يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًا لُّبَدًا 6
Translations
He says, "I have spent wealth in abundance."
Transliteration
Yaqoolu ahlaKtu malan lubada
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes a boastful person who arrogantly claims to have squandered wealth abundantly (lubada means 'continuously' or 'in great quantities'). According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this refers to someone who wastes money recklessly and then boasts about it, displaying pride in their destructive behavior. The ayah condemns such arrogance and wastefulness, which contradicts the Islamic virtue of responsible stewardship of wealth (amanah).
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Balad is a Meccan surah that addresses human ingratitude and arrogance. This specific ayah appears in the passage describing a person who fails to recognize God's blessings and instead boasts about destroying wealth, contrasting with the righteous individual mentioned earlier in the surah who spends in charity.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Tirmidhi 3895), emphasizing responsible use of wealth. Additionally, 'Wealth and children are adornments of worldly life, but the everlasting good deeds are better' (Quran 18:46), addressing the proper perspective on material possessions.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that wasting resources and boasting about it is a grave spiritual disease rooted in arrogance and ingratitude. Muslims should view wealth as a trust from Allah and use it wisely for legitimate needs and charitable purposes, never with wasteful pride.