ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَحِبُّونَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا عَلَى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍۭ بَعِيدٍ 3
Translations
The ones who prefer the worldly life over the Hereafter and avert [people] from the way of Allāh, seeking to make it [seem] deviant. Those are in extreme error.
Transliteration
Alladhīna yastahihhubūna al-hayāt al-dunyā 'alā al-ākhirah wa yaṣiddūn 'an sabīl Allāh wa yabghūnahā 'iwajan. Ūlā'ika fī ḍalāl ba'īd.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes those who prefer the fleeting pleasures of this worldly life over the eternal rewards of the Hereafter, who turn away from Allah's path, and who seek to distort it or make it crooked. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, such people are in profound and distant misguidance, having rejected both the straight path itself and those who call to it. The severity of their condition reflects the gravity of choosing temporal desires over divine truth and ultimate salvation.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Ibrahim (a Meccan chapter), which addresses the contrast between believers and disbelievers, particularly those Meccans who rejected the Prophet Muhammad's message in favor of their ancestral traditions and worldly prosperity. The surah emphasizes the consequences of rejecting monotheism and divine guidance in pursuit of material and temporal interests.
Related Hadiths
Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those who live longest and do good deeds' (Tirmidhi), emphasizing that believers should balance worldly life with righteous action. Additionally, the hadith 'Love for the Hereafter is like death to the world' (related in various collections) encapsulates the principle of prioritizing eternal over temporal concerns.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must consciously prioritize eternal spiritual values over fleeting material gains and worldly ambitions, recognizing that true success lies in obedience to Allah and the Hereafter. This ayah warns against the subtle danger of spiritual complacency—one can drift into misguidance not only by open rejection but by gradual preference of worldly desires over divine guidance.
Related Ayahs
هَـٰذَا بَلَـٰغٌ لِّلنَّاسِ وَلِيُنذَرُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَلِيَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ وَلِيَذَّكَّرَ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ
This [Qur’ān] is notification for the people that they may be warned thereby and that they may know that He is but one God and that those of understanding will be reminded.
يَتَجَرَّعُهُۥ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُسِيغُهُۥ وَيَأْتِيهِ ٱلْمَوْتُ مِن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمَيِّتٍ ۖ وَمِن وَرَآئِهِۦ عَذَابٌ غَلِيظٌ
He will gulp it but will hardly [be able to] swallow it. And death will come to him from everywhere, but he is not to die. And before him is a massive punishment.
۞ قَالَتْ رُسُلُهُمْ أَفِى ٱللَّهِ شَكٌّ فَاطِرِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يَدْعُوكُمْ لِيَغْفِرَ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرَكُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۚ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَـٰنٍ مُّبِينٍ
Their messengers said, "Can there be doubt about Allāh, Creator of the heavens and earth? He invites you that He may forgive you of your sins, and He delays you [i.e., your death] for a specified term." They said, "You are not but men like us who wish to avert us from what our fathers were worshipping. So bring us a clear authority [i.e., evidence]."
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى وَهَبَ لِى عَلَى ٱلْكِبَرِ إِسْمَـٰعِيلَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَسَمِيعُ ٱلدُّعَآءِ
Praise to Allāh, who has granted to me in old age Ishmael and Isaac. Indeed, my Lord is the Hearer of supplication.