مَتَـٰعٌ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ ثُمَّ نُذِيقُهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابَ ٱلشَّدِيدَ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ 70
Translations
[For them is brief] enjoyment in this world; then to Us is their return; then We will make them taste the severe punishment because they used to disbelieve.
Transliteration
Matāʿun fī ad-dunyā thumma ilaynā marjiʿuhum thumma nudhīquhum al-ʿadhāb ash-shadīd bimā kānū yakfurūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the temporary nature of worldly enjoyment for those who disbelieve, emphasizing that their ultimate return is to Allah where they will taste severe punishment for their rejection of faith. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note that this verse underscores the illusion of security the disbelievers have in this world, contrasting the brief pleasures (matāʿ) of dunya with the eternal consequences of disbelief in the Hereafter.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Yunus (a Meccan chapter), which was revealed during the early Meccan period when the Prophet Muhammad faced significant opposition from Quraysh. The broader context addresses the reality that those who reject the Message enjoy temporary worldly benefits, yet ultimate accountability awaits them before Allah—a reassuring message for believers facing persecution.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The worldly life compared to the Hereafter is like one of you putting his finger in the ocean—let him see what returns with it' (Sahih Muslim 2858). This hadith reinforces the ayah's concept of worldly enjoyment being negligible compared to the eternal consequences.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers not to be deceived by the apparent success and comfort of those who reject faith, as true success is measured by the Hereafter where accountability is certain. It provides spiritual solace during trials, reassuring that injustice in this world will be rectified on the Day of Judgment.
Related Ayahs
أَمْ يَقُولُونَ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ ۖ قُلْ فَأْتُوا۟ بِسُورَةٍ مِّثْلِهِۦ وَٱدْعُوا۟ مَنِ ٱسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
Or do they say [about the Prophet (ﷺ)], "He invented it?" Say, "Then bring forth a sūrah like it and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allāh, if you should be truthful."
وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَاتُنَا بَيِّنَـٰتٍ ۙ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا ٱئْتِ بِقُرْءَانٍ غَيْرِ هَـٰذَآ أَوْ بَدِّلْهُ ۚ قُلْ مَا يَكُونُ لِىٓ أَنْ أُبَدِّلَهُۥ مِن تِلْقَآئِ نَفْسِىٓ ۖ إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ ۖ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ إِنْ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّى عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, those who do not expect the meeting with Us say, "Bring us a Qur’ān other than this or change it." Say, [O Muḥammad], "It is not for me to change it on my own accord. I only follow what is revealed to me. Indeed I fear, if I should disobey my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous Day."
بَلْ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِمَا لَمْ يُحِيطُوا۟ بِعِلْمِهِۦ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِهِمْ تَأْوِيلُهُۥ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۖ فَٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
Rather, they have denied that which they encompass not in knowledge and whose interpretation has not yet come to them. Thus did those before them deny. Then observe how was the end of the wrongdoers.
قُل لَّوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا تَلَوْتُهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَآ أَدْرَىٰكُم بِهِۦ ۖ فَقَدْ لَبِثْتُ فِيكُمْ عُمُرًا مِّن قَبْلِهِۦٓ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
Say, "If Allāh had willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you, for I had remained among you a lifetime before it. Then will you not reason?"