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
إِنَّ فِى ٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَمَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَّقُونَ
Indeed, in the alternation of the night and the day and [in] what Allāh has created in the heavens and the earth are signs for a people who fear Allāh.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Indeed, those upon whom the word [i.e., decree] of your Lord has come into effect will not believe,
أَلَآ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
Unquestionably, to Allāh belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. Unquestionably, the promise of Allāh is truth, but most of them do not know.
قَالَ مُوسَىٰٓ أَتَقُولُونَ لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَكُمْ ۖ أَسِحْرٌ هَـٰذَا وَلَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلسَّـٰحِرُونَ
Moses said, "Do you say [thus] about the truth when it has come to you? Is this magic? But magicians will not succeed."