O my people, this worldly life is only [temporary] enjoyment, and indeed, the Hereafter - that is the home of [permanent] settlement.
يا قوم إنما هذه الحياة الدنيا متاع وإن الآخرة هي دار القرار
When he sought to make them desirous of following him, he made them disdain the world, because the root of the misguidance of the children of Adam is greed for the world, and competition is only for it. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
By Allah, I do not fear poverty for you, but I fear that the world will be opened up to you and you will compete for it as those before you competed for it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed them
والله ما الفقر أخشى عليكم وإنما أخشى أن تفتح عليكم الدنيا فتنافسوها كما تنافسوها ـ أي من قبلنا ـ فتهلككم ما أهلكتكم
So, when he asked them to follow him, he explained to them the state of the world in which they compete, and by which they were turned away from the path of Allah. He said:
O my people, indeed this worldly life is but a temporary enjoyment
يا قوم إنما هذه الحياة الدنيا متاع
“Innamā” is a particle of restriction. “This worldly life” is the subject, and “temporary enjoyment” is its predicate, meaning: this world is nothing but a temporary enjoyment in which a person enjoys for a short time and then it vanishes. For this reason, the author says in the exegesis:
“temporary enjoyment
متاع
a temporary enjoyment that vanishes”.
and the Hereafter is the abode of permanence
وإن الآخر هي دار القرار
The Hereafter: that which comes after the world. “Hiya” is a demonstrative pronoun of separation, and “the abode of permanence” is the predicate of “inna.” Know that the demonstrative pronoun of separation is a pronoun that has no grammatical position; it is not parsed as a subject, a predicate, or anything else; it has no grammatical position.
Know also that it has three benefits:
The first benefit is emphasis, the second benefit is restriction, and the third benefit is distinguishing the predicate from the attribute. This becomes clear in the example: if you say, “Zayd is the noble one,” it is a demonstrative pronoun of separation from which we derive three benefits:
First, emphasis: where we emphasized that Zayd is the noble one, indeed where we emphasized that Zayd is noble. Then restriction, because you said, “Zayd is,” meaning no one other than him; Zayd is the noble one. The third benefit: distinguishing between the attribute and the predicate. If you said, “Zayd the noble one,” it would be possible that “the noble one” is an attribute of Zayd and that the predicate has not yet come. But if you say, “he is the noble one,” it is established that “the noble one” is the predicate. Thus, the distinction between the predicate and the attribute is achieved. Good.
We mentioned that it has no grammatical position, and the evidence for that is the saying of Allah the Exalted:
That we might follow the magicians if they are the predominant?"
لعلنا نتبع السحرة إن كانوا هم الغالبين
Here, “al-ghālibīn” came as the predicate for “kāna.” If it had a grammatical position, it would have been: “Inna kānū hum al-ghālibūn,” but it has no grammatical position. Good.
So, what is the abode of permanence? It is the Hereafter, and he emphasized that by bringing in the demonstrative pronoun of separation. Good.
and indeed, the Hereafter - that is the home of [permanent] settlement.
وإن الآخرة هي دار القرار
Meaning the abode of stability.
For this reason, death is brought in the form of a ram and is placed between Paradise and the Fire. It is said: “O people of the Fire,” and they stretch out their necks and look up. And it is also said to the people of Paradise: “O people of Paradise,” and they stretch out their necks and look up. It is said to them: “Do you know this?” They say: “Yes, this is death.” It is slaughtered in front of them, and it is said: “O people of Paradise, eternal life and no death. And O people of the Fire, eternal life and no death.”
ولهذا يؤتى بالموت على صورة كبش فيوقف بين الجنة والنار، ويقال: يا أهل النار، فيشرئبون ويطلعون وكذلك يقال لأهل الجنة: يا أهل الجنة، فيشرئبون ويطلعون، فيقال لهم: هل تعرفون هذا ؟ فيقولون: نعم هذا الموت، فيذبح أمامهم، ويقال: يا أهل الجنة خلود ولا موت ويا أهل النار خلود ولا موت
So, this permanence, as long as there is no transition from this abode, it is the abode of permanence. Good. If it is the abode of permanence and the world is a temporary enjoyment, which is the first one to work for? The Hereafter, because it is the abode of permanence. As for this one, it is an abode of passage, an abode of temporary enjoyment.
Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler.
كن في الدنيا كأنك غريب أو عابر سبيل Good.
