أَهُمْ يَقْسِمُونَ رَحْمَتَ رَبِّكَ ۚ نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُم مَّعِيشَتَهُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ وَرَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَـٰتٍ لِّيَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُهُم بَعْضًا سُخْرِيًّا ۗ وَرَحْمَتُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ 32
Translations
Do they distribute the mercy of your Lord? It is We who have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of this world and have raised some of them above others in degrees [of rank] that they may make use of one another for service. But the mercy of your Lord is better than whatever they accumulate.
Transliteration
A-hum yaqsimūn raḥmata rabbika? Naḥnu qasamna baynahum ma'īshatahum fī al-ḥayāti ad-dunyā wa-rafa'nā ba'ḍahum fawqa ba'ḍin darajātin li-yattakhidha ba'ḍuhum ba'ḍan sukhriyan wa-raḥmatu rabbika khayrun mimmā yajma'ūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refutes the polytheists' claim that they can distribute Allah's mercy (by associating partners with Him) and affirms that Allah alone has distributed people's sustenance and worldly ranks according to His wisdom. The hierarchical differences in wealth and status are established by Allah so that the rich may employ the poor in service, yet Allah's ultimate mercy and the rewards of the Hereafter are far superior to any worldly accumulation. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain this as a profound rebuke to those who attributed divine authority to idols and claimed knowledge of spiritual matters, while also teaching that worldly distinctions are temporary and divinely ordained for specific divine purposes.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Az-Zukhruf, a Meccan surah revealed during the period when Meccan polytheists rejected the Prophet Muhammad's monotheistic message. The broader context addresses the Meccan disbelievers' denial of the Hereafter and their attachment to worldly ornaments and status symbols, making this ayah particularly relevant to their arrogance about their wealth and social position.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Wealth and children are adornments of this worldly life, but the everlasting good deeds are better' (Surah Al-Kahf 18:46). Additionally, in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet taught that 'None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself,' addressing the social divisions mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that while Allah has ordained worldly differences in wealth and status for divine purposes, believers should not become arrogant about their possessions or status, nor should they despair over poverty, for Allah's mercy and the rewards of the Hereafter are infinitely superior to any material accumulation in this temporary world.