Him, among other things.
Play in the limbs, and amusement in the hearts.
Yes, adornment in clothing, adornment in vehicles, adornment in dwellings, adornment in everything. Therefore, you find that a person, even if he is poor, loves to decorate his house with decor and the like, and his car as well. If a husband wants to ride in a car, he puts garlands of flowers on it as adornment.
Each one boasts over the other: “I am from such-and-such a tribe, and you are from such-and-such a tribe. Your tribe is worth nothing in society, and my tribe is a noble tribe.” They boast in knowledge; one has knowledge in medicine and the other does not know medicine, or one has knowledge in engineering and the other does not know, so he boasts over him. And uglier than that is boasting in religious knowledge; because it is obligatory for a person, when he acquires religious knowledge and Allah bestows it upon him, to increase in humility and to know himself and his worth.
And among that is what happens between poets at times, of belittling others and boasting, as is found in some weddings and some occasions, as we hear.
[Al-Hadid 57:20] Competing in numbers; each one loves to have more wealth and more children.And this is like His saying, the Exalted: [Surah Al-Imran: 14] This is the reality of this world. And with this amusement and play, boasting and adornment, does it remain? Absolutely not; it must cease. And if a person’s time in it is prolonged, he returns to old age.And in this, the poet says:
There is no sweetness to life as long as its essence is spoiled by the remembrance of death and old age.
Every person, when he thinks about his life and that he is in comfort, we say: What comes after that? Either death or old age. Either you die and end your time in this world, or you grow old and become a burden on your son and daughter until your family is fed up with you. For this reason, Allah the Mighty and Majestic pointed to this condition.So he said: [Surah Al-Isra: 23] Because when they reach old age, their thinking becomes disordered and they become weary. So you either die or reach the state of old age. This is if this world remains for you; otherwise, it may be taken from you before you reach old age.
So we take from this a warning against the trial of this world. How many a person was made arrogant by the life of this world and thus perished.And in the Qudsi Hadith: “Indeed, among My servants is one whom, if I enrich him, wealth corrupts him” In fact, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: “By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you, but rather I fear that this world will be opened up to you and you will compete in it as those before you competed in it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed them” And the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) spoke the truth. Most of the open sinners and disbelievers are from the elite and the nobles. Read the Qur'an! Who lies to the messengers? The elite and the nobles. Consider the reality now; most of what is corrupted in this world is by the rich and the wealthy to whom the world has been opened. So let the wise and intelligent person beware of it and limit himself to what benefits him in the Hereafter.
Then Allah gave it an example in His saying: [Surah al-Hadid: 20] .
Allah the Exalted said:
Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children - like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.
اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلادِ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرّاً ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَاماً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِKnow that the life of this world is
اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَاamusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children
لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلادِAs for playing with the limbs: Such as a person doing deeds that prevent him from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer.
As for amusement with the hearts, that is heedlessness. This is more severe and greater. May Allah protect us and you from the heedlessness of the heart, and may He give life to our hearts and your hearts. Heedlessness is great; it deprives you of all the pleasures of obedience and bars you from all its effects.because of His saying, the Exalted:
and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire
وَلا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُplay and amusement
لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌand adornment
وَزِينَةٌand boasting among you
وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْand boasting among you
وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْboasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children
وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلادِBeautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life
زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ وَالْبَنِينَ وَالْقَنَاطِيرِ الْمُقَنْطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْخَيْلِ الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ وَالْحَرْثِ ذَلِكَ مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَاThere is no sweetness to life as long as its essence is spoiled by the remembrance of death and old age.
Every person, when he thinks about his life and that he is in comfort, we say: What comes after that? Either death or old age. Either you die and end your time in this world, or you grow old and become a burden on your son and daughter until your family is fed up with you. For this reason, Allah the Mighty and Majestic pointed to this condition.So he said:
Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff,"
إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِنْدَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلاهُمَا فَلا تَقُلْ لَهُمَا أُفٍّSo we take from this a warning against the trial of this world. How many a person was made arrogant by the life of this world and thus perished.And in the Qudsi Hadith: “Indeed, among My servants is one whom, if I enrich him, wealth corrupts him” In fact, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: “By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you, but rather I fear that this world will be opened up to you and you will compete in it as those before you competed in it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed them” And the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) spoke the truth. Most of the open sinners and disbelievers are from the elite and the nobles. Read the Qur'an! Who lies to the messengers? The elite and the nobles. Consider the reality now; most of what is corrupted in this world is by the rich and the wealthy to whom the world has been opened. So let the wise and intelligent person beware of it and limit himself to what benefits him in the Hereafter.
Then Allah gave it an example in His saying: