Surah 47

Surah 47:36

"This present life is nothing but jest and diversion, but if you believe and guard (yourselves), He will give you your rewards and not ask you for your wealth."
Showing the Triviality of the Worldly Life and encouraging Spending Verses 47:36-38
Show Full Scripture Context (47:36-38) — 3 Verses
Verse 36

إِنَّمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا لَعِبٞ وَلَهۡوٞۚ وَإِن تُؤۡمِنُواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ يُؤۡتِكُمۡ أُجُورَكُمۡ وَلَا يَسۡـَٔلۡكُمۡ أَمۡوَٰلَكُمۡ

This present life is nothing but jest and diversion, but if you believe and guard (yourselves), He will give you your rewards and not ask you for your wealth.

Verse 37

إِن يَسۡـَٔلۡكُمُوهَا فَيُحۡفِكُمۡ تَبۡخَلُواْ وَيُخۡرِجۡ أَضۡغَٰنَكُمۡ

If He asks you for it, and presses you, you are stingy, and He brings to light your malice.

Verse 38

هَـٰٓأَنتُمۡ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ تُدۡعَوۡنَ لِتُنفِقُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَمِنكُم مَّن يَبۡخَلُۖ وَمَن يَبۡخَلۡ فَإِنَّمَا يَبۡخَلُ عَن نَّفۡسِهِۦۚ وَٱللَّهُ ٱلۡغَنِيُّ وَأَنتُمُ ٱلۡفُقَرَآءُۚ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوۡاْ يَسۡتَبۡدِلۡ قَوۡمًا غَيۡرَكُمۡ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوٓاْ أَمۡثَٰلَكُم

There you are! These (people)! You are called on to contribute in the way of God, and (there are) some of you who are stingy. Whoever is stingy is stingy only to himself. God is the wealthy One, and you are the poor (ones). If you turn away, He will exchange a people other than you. Then they will not be like you.

Expressing the insignificance and worthlessness of the worldly life, Allah says, {This worldly life is only amusement and diversion.} which means that such is its outcome, except for that which is done for the sake of Allah. Because of this, Allah says, {And if you believe and have Taqwa of Allah, He will grant you your rewards, and will not ask from you (to sacrifice all of) your possessions.} meaning, He is in no need of you, and asks you for nothing. He only ordained giving charity from your wealth so that you would help your needy brothers. The benefit of that would then come back to you, as well as the rewards. Allah then says, {If He would demand of you all of it and urge you, you would withhold.} meaning, if He pressures you much, you would become stingy. {And He will expose your (secret) ill-wills} Qatadah said, “Allah knows that extracting wealth (i.e., money from people) brings about ill-wills.” Indeed, Qatadah has said the truth, because money is dear to the people, and they do not spend it except in things that are dearer to them than it. Allah then says, {Here you are now invited to spend in Allah's cause; but among you are those who withhold (stingily).} meaning, they refuse to spend. Allah continues, {And whoever acts stingily is but stingy toward himself.} meaning, he only reduces his own rewards, and the bad outcome of that will come back to him. {For Allah is indeed Al-Ghani} Allah is in need of nothing else, whereas everything is ever in need of Him. Thus, Allah says, {while you are the needy.} meaning, specifically of Him. The description of Allah as Al-Ghani (in no need) is a necessary description of Allah; on the other hand, the description of the creation as Faqr (needy) is a necessary description for them that they cannot avoid. Allah then says, {And if you turn away,} which means, if you turn away from obeying Him and adhering to His Laws. {He will replace you with other people; then they will not be like you.} meaning, rather, they will be people who will listen to Him and obey His commands. This concludes the Tafsir of Surat Al-Qital. And Allah is worthy of all praise and gratitude.

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (batch_049)

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.