Surat At-Takathur

Praise be to Allah and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone without associating any partners with Him. I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.

Of the great Surahs that we frequently hear and we need to contemplate in and reflect on is Surat At-Takathur.

Allah (Glory be to him) says: "The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you, Until you visit the graves (i.e. till you die). Nay! You shall come to know! lhakm breeding until you visit the graves will you know * both *, and both will know if you Again, Nay! You shall come to know! Nay! If you knew with a sure knowledge (the end result of piling up, you would not have occupied yourselves in worldly things) Nay! If you knew with a sure knowledge (the end result of piling up, you would not have occupied yourselves in worldly things) Verily, You shall see the blazing Fire (Hell)! And again, you shall see it with certainty of sight!" [Surat At-Takathur: 1-8].

As for Allah's saying: "The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you," Ibn Kathir said: "Allah (may He be Exalted) says: Has the love the world, its bless, and its pleasures turned you away from seeking the Hereafter? You were busy with that until death has come to you, visited the graves, and become of its people."[1]

Mutarraf reported from his father `Abdullah ibn Ash-Shikh-khir (may Allah be pleased with them) that he said: I came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) while reading Surat At-Takathur. He said: "The son of Adam says: my money, my money. He said: O son of Adam, is there anything as your belonging except that which you consumed, which you utilized, or which you wore and then it was worn out or you gave as charity and sent it forward? !" He said in another narration: "And he shall leave behind everything for the people."[2]

As for His Saying: "Until you visit the graves (i.e. till you die)." Ibn Al Qayyim said: "The purpose that He meant in the Ayah is: visiting the graves and not death itself, referring that people will not settled in the graves, but they are only visitors who will come to visit the graves once and then go on their way as they were visitors of the world and not final inhabitants of it. Then the final destination is either paradise or hell."[3]

As for Allah's Saying: "Nay! You shall come to know! * Again, Nay! You shall come to know!" i.e., you should not be distracted by reproduction from obeying Allah and you shall know the bad consequence of having interest in reproduction and ignoring the obedience of Allah. He repeated the sentence here for more affirmation as some commentators said.

Ibn Al Qayyim said: "It was said: The latter is not affirmative to the first, but the first is having the first knowledge at examining and encountering death and the second is about the knowledge a person shall get in the grave." This is the view of Al Hasan, and Muqatil, and was reported by `Ata' from Ibn `Abbas.[4]

As for his saying: "Nay! If you knew with a sure knowledge (the end result of piling up, you would not have occupied yourselves in worldly things)" i.e., if you know, by heart, what you are going to face, you will not have busied yourselves with reproduction and you would hasten to righteous deeds, but your lack of true knowledge had led to what you are.

As for His Saying: "Verily, You shall see the blazing Fire (Hell)! * And again, you shall see it with certainty of sight!" This is an oath from Allah (may He be Exalted) that His Servants, whether believers or non-believers, shall examine Hell with their own eyes then He confirmed that this news will certainly take place and they will be sure of the presence of Fire when they will see it by their own eyes, but Allah will rescue the believers of it. Allah (He may be Glorified) has made them see Hell to know Allah's grace and bounty upon them by rescuing them of it. Allah (May He be Exalted) says: "There is not one of you but will pass over it (Hell); this is with your Lord; a Decree which must be accomplished. * Then We shall save those who use to fear Allah and were dutiful to Him. And We shall leave the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers, etc.) therein (humbled) to their knees (in Hell)." [Maryam: 71- 72].

As for Allah's Saying: "Then, on that Day, you shall be asked about the delight (you indulged in, in this world)!" i.e. Allah shall ask you on the Day of the Recompense about each grace that He has given you, such as security, health, hearing, sight, good health, food and drink, whether you thanked Allah for it or not and did not use it in things that violates Allah's Rights or you did not thank Allah for it, therefore He will punish you for that?

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) went out (of his house) one day or one night, and there he found Abu Bakr and `Umar also. He said: What has brought you out of your houses at this hour? They said: Allah's Messenger, it is hunger. Thereupon he said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, what has brought you out has brought me out too; get up. They got up along with him and (all of them) came to the house of an Ansari, but he was not at home. When his wife saw him she said: Most welcome, and Allah's Messenger (peace be Upon him) said to her: Where is so and so? She said: He has gone to get some fresh water for us. When the Ansari came and he saw Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and his two Companions, he said: Praise be to Allah, no one has more honorable guests today than I (have). He then went out and brought them a bunch of ripe dates, dry dates and fresh dates, and said: Eat some of them. He then took hold of his long knife (for slaughtering a goat or a sheep).

Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to him: Beware of killing a milch animal. He slaughtered a sheep for them and after they had eaten of it and of the bunch and drank, and when they had taken their fill and had been fully satisfied with the drink, Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to Abu Bakr and `Umar: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, you will certainly be questioned about this bounty on the Day of judgment. Hunger brought you out of your house, then you did not return until this bounty came to you.[5]

An-Nawawy said in his commentary on the Hadith: "The question here is for numerating bounties, show gratitude, and show Allah's Dignity by granting them favors, and the question is not for rebuking, vituperating, or accounting people."[6]

As for the disbelievers, it is a rebuke, vituperation, and accounting.

Abu Barzah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Man's feet will not move on the Day of Resurrection before he is asked about his life, how did he consume it, his knowledge, what did he do with it, his wealth, how did he earn it and how did he dispose of it, and about his body, how did he wear it out."[7]

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Allah will say for servants on the Day of the Recompense: did We not honor you and make you the chief and make you pair and subdue for you horses and camels and afford you an opportunity to rule over your subjects? He would say: Yes, my Lord. And He (the Lord) would say: Did you not think that you would be meeting us? And he would say: No. And then He (Allah) would say: Well, I forget you today as you forgot Us."[8]

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "The first thing that a servant will be held accounted for on the Day of the Recompense is to be said to him: did not I make your body sound and give you of cold water?"[9]

Ibn Al Qayyim said: "By Allah, this Surah is one of the greatest Surahs that is full of benefits, lessons and warnings, the most exhorting to the Hereafter, and most warding off the worldly life although it is short, full of powerful words, and well-organized. Blessed is Allah Who sent down this Surah to His Messenger through revelation."[10]

Praise be to Allah the Lord of all the Worlds and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.