Surah At-Takathur - Vying In Exuberance
(Revealed at Mecca)
8 Verses in 1 Section
Sections of Surah At-Takathur
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Exuberance Engages Men.
At-Takathur - Exuberance Engages Men
Exuberance engages man, diverting him from the real object of life - Man will know his folly when he will reach his grave.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
“In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful”
أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ
“Engageth1you (your) vying in exuberance” (102:1)
حَتَّىٰ زُرْتُمُ الْمَقَابِرَ
“Until ye come to the graves” (102:2)
كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
“Nay! Soon shall ye know (your folly)” (102:3)
ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
“Nay! Nay! Soon shall ye know (your folly)” (102:4)
كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْيَقِينِ
“Nay! Would that ye knew it with the knowledge2, of certitude nature” (102:5)
لَتَرَوُنَّ الْجَحِيمَ
“(That) Ye shall certainly see the hell” (102:6)
ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ الْيَقِينِ
“Then, ye shall certainly see it with the vision3of certitude” (102:7)
ثُمَّ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيمِ
“Then shall ye be questioned on that day, about the bounties (ye enjoined)” (102:8)
Commentary
Verse 1
The occasion for the revelation of this Surah has been reported to be that the people of Bani Abd al-Manaf, Bani Qusai and Ibn-Sahm Ibn Omar, got busy in a mutual contest of priding over each other, the strength, their number and the matter went to the extent of counting even the dead among them, to the sides and once when one of the parties fell short of one to win over the others, a grave was opened and the dead lying therein was counted. This Surah was revealed.
Refers to the total indulgence into the material acquisitions in this world which, not only d al-generates the moral and the spiritual aspect of the individual but also takes away all the time more and more, it is leaving no time for seeking the higher objects of the real and the permanent value in the life hereafter which is eternal while every material acquisition has only an imaginary and timely value and which one leaves behind when he or she passes away from this world. Besides, everything of the material wealth is liable to pass away from the acquirer to somebody else but every spiritual and moral or intellectual acquisition, is inseparable from the individual, and goes along with the acquirer when he passes away from the world to the next.
In this chapter, reference is made to the different stages of human realisation of the life of the hereafter corresponding to the degree of one’s disengagement from the attractions - towards accumulation of the material stuff of which the first stage common to all, is the visits to graveyards which have been commended by Islam and prevented by some fanatics. (A.P.).
Verse 2
To the extent of the people counting the dead in the graves or that man gets involved in vying with each other, and the people are lost in it and for the best of acquisition engage themselves in piling wealth over wealth until they meet death, being fit for nothing but to be laid in the grave.
Verse 3 & 4
The repetition in the same statement, is to lay stress and to give to force it, that surely without fail will men know the real value of the wealth with which they vie with each other and spend their whole life in acquiring it, for it will be of no value or avail to them when they meet death and in the life hereafter - For the fate of those who pile wealth in this life4.
Verse 5
Men will know the real value of their motives and deeds as certainty of their knowledge, when they pass from this life to the hereafter and on the Day of Final Judgment.
Certainty of knowledge has been described to have stages: -
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What one only hears about - ‘Ilm al-Yaqeen’, i.e., the mere information about what is said to a certainty.
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What one sees with one’s eyes - the visual knowledge of that which exists ‘Ain al-Yaqeen’ as said in verse 7 below in this Surah - seeing the Hell with the eyes.
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The realisation or the knowledge proper is the personal experience with the thing, is ‘Haqq al-Yaqeen’, i.e., the realisation of the Truth about the thing as said in 69:51.
Verse 6
The deniers of the Day of Requital, shall themselves see Hell.
Verse 7
They will see it with their own eyes, and they will know about it as certainty and when they will be thrown in it, they will then know what it actually is, i.e., the realisation of the Truth about Hell.
Verse 8
Man will be questioned about the bounties of God which had been granted to him.
Some commentators say that man will have to account for everything which he was given in this world. It is reported to have been told by the Holy Prophet that man will not be asked about:
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The garments he used to cover his shame.
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The food he took in hunger.
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What he spent in the way of the Lord.
The Eighth Holy Imam Ali Ibn Musa Ar-Ridha’ told a man that ‘‘a man does not like burdening anyone with any obligation about what is gifted to him, how could God ask for everything. He has Himself granted out of His grace. But what God will ask man to account for, is about the belief in Him and the belief in the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet and the Ahl Al-Bayt”.
Shafayi reports in his mark ‘Hayatul Hayawan’ saying that Abu Hanifa said that once when he was in Mina (for the pilgrimage) the barber who sat to give him a shave, wanted him first to turn the right side of his head, turn to the direction of the Holy Ka’ba and say ‘Bismillah’, i.e., “In the name of God” Abu Hanifa said that he learnt the doctrines from the barber for the first time in his life. On being asked his identity, the barber said that he was the slave of the Sixth Holy Imam Jafer Ibn Muhammad As-Sadiq. Abu Hanifa wanted to know the residence of the Holy Imam but was not given admittance into his audience.
When some Kufees got the admittance, he got in, joining the Kuffees and while talking to the Holy Imam, said ‘O’ Son of the Holy Prophet (every Holy Imam was known and addressed as the son of the Holy Prophet) why dost thou not send someone on thy behalf to Kufa where a multitude of the people abuse the companions of the Holy Prophet?” The Holy Imam replied ‘‘The people would not listen to me” Abu Hanifa in a wonder asked ‘‘What? to thee, the son of the Holy Prophet, the people would not listen?” The Holy Imam said ‘‘One of them is thyself” I had not permitted thee and yet thou hast entered the house and I hear that thou doth decide matters based upon thine own gestures” Abu Hanifa accepted and said “Yes, I do guess in matters of doubt and decide about them as I guess to be right”
The Holy Imam replied ‘‘Woe unto thee O’ Nu’man (that was the name of Abu Hanifa) the first one to guess was ‘Iblees’ the Satan who defying the Lord’s command to pay obeisance to Adam, had said Thou didst create me with Fire and Adam with Clay,” and did not carry out the Lord’s command” Saying this the Holy Imam continued ‘‘Tell me O’ Nu’man which of the two is graver and more serious. Murder or adultery?” Abu Hanifa said ‘‘Murder” ‘Then’ said the Holy Imam ‘‘Why did God’s law demand two witnesses to prove Murder and four for Adultery?” Has your guessing any reason for this?” Abu Hanifa said ‘‘No” The Holy Imam continued ‘‘Which of the two is greater or superior ‘‘Salat” (prayer) or fasting” Abu Hanifa said ‘‘Salat,” i.e., prayer ‘‘Then said the Holy Imam ‘‘why has it been demanded of a woman under her monthly course to overtake the number of fasts left over during her unclean slate, when she gets cleansed and not the prayers - Can thou guess the reason?”
Abu Hanifa said ‘‘No” Then asked the Holy Imam ‘‘O’ Nu’man who is weaker, man or a woman?” Abu Hanifa said ‘‘Woman” ‘Then’ said the Holy Imam ‘‘why has God allotted, two shares to man, and to woman only one? has thy guessing any reason. Abu Hanifa said ‘‘No” The Holy Imam continued ‘‘I hear O’ Nu’man that thou doth interpret the Holy Qur’an by your guess” Abu Hanifa said ‘‘Yes” Then said the Holy Imam, ‘‘Tell me if by the verse (this verse) what is meant providing one with cold water in a hot season with some delicious food? Abu-Hanifa ‘Yes’
The Holy Imam continued ‘‘Tell me if a man entertains thee with some good food and good drink and thereafter places an obligation on thee, what would thou think of such a man?” Abu Hanifa said: ‘‘I would call him a niggard, a miser” Then asked the Holy Imam ‘‘Thinkest thou God to be niggard or a miser to question about the food granted to man when such a conduct man do hate?” Abu Hanifa asked ‘‘Then what doth thou thinkest O’ son of the Holy Prophet?” The Holy Imam said ‘‘O’ Nu’man! God would question men about their faith in Him, their acceptance of the Holy Prophet and their obedience to we, the Ahl Al-Bayt” (M.S.) .
Questioning mankind about these three matters comprehends the accounting about everything man did feel and act whether what was thought and acted, was within the limits of the sanction of God, His apostle through whom God’s will was conveyed to man and the Ahl Al-Bayt the Holy Imams, who were the only authentic and the divinely commissioned interpreters of the Word of God.
