إِنْ هِىَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنْيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ 37
Translations
It [i.e., life] is not but our worldly life - we die and live, but we will not be resurrected.
Transliteration
In hiya illa hayatuna ad-dunya namutu wa nahya wa ma nahnu bi mab'utheen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah records the statement of the disbelievers who deny the Hereafter, claiming that life is only the worldly existence in which they are born and die, with no resurrection or afterlife. Ibn Kathir explains that these words represent the materialistic ideology of those who reject the concept of accountability in the Afterlife, exemplifying the spiritual blindness of those who deny divine revelation. Al-Tabari emphasizes that this denial of resurrection was a central point of contention between the Prophet and the Meccan polytheists.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Al-Mu'minun, a Meccan surah that extensively addresses the themes of belief in Allah, the Hereafter, and refutation of disbelief. The surah contrasts the believers (Al-Mu'minun) with those who deny resurrection and accountability, making this ayah part of the broader refutation of materialistic worldviews prevalent in pre-Islamic Arabia.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who have the best character' (Sunan At-Tirmidhi), contrasting worldly materialism with spiritual virtue. Additionally, Sahih Muslim records the Prophet saying: 'This world compared to the Hereafter is like a dip of your finger in the sea,' emphasizing the insignificance of worldly life compared to eternity.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that those who deny the Afterlife and focus exclusively on worldly pursuits have fundamentally misunderstood the purpose of creation and human existence. For believers, it reinforces the necessity of maintaining consciousness of the Hereafter and avoiding the materialistic mindset that reduces life to temporary pleasures and denial of accountability before Allah.