Surah At-Takathur, Ayah 7

Which was revealed in Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The Result of Loving the World and Heedlessness of the Hereafter

Allah says that all are preoccupied by love of the world, its delights and its adornments, and this distracts you from seeking the Hereafter and desiring it. This delays you until death comes to you and you visit the graves, thus becoming its inhabitants. In Sahih Al-Bukhari, it is recorded in the Book of Ar-Riqaq (Narrations that soften the Heart) from Anas bin Malik, who reported that Ubayy bin Ka`b said, "We used to think that this was a part of the Qur'an until the Ayah was revealed which says;

Verse [ 102:8] ثُمَّ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيمِ (Then you will be asked about all the pleasures [ you enjoyed in the world ].) This means that, on the Day of Judgment, all of you will be questioned whether you had shown gratitude towards Allah's favors, or did you misuse them and were ungrateful to Allah? Some of these favors and bounties are explicitly mentioned elsewhere in the Qur'an:

إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ‌ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَـٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا

(...Surely, the ear, the eye and the heart - each one of them shall be interrogated about.) [ 17:36]

These organs and their faculties comprehend millions of blessings of Allah, and man will be questioned as to how he used them every moment of his life.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is reported to have said that first question that will be put by Allah to every person is: "Did I not give you good health, and did I not give you cold water to quench your thirst?" (Tirmidhi, and Ibn Hibban, with rating as sahib, from Abu Hurairah, as quoted by Ibn Kathir)

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is also reported to have said that no man will be able to move from his place unless he answers five questions: [ 1] How did he spend his life? [ 2] In what pursuits did he expend his youthful energy? [ 3] How did he earn his wealth - (by lawful means or unlawful means?) [ 4] Where did he spend his wealth - (in lawful ways or unlawful ways?) and [ 5] Did he act upon the knowledge Allah gave him? (Bukhari).

Mujahid (رح) ، the leading authority on Tafsir, says that this question on the Day of Judgment relates to every delight of the world that he enjoyed - whether it is in connection with food, clothes, house, wife, children, kingdom, government or honor. Qurtubi, having cited this, concludes that this is absolutely true, because the question does not specify any particular blessing.

Al-hamdulillah

The Commentary on

Surah At-Takathur

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