63:9

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تُلۡهِكُمۡ أَمۡوَٰلُكُمۡ وَلَآ أَوۡلَٰدُكُمۡ عَن ذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِۚ وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡخَٰسِرُونَ

Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo la tulhikum amwalukum wala awladukum AAan thikri Allahi waman yafAAal thalika faolaika humu alkhasiroona

O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that - then those are the losers.

Word by word
  1. يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاO
  2. ٱلَّذِينَyou (who)
  3. ءَامَنُواْbelieve
  4. لَا(Let) not
  5. تُلۡهِكُمۡdivert you
  6. أَمۡوَٰلُكُمۡyour wealth
  7. وَلَآand not
  8. أَوۡلَٰدُكُمۡyour children
  9. عَنfrom
  10. ذِكۡرِ(the) remembrance
  11. ٱللَّهِۚ(of) Allah
  12. وَمَنAnd whoever
  13. يَفۡعَلۡdoes
  14. ذَٰلِكَthat
  15. فَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَthen those
  16. هُمُ[they]
  17. ٱلۡخَٰسِرُونَ(are) the losers
Al-Munafiqun · 63:9Madinah

Do not let wealth and children distract you from Allah.

Good things can still pull you away


What fills the day
wealthwork, deals, bills
childrenschool runs, worries
crowd out
remembering Allahwhat we were made for
Who loses
busy for good reasonsso it is fine
the losersbusy away from Him

After describing the hypocrites, the surah turns to the believers. Ibn Kathir says Allah tells them not to be distracted from His remembrance by indulging in property and children excessively. Those who are busied away from what they were created for are the losers.

Your days are full of good things: providing for the family, homework, swimming lessons, overtime. Then you realise you have not prayed with focus in weeks. The blessings were meant to be with Allah, not instead of Him.

I am busy with my family and job, so Allah will understand.

Even my family and work should not push out remembering Allah.

Try this

Pray one prayer today with your children, or with them nearby, so the blessing and the remembrance meet.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whosoever does that, then they are the losers (9)And spend of that with which We have provided you before death comes to one of you, and he says: "My Lord! If only You would give me respite for a little while, then I should give Sadaqah from my wealth, and be among the righteous (10)And Allah grants respite to none when his appointed time comes. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do (11)

The Importance of not being too concerned with the Matters of the Worldly Life, and being Charitable before Death

Allah the Exalted orders His faithful servants to remember Him frequently and to refrain from being distracted from His remembrance by indulging in their properties and children excessively. Allah informs them that those who engage in this life, its delights and attributes and were busied from the obedience and remembrance of Allah, for which they were created, will be among the losers. They will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Allah encourages the believers to spend in His cause,

وَأَنْفِقُوا مِنْ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلَا أَخَّرْتَنِي إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُنْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

(And spend of that with which We have provided you before death comes to one of you, and he says: "My Lord! If only You would give me respite for a little while, then I should give Sadaqah from my wealth, and be among the righteous.)

Surely, every person who fell into shortcomings will regret it by the time of his death and will ask for respite, even a short period, so that he does better and attains what he missed. No, rather what occurred, has occurred and what is coming, shall indeed come. Each will be held accountable for his mistakes. As for the disbelievers, they will be as Allah said about them,

وَأَنْذِرِ النَّاسَ يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمُ الْعَذَابُ فَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا رَبَّنَا أَخِّرْنَا إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ نُجِبْ دَعْوَتَكَ وَنَتَّبِعِ الرُّسُلَ ۗ أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُوا أَقْسَمْتُمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ زَوَالٍ 

(And warn mankind of the Day when the torment will come unto them; then the wrongdoers will say:"Our Lord! Respite us for a little while, we will answer Your call and follow the Messengers!" (It will be said): "Had you not sworn aforetime that you would not leave.")(14:44), and,

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ - لَعَلِّي أَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ ۚ كَلَّا ۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَائِلُهَا ۖ وَمِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ

(Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: "My Lord! send me back. So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!" No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected.)(23:99-100) Then Allah said;

وَلَنْ يُؤَخِّرَ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهَا ۚ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

(And Allah grants respite to none when his appointed time comes. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.) meaning, when the time of death comes, no one will be granted respite. Surely, HSe is the Most Knowledgeable and t an what they did before. Allah said,

وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ 

(And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.)

This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Munafiqun. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and all success and immunity from error come from Him.