مَتَـٰعٌ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ ثُمَّ نُذِيقُهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابَ ٱلشَّدِيدَ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ 70
Translations
[For them is brief] enjoyment in this world; then to Us is their return; then We will make them taste the severe punishment because they used to disbelieve.
Transliteration
Matāʿun fī ad-dunyā thumma ilaynā marjiʿuhum thumma nudhīquhum al-ʿadhāb ash-shadīd bimā kānū yakfurūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the temporary nature of worldly enjoyment for those who disbelieve, emphasizing that their ultimate return is to Allah where they will taste severe punishment for their rejection of faith. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note that this verse underscores the illusion of security the disbelievers have in this world, contrasting the brief pleasures (matāʿ) of dunya with the eternal consequences of disbelief in the Hereafter.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Yunus (a Meccan chapter), which was revealed during the early Meccan period when the Prophet Muhammad faced significant opposition from Quraysh. The broader context addresses the reality that those who reject the Message enjoy temporary worldly benefits, yet ultimate accountability awaits them before Allah—a reassuring message for believers facing persecution.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The worldly life compared to the Hereafter is like one of you putting his finger in the ocean—let him see what returns with it' (Sahih Muslim 2858). This hadith reinforces the ayah's concept of worldly enjoyment being negligible compared to the eternal consequences.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers not to be deceived by the apparent success and comfort of those who reject faith, as true success is measured by the Hereafter where accountability is certain. It provides spiritual solace during trials, reassuring that injustice in this world will be rectified on the Day of Judgment.
Related Ayahs
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُسَيِّرُكُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا كُنتُمْ فِى ٱلْفُلْكِ وَجَرَيْنَ بِهِم بِرِيحٍ طَيِّبَةٍ وَفَرِحُوا۟ بِهَا جَآءَتْهَا رِيحٌ عَاصِفٌ وَجَآءَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْجُ مِن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُمْ أُحِيطَ بِهِمْ ۙ دَعَوُا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ لَئِنْ أَنجَيْتَنَا مِنْ هَـٰذِهِۦ لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ
It is He who enables you to travel on land and sea until, when you are in ships and they sail with them by a good wind and they rejoice therein, there comes a storm wind and the waves come upon them from every place and they expect to be engulfed, they supplicate Allāh, sincere to Him in religion, "If You should save us from this, we will surely be among the thankful."
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ قَدْ جَآءَتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَآءٌ لِّمَا فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
O mankind, there has come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers.
وَلَا تَدْعُ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُكَ وَلَا يَضُرُّكَ ۖ فَإِن فَعَلْتَ فَإِنَّكَ إِذًا مِّنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
And do not invoke besides Allāh that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers.'"
قُل لَّآ أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِى ضَرًّا وَلَا نَفْعًا إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۗ لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٌ ۚ إِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَلَا يَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ
Say, "I possess not for myself any harm or benefit except what Allāh should will. For every nation is a [specified] term. When their time has come, then they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it]."