مَا عِندَكُمْ يَنفَدُ ۖ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ بَاقٍ ۗ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوٓا۟ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ 96
Translations
Whatever you have will end, but what Allāh has is lasting. And We will surely give those who were patient their reward according to the best of what they used to do.
Transliteration
Maa AAindakum yanfadu wa maa AAinda Allahi baqin wa lanajziyana allatheena sabaru ajrahum bi-ahsan ma kanoo yaamaloona
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah contrasts the transient nature of worldly possessions with the eternal nature of Allah's rewards, emphasizing that material wealth and resources will eventually be depleted while what is with Allah remains permanent. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir note that Allah promises those who exercise patience (sabr) will receive rewards commensurate with the best of their deeds, surpassing the value of any worldly gain. The ayah serves as both a consolation for believers enduring hardship and a reminder of the ultimate reality of the Hereafter.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah An-Nahl, a Meccan chapter revealed during the early persecution of Muslims. It addresses the Meccan believers facing material hardship and loss while the disbelievers enjoyed temporary wealth, reassuring them that earthly resources are ephemeral and that patient endurance will be rewarded with eternal blessings far superior to any temporary worldly advantage.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Tirmidhi). More directly related: 'Indeed, with hardship comes ease' (94:5), emphasizing that patience through difficulty yields divine reward—a principle exemplified throughout the Quran including this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should not be distressed by the temporary loss of worldly possessions or the apparent prosperity of the ungodly, as all material wealth is ultimately perishable while Allah's rewards for patient, righteous action are eternal and incomparably greater. This ayah encourages prioritizing spiritual development and moral integrity over accumulation of fleeting material gains.
Related Ayahs
وَأَقْسَمُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ ۙ لَا يَبْعَثُ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَمُوتُ ۚ بَلَىٰ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
And they swear by Allāh their strongest oaths [that] Allāh will not resurrect one who dies. But yes - [it is] a true promise [binding] upon Him, but most of the people do not know.
بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ وَٱلزُّبُرِ ۗ وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
[We sent them] with clear proofs and written ordinances. And We revealed to you the message [i.e., the Qur’ān] that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought.
وَٱللَّهُ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَآ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ
And Allāh has sent down rain from the sky and given life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who listen.
وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً ۖ وَإِنَّهُۥ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لَمِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ
And We gave him good in this world, and indeed, in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous.