Surah 19

Surah 19:77

"Have you seen the one who disbelieves in Our signs, and says, ‘I shall indeed be given wealth and children’?"
Refuting the Disbelievers Who claim that They will be given Wealth and Children in the Hereafter Verses 19:77-80
Show Full Scripture Context (19:77-80) — 4 Verses
Verse 77

أَفَرَءَيۡتَ ٱلَّذِي كَفَرَ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا وَقَالَ لَأُوتَيَنَّ مَالٗا وَوَلَدًا

Have you seen the one who disbelieves in Our signs, and says, ‘I shall indeed be given wealth and children’?

Verse 78

أَطَّلَعَ ٱلۡغَيۡبَ أَمِ ٱتَّخَذَ عِندَ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ عَهۡدٗا

Has he looked into the unseen, or has he taken a covenant with the Merciful?

Verse 79

كَلَّاۚ سَنَكۡتُبُ مَا يَقُولُ وَنَمُدُّ لَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلۡعَذَابِ مَدّٗا

By no means! We shall write down what he says, and We shall increase the punishment for him.

Verse 80

وَنَرِثُهُۥ مَا يَقُولُ وَيَأۡتِينَا فَرۡدٗا

We shall inherit from him what he says, and he will come to Us alone.

Imam Ahmad reported from Khabbab bin Al-Aratt that he said, “I was a blacksmith and Al-‘As bin Wa’il owed me a debt. So I went to him to collect my debt from him. He said to me, ‘No, by Allah, I will not pay my debt to you until you disbelieve in Muhammad.’ I replied to him, ‘No, by Allah, I will not disbelieve in Muhammad until you die and are resurrected again. He then said to me, Verily, if I die and am resurrected, and you come to me, I will also have abundance of wealth and children and I will repay you then.’ Then, Allah revealed these Ayat,

{Have you seen him who disbelieved in Our Ayat and said: "/ shall certainly be given wealth and children."} until,

Quoted Scripture
"and he shall come to Us alone."

This was also recorded by the two compilers of the Sahihs and other collections as well. In the wording of Al-Bukhari it states that Khabbab said, “I used to be a blacksmith in Makkah and I made a sword for Al-‘As bin Wa’il. So I went to him to collect my pay from him...” then he mentioned the rest of the Hadlth and he said,

Quoted Scripture
"or has he taken a covenant from the Most Gracious?"

“This means an agreement.”

Concerning Allah’s statement,

{Has he known the Unseen} This is a rejection of the person who says,

Quoted Scripture
"1 shall certainly be given wealth and children."

Meaning, on the Day of Resurrection. In other words, “Does he know what he will have in the Hereafter, to such an extent that he can swear to it?”

Quoted Scripture
"or has he taken a covenant from the Most Gracious?"

Or has he received a promise from Allah that he will be given these things? It has already been stated that in Sahih Al-Bukhdri it is mentioned that covenant means an agreement.
Concerning Allah’s statement,

{Nay,} This is a participle that opposes what came before it and gives emphasis to what follows it.

{We shall record what he says,} what he is seeking, and his idea that he has given himself about what he hopes for, and his disbelief in Allah the Most Great.

{We shall increase his torment.} This is referring to what will happen in the abode of the Hereafter, because of his saying his disbelief in Allah in this life.

Quoted Scripture
"And We shall inherit from him all that he speaks of,"

His wealth and children. It means, “We will take all of this from him, in opposition to his claim that he will be given more wealth and children in the Hereafter than he had in this life.” To the contrary, in the Hereafter that which he had in this life will be taken from him. This is why Allah says,

{And he shall come to Us alone.} without wealth or children.

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 6, Page 303-305)

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.