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
إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَٱخْتَلَطَ بِهِۦ نَبَاتُ ٱلْأَرْضِ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمُ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَخَذَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ زُخْرُفَهَا وَٱزَّيَّنَتْ وَظَنَّ أَهْلُهَآ أَنَّهُمْ قَـٰدِرُونَ عَلَيْهَآ أَتَىٰهَآ أَمْرُنَا لَيْلًا أَوْ نَهَارًا فَجَعَلْنَـٰهَا حَصِيدًا كَأَن لَّمْ تَغْنَ بِٱلْأَمْسِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
The example of [this] worldly life is but like rain which We have sent down from the sky that the plants of the earth absorb - [those] from which men and livestock eat - until, when the earth has taken on its adornment and is beautified and its people suppose that they have capability over it, there comes to it Our command by night or by day, and We make it as a harvest, as if it had not flourished yesterday. Thus do We explain in detail the signs for a people who give thought.
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَسْتَمِعُونَ إِلَيْكَ ۚ أَفَأَنتَ تُسْمِعُ ٱلصُّمَّ وَلَوْ كَانُوا۟ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
And among them are those who listen to you. But can you cause the deaf to hear [i.e., benefit from this hearing], although they will not use reason?
ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ خَلَـٰٓئِفَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ لِنَنظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ
Then We made you successors in the land after them so that We may observe how you will do.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ ٱلنَّاسَ شَيْـًٔا وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلنَّاسَ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
Indeed, Allāh does not wrong the people at all, but it is the people who are wronging themselves.