Tafsir as-Saadi (تيسير الكريم الرحمن في تفسير كلام المنان) — Page 1432

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

إِنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا يُؤْتِكُمْ أُجُورَكُمْ وَلَا يَسْأَلْكُمْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ إِنْ يَسْأَلْكُمُوهَا فَيُحْفِكُمْ تَبْخَلُوا وَيُخْرِجْ أَضْغَانَكُمْ هَا أَنْتُمْ هَؤُلَاءِ تُدْعَوْنَ لِتُنْفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يَبْخَلُ وَمَنْ يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَاللَّهُ الْغَنِيُّ وَأَنْتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ وَإِنْ تَتَوَلَّوْا يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُم.

The life of this world is nothing but play and amusement. If you believe and fear Allah, He will grant you your rewards without demanding your wealth. Were He to ask for it and press you, you would withhold, and He would expose your resentment. You are being invited to spend in the way of Allah, yet some of you withhold. Whoever withholds only does so to his own detriment. Allah is the Rich, while you are the poor. If you turn away, He will replace you with another people, who will not be like you.

هَذَا تَزْهِيدٌ مِنْهُ لِعِبَادِهِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا بِإِخْبَارِهِمْ عَنْ حَقِيقَةِ أَمْرِهَا بِأَنَّهَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ لَعِبٌ فِي الْأَبْدَانِ وَلَهْوٌ فِي الْقُلُوبِ، فَلَا يَزَالُ الْعَبْدُ لَاهِيًا فِي مَالِهِ وَأَوْلَادِهِ، وَزِينَتِهِ، وَلَذَّاتِهِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ، وَالْمَآكِلِ وَالْمَشَارِبِ، وَالْمَسَاكِنِ وَالْمَجَالِسِ وَالْمَنَاظِرِ وَالرِّيَاسَاتِ لَاعِبًا فِي كُلِّ عَمَلٍ لَا فَائِدَةَ فِيهِ، بَلْ هُوَ دَائِرٌ بَيْنَ الْبَطَالَةِ وَالْغَفْلَةِ وَالْمَعَاصِي، حَتَّى تَسْتَكْمِلَ دُنْيَاهُ، وَيَحْضُرَهُ أَجَلُهُ، فَإِذَا هَذِهِ الْأُمُورُ قَدْ وَلَّتْ وَفَارَقَتْ، وَلَمْ يَحْصُلِ الْعَبْدُ مِنْهَا عَلَى طَائِلٍ بَلْ قَدْ تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ خُسْرَانُهُ وَحِرْمَانُهُ وَحَضَرَ عَذَابُهُ فَهَذَا مُوجِبٌ لِلْعَاقِلِ الزُّهْدَ فِيهَا، وَعَدَمَ الرَّغْبَةِ فِيهَا، وَالِاهْتِمَامَ بِشَأْنِهَا، وَإِنَّمَا الَّذِي يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَهْتَمَّ بِهِ مَا ذَكَرَهُ بِقَوْلِهِ: وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا بِأَنْ تُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ، وَتَقُومُوا بِتَقْوَاهُ الَّتِي هِيَ مِنْ لَوَازِمِ الْإِيمَانِ وَمُقْتَضَيَاتِهِ، وَهِيَ الْعَمَلُ بِمَرْضَاتِهِ عَلَى الدَّوَامِ، مَعَ تَرْكِ مَعَاصِيهِ، فَهَذَا الَّذِي يَنْفَعُ الْعَبْدَ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَتَنَافَسَ فِيهِ، وَتُبْذَلَ الْهِمَمُ وَالْأَعْمَالُ فِي طَلَبِهِ، وَهُوَ مَقْصُودُ اللَّهِ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ رَحْمَةً بِهِمْ وَلُطْفًا لِيُثِيبَهُمُ الثَّوَابَ الْجَزِيلَ، وَلِهَذَا قَالَ: وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا يُؤْتِكُمْ أُجُورَكُمْ وَلَا يَسْأَلْكُمْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ أَيْ: لَا يُرِيدُ تَعَالَى أَنْ يُكَلِّفَكُمْ مَا يَشُقُّ عَلَيْكُمْ، وَيُعْنِتَكُمْ مِنْ أَخْذِ أَمْوَالِكُمْ، وَبَقَائِكُمْ بِلَا مَالٍ، أَوْ يَنْقُصَكُمْ نَقْصًا يَضُرُّكُمْ، وَلِهَذَا قَالَ: إِنْ يَسْأَلْكُمُوهَا فَيُحْفِكُمْ تَبْخَلُوا وَيُخْرِجْ أَضْغَانَكُمْ أَيْ مَا فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ مِنَ الضِّغْنِ إِذَا طُلِبَ مِنْكُمْ مَا تَكْرَهُونَ بَذْلَهُ.

This is an exhortation for His servants to renounce worldly life by revealing its true nature: it is play and amusement—play for the body and amusement for the heart. The servant remains distracted by his wealth, children, finery, and pleasures—women, food, drink, homes, social circles, status, and prestige—playing at activities that hold no real value. He drifts between idleness, negligence, and sin until his life ends and his appointed time arrives. By then, these things have vanished, and the servant has gained nothing of substance; his loss and deprivation become clear, and his reckoning is at hand. This should compel the wise to renounce the world, lose interest in it, and stop obsessing over its affairs. Instead, one should focus on what He mentioned: "But if you believe and fear Allah," which means believing in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and upholding the piety that is essential to faith—constantly acting in accordance with His pleasure while abandoning disobedience. This is what benefits the servant, what one should strive for, and where effort should be directed. It is Allah’s purpose for His servants, out of mercy and kindness, so that He may grant them a great reward. That is why He said: "But if you believe and fear Allah, He will give you your rewards and not ask you for your wealth." In other words, Allah does not wish to burden you with what is difficult, nor to cause you hardship by taking your wealth and leaving you destitute or causing you harm. That is why He said: "If He were to ask you for it and press you, you would withhold, and He would expose your ill-feelings," meaning the malice in your hearts when you are asked for what you are reluctant to give.

وَالدَّلِيلُ عَلَى أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَوْ طَلَبَ مِنْكُمْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ وَأَحْفَاكُمْ بِسُؤَالِهَا، أَنَّكُمْ تَمْتَنِعُونَ مِنْهَا أَنَّكُمْ تُدْعَوْنَ لِتُنْفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَلَى هَذَا الْوَجْهِ الَّذِي فِيهِ مَصْلَحَتُكُمُ الدِّينِيَّةُ وَالدُّنْيَوِيَّةُ.

The proof that you would refuse if Allah were to demand your wealth and press you for it is that you are invited to spend in the way of Allah for your own religious and worldly benefit, yet you still hesitate.

…5 more translated lines, 45 more verbs and 67 more nouns on this page — subscribe to study every page.

Vocabulary · المفردات (48 verbs · 70 nouns)

• آمَنَ — to believe
• اِتَّقَى — to fear God
• آتَى — to give
• حَيَاة — life
• دُنْيَا — world
• لَعِب — play