أَفَمَن وَعَدْنَـٰهُ وَعْدًا حَسَنًا فَهُوَ لَـٰقِيهِ كَمَن مَّتَّعْنَـٰهُ مَتَـٰعَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ هُوَ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ مِنَ ٱلْمُحْضَرِينَ 61
Translations
Then is he whom We have promised a good promise which he will meet [i.e., obtain] like he for whom We provided enjoyment of worldly life [but] then he is, on the Day of Resurrection, among those presented [for punishment in Hell]?
Transliteration
Afaman wa'adnahu wa'dan hasanan fahuwa laqihi kaman matta'ahu mata'a al-hayati ad-dunya thumma huwa yawma al-qiyamati mina al-muhdharin
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents a rhetorical question contrasting two conditions: one who has been promised a good promise (Paradise) which he will surely meet, versus one who has been given temporary enjoyment of worldly life and will then be among those presented (for punishment) on the Day of Judgment. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this comparison emphasizes the incomparability of the believer's promise of eternal reward with the disbeliever's temporary worldly pleasures followed by eternal torment, highlighting the futility of choosing worldly gratification over obedience to Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Qasas, which recounts stories of various prophets and emphasizes divine justice and reward. The broader context of this passage (ayaat 60-64) contrasts the fates of believers and disbelievers, addressing the polytheists of Mecca who prioritized worldly wealth and status over faith. The surah was revealed in Mecca during a period when the believers faced persecution and the wealthy Quraysh enjoyed material prosperity.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The example of this life compared to the afterlife is like a person putting his finger in the ocean—let him see what returns with him' (Al-Tirmidhi). Additionally, 'This world compared to the Hereafter is like what one of you puts in the ocean from his hand' (Sahih Muslim 2858).
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should not be deceived by temporary worldly success or wealth, recognizing that the promise of Paradise is incomparably superior to fleeting material pleasures. This ayah encourages prioritizing eternal spiritual rewards over the temporary enjoyment of this world, as ultimate accountability awaits all on the Day of Judgment.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِى مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
Indeed, [O Muḥammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allāh guides whom He wills. And He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.
وَهُوَ ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ لَهُ ٱلْحَمْدُ فِى ٱلْأُولَىٰ وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۖ وَلَهُ ٱلْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
And He is Allāh; there is no deity except Him. To Him is [due all] praise in the first [life] and the Hereafter. And His is the [final] decision, and to Him you will be returned.
فَأَخَذْنَـٰهُ وَجُنُودَهُۥ فَنَبَذْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْيَمِّ ۖ فَٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
So We took him and his soldiers and threw them into the sea. So see how was the end of the wrongdoers.
وَلَوْلَآ أَن تُصِيبَهُم مُّصِيبَةٌۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُوا۟ رَبَّنَا لَوْلَآ أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًا فَنَتَّبِعَ ءَايَـٰتِكَ وَنَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
And if not that a disaster should strike them for what their hands put forth [of sins] and they would say, "Our Lord, why did You not send us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses and been among the believers?"...