Surah Raad ayat 26 Tafsir Quran 13:26

﴿اللَّهُ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَيَقْدِرُ ۚ وَفَرِحُوا بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا مَتَاعٌ﴾
[ الرعد: 26]

13:26 Allah extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]. And they rejoice in the worldly life, while the worldly life is not, compared to the Hereafter, except [brief] enjoyment.

God expands provision He makes it abundant for whom He will and straitens restricts it for whomever He will; and they the people of Mecca rejoice a wanton rejoicing in the life of this world that is in what they acquire therein yet the life of this world in comparison with the life of the Hereafter is but a brief enjoyment a trifling thing enjoyed and then lost.

Allah gives livelihood generously and confers support gratuitously on whom He will and He also gives with restraint and by measure to whom He will. The worldly - minded - rejoice beyond a common joy with life here below afore that Hereafter. But how little are the material and the immaterial things that minister to enjoyment and content here as compared with Hereafter

Increase and Decrease in Provision is in Allah's Hand Allah states that He alone increases the provisions for whom He wills and decreases it for whom He wills, according to His wisdom and perfect justice.
So, when the disbelievers rejoice with the life of the present world that was given to them, they do not know that they are being tested and tried.
Allah said in other Ayat, أَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّمَا نُمِدُّهُمْ بِهِ مِن مَّالٍ وَبَنِينَ - نُسَارِعُ لَهُمْ فِى الْخَيْرَتِ بَل لاَّ يَشْعُرُونَ ( Do they think that in wealth and children with which We enlarge them.
We hasten unto them with good things.
Nay, but they perceive not. )23:55-56 Allah belittled the life of the present world in comparison to what He has prepared for His believing servants in the Hereafter, وَمَا الْحَيَوةُ الدُّنْيَا فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ إِلاَّ مَتَـعٌ ( whereas the life of this world compared to the Hereafter is but a brief passing enjoyment. ) Allah said in other Ayat, قُلْ مَتَـعُ الدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٌ وَالاٌّخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّمَنِ اتَّقَى وَلاَ تُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلاً ( Say: "Short is the enjoyment of this world.
The Hereafter is (far ) better for him who has Taqwa, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly even equal to the amount of a Fatila.)4:77 and, بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَوةَ الدُّنْيَا - وَالاٌّخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى ( Nay, you prefer the life of this world, although the Hereafter is better and more lasting. )87:16-17 Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Mustawrid, from Bani Fihr, said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«مَا الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا كَمَا يَجْعَلُ أَحَدُكُمْ إصْبَعَهُ هَذِهِ فِي الْيَمِّ، فَلْيَنْظُرْ بِمَ تَرْجِع»
( The life of the present world, compared to the Hereafter, is just like when one of you inserts his finger in the sea, so let him contemplate how much of it will it carry. ) and he pointed with the index finger.
Imam Muslim also collected this Hadith in his Sahih.
In another Hadith, the Prophet passed by a dead sheep, whose ears were small, and said,
«وَاللهِ لَلدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ عَلَى اللهِ مِنْ هَذَا عَلَى أَهْلِهِ حِينَ أَلْقَوه»
( By Allah! The life of this present world is as insignificant to Allah as this sheep was to its owners when they threw it away. ) وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوْلاَ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى إِلَيْهِ مَنْ أَنَابَ - الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُمْ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أَلاَ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ - الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَاتِ طُوبَى لَهُمْ وَحُسْنُ مَـَابٍ

(13:26) Allah gives abundantly His provisions to whom He will and sparingly to whom He pleases. *42 These people are wholly absorbed in the joys of this life, whereas the life of this world is but a paltry thing as compared with the life of the Hereafter.

Allah extends provision for whom He wills meaning

*42) This verse refutes the wrong criterion by which the disbelievers of Makkah ( and all other foolish people of the world ) judged whether one was or was not a favorite of God.
They judged a man's worth by his wealth and worldly prosperity and not by his faith and righteous conduct.
They thought that the one who was enjoying all the good things of life was a favorite of God, even if he had erroneous beliefs and did wicked deeds.
On the other hand, they considered the one who was poor and indigent to be under the wrath of God, even though he was righteous.
That is why in their judgement the chiefs of the Quraish were far superior to the followers of the Holy Prophet.
They would say, " You can see for yourselves that God is with the chiefs of the Quraish. "
In this verse, AIlah has warned there that they are absolutely wrong in drawing such a conclusion from the worldly conditions of the people.
AIIah gives His provision to the people abundantly or sparingly for reasons different from those which they presumed and richness or poverty is no criterion by which to judge the worth of people.
The real criterion of judging the worth of people is their beliefs and deeds.
The one, who has righteous beliefs and dces good deeds, shall be higher in rank than the one who has wrong beliefs and does evil deeds.
Thus the real criterion is the quality of one's deeds and not the possession or the lack of wealth.

 

Increase and Decrease in Provision is in Allah's Hand Allah states that He alone increases the provisions for whom He wills and decreases it for whom He wills, according to His wisdom and perfect justice.
So, when the disbelievers rejoice with the life of the present world that was given to them, they do not know that they are being tested and tried.
Allah said in other Ayat, أَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّمَا نُمِدُّهُمْ بِهِ مِن مَّالٍ وَبَنِينَ - نُسَارِعُ لَهُمْ فِى الْخَيْرَتِ بَل لاَّ يَشْعُرُونَ ( Do they think that in wealth and children with which We enlarge them.
We hasten unto them with good things.
Nay, but they perceive not. )23:55-56 Allah belittled the life of the present world in comparison to what He has prepared for His believing servants in the Hereafter, وَمَا الْحَيَوةُ الدُّنْيَا فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ إِلاَّ مَتَـعٌ ( whereas the life of this world compared to the Hereafter is but a brief passing enjoyment. ) Allah said in other Ayat, قُلْ مَتَـعُ الدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٌ وَالاٌّخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّمَنِ اتَّقَى وَلاَ تُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلاً ( Say: "Short is the enjoyment of this world.
The Hereafter is (far ) better for him who has Taqwa, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly even equal to the amount of a Fatila.)4:77 and, بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَوةَ الدُّنْيَا - وَالاٌّخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى ( Nay, you prefer the life of this world, although the Hereafter is better and more lasting. )87:16-17 Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Mustawrid, from Bani Fihr, said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, «مَا الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا كَمَا يَجْعَلُ أَحَدُكُمْ إصْبَعَهُ هَذِهِ فِي الْيَمِّ، فَلْيَنْظُرْ بِمَ تَرْجِع» ( The life of the present world, compared to the Hereafter, is just like when one of you inserts his finger in the sea, so let him contemplate how much of it will it carry. ) and he pointed with the index finger.
Imam Muslim also collected this Hadith in his Sahih.
In another Hadith, the Prophet passed by a dead sheep, whose ears were small, and said, «وَاللهِ لَلدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ عَلَى اللهِ مِنْ هَذَا عَلَى أَهْلِهِ حِينَ أَلْقَوه» ( By Allah! The life of this present world is as insignificant to Allah as this sheep was to its owners when they threw it away. ) وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوْلاَ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى إِلَيْهِ مَنْ أَنَابَ - الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُمْ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أَلاَ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ - الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَاتِ طُوبَى لَهُمْ وَحُسْنُ مَـَابٍ

( Allah enlargeth livelihood for whom He will ) Ibn ’Abbas said: " there are among His servants people who are only suited for an enlarged livelihood, such that a straitened livelihood would harm them; and there are among His servants people who are only suited for a straitened livelihood, such as an enlarged livelihood would harm them " , i.e. Allah gives abundant wealth in the life of this world to whomever He wills as a devise from Him, ( and straiteneth (it for whom He will )) He withholds abundant wealth from whomever He wills out of care from Him; ( and they rejoice in the life of the world ) they are pleased with that which is in the life of this world of comfort and merriment, ( whereas the life of the world ) what is in the life of this world of comfort and merriment ( is but brief comfort ) very little; it is compared to the worth of household stuffs such as a platter, bowl, saucepan, and similar things ( as compared with the Hereafter ) as compared with the lasting bliss of the Hereafter.

Allah increases the provision for whom He wills, and straitens (it for whom He wills), and they rejoice in the life of the world, whereas the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter is but a brief passing enjoyment.

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