47:36

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

Innama alhayatu alddunya laAAibun walahwun wain tuminoo watattaqoo yutikum ojoorakum wala yasalkum amwalakum

[This] worldly life is only amusement and diversion. And if you believe and fear Allah, He will give you your rewards and not ask you for your properties.

Word by word
  1. إِنَّمَاOnly
  2. ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُthe life
  3. ٱلدُّنۡيَا(of) the world
  4. لَعِبٞ(is) play
  5. وَلَهۡوٞۚand amusement
  6. وَإِنAnd if
  7. تُؤۡمِنُواْyou believe
  8. وَتَتَّقُواْand fear (Allah)
  9. يُؤۡتِكُمۡHe will give you
  10. أُجُورَكُمۡyour rewards
  11. وَلَاand not
  12. يَسۡـَٔلۡكُمۡwill ask you
  13. أَمۡوَٰلَكُمۡ(for) your wealth
Muhammad · 47:36Madinah

This life is play, and He does not ask all you own.

What lasts, and what is actually asked


The trade
worldly lifeplay and distraction
but
belief and taqwayour full reward
not all your wealthHe needs nothing
Why charity is asked
Allah needs ita cost to me
for your brothersand it returns to you

Ibn Kathir says this life is only play, except what is done for Allah. He needs nothing from you. He asked for charity so you would help your needy brothers, and its benefit and reward come back to you.

Your weekend disappears into scrolling and shopping, and on Monday you cannot remember any of it. That is the play and distraction. The hour you spent helping a neighbor move is the part that stays.

Giving charity is a cost that takes from me.

Allah does not need my money; giving helps others and comes back to me.

Try this

Give a small amount to someone in need today, and notice how it feels.

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

This worldly life is only amusement and diversion. 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 (36)If He would demand of you all of it and urge you, you would withhold. And He will expose your (secret) ill–wills (37)Here you are now invited to spend in Allah's cause; but among you are those who withhold (stingily). And whoever acts stingily is but stingy toward himself. For Allah is indeed free of needs, while you are the needy. And if you turn away, He will replace you with other people; then they will not be like you (38)

Showing the Triviality of the Worldly Life and encouraging Spending

Expressing the insignificance and worthlessness of the worldly life, Allah says,

إِنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ ۚ

(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,

وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا يُؤْتِكُمْ أُجُورَكُمْ وَلَا يَسْأَلْكُمْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ

(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,

إِنْ يَسْأَلْكُمُوهَا فَيُحْفِكُمْ تَبْخَلُوا 

(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.

وَيُخْرِجْ أَضْغَانَكُمْ

(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,

هَا أَنْتُمْ هَٰؤُلَاءِ تُدْعَوْنَ لِتُنْفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يَبْخَلُ ۖ

(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,

وَمَنْ يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ ۚ

(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.

وَاللَّهُ الْغَنِيُّ

(For Allah is indeed Al-Ghani) Allah is in need of nothing else, whereas everything is ever in need of Him. Thus, Allah says,

وَأَنْتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ ۚ

(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,

وَإِنْ تَتَوَلَّوْا

(And if you turn away,) which means, if you turn away from obeying Him and adhering to His Laws.

يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُم

(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.