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Introduction | Wiki
1. Al-Fatihah
2. Al-Baqarah
3. Al-Imran
4. Al-Nisa
5. Al-Maidah
6. Al-Anam
7. Al-Araf
8. Al-Anfal
9. Al-Taubah
10. Yunus
11. Hud
12. Yusuf
13. Al-Rad
14. Ibrahim
15. Al-Hijr
16. Al-Nahl
17. Bani Israil
18. Al-Kahf
19. Maryam
20. Ta-Ha
21. Al-Anbiya
22. Al-Hajj
23. Al-Muminun
24. An-Nur
25. Al-Furqan
26. Ash-Shuara
27. An-Naml
28. Al-Qasas
29. Al-Ankabut
30. Ar-Rum
31. Luqman
32. As-Sajdah
33. Al-Ahzab
34. Saba
35. Fatir
36. Yasin
37. As-Saffat
38. Saad
39. Az-Zumar
40. Al-Mumin
41. Ha-Meem-As-Sajdah
42. AShura
43. Az-Zukhruf
44. Ad-Dukhan
45. Al-Jathiyah
46. Al-Ahqaf
47. Muhammad
48. Al-Fath
49. Al-Hujurat
50. Al-Qaf
51. Adh-Dhariyat
52. At-Tur
53. An-Najm
54. Al-Qamar
55. Al-Rahman
56. Al-Waqiah
57. Al-Hadid
58. Al-Mujadalah
59. Al-Hashr
60. Al-Mumtahinah
61. As-Saff
62. Al-Jumuah
63. Al-Munafiqun
64. Al-Taghabun
65. At-Talaq
66. At-Tahrim
67. Al-Mulk
68. Al-Qalam
69. Al-Haqqah
70. Al-Maarij
71. Nuh
72. Al-Jinn
73. Al-Muzzammil
74. Al-Muddhththir
75. Al-Qiyamah
76. Ad-Dahr
77. Al-Mursalat
78. An-Naba
79. An-Naziat
80. Abas
81. At-Takwir
82. Al-Infitar
83. At-Tatfif
84. Al-Inshiqaq
85. Al-Buruj
86. At-Tariq
87. Al-Ala
88. Al-Ghashiyah
89. Al-Fajr
90. Al-Balad
91. Ash-Shams
92. Al-Lail
93. Ad-Duha
94. Al-Inshirah
95. At-Tin
96. Al-Alaq
97. Al-Qadr
98. Al-Bayyinah
99. Az-Zilzal
100. Al-Adiyat
101. Al-Qariah
102. At-Takathur
103. Al-Asr
104. Al-Humazah
105. Al-Fil
106. Al-Quraish
107. Al-Maun
108. Al-Kauthar
109. Al-Kafirun
110. An-Nasr
111. Al-Lahab
112. Al-Ikhlas
113. Al-Falaq
114. An-Nas
Surah 102. At-Takathur
Verses [Section]: 1-8[1]

Quran Text of Verse 1-8
102. At-Takathurبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِاَلْهٰىكُمُDiverts youالتَّكَاثُرُۙthe competition to increase حَتّٰیUntilزُرْتُمُyou visitالْمَقَابِرَؕthe graves كَلَّاNay!سَوْفَSoonتَعْلَمُوْنَۙyou will know ثُمَّThenكَلَّاnay!سَوْفَSoonتَعْلَمُوْنَؕyou will know كَلَّاNay!لَوْIfتَعْلَمُوْنَyou knowعِلْمَ(with) a knowledgeالْیَقِیْنِؕ(of) certainty لَتَرَوُنَّSurely you will seeالْجَحِیْمَۙthe Hellfire ثُمَّThenلَتَرَوُنَّهَاsurely you will see itعَیْنَ(with the) eyeالْیَقِیْۙنِ(of) certainty ثُمَّThenلَتُسْـَٔلُنَّsurely you will be askedیَوْمَىِٕذٍthat Dayعَنِaboutالنَّعِیْمِ۠the pleasures
Translation of Verse 1-8
In the name of Allah, The Kind, The Compassionate

(102:1) The race for riches distracts you,2

(102:2) Until you visit3 (your) graves.4

(102:3) No indeed, but you shall soon know.

(102:4) Again, no indeed, before long you shall know.5

(102:5) No indeed, were you to know with the knowledge of certainty.

(102:6) (That) You shall behold Hell-fire.6

(102:7) And then you shall see it with the eye of certainty.

(102:8) Then, on that day, you shall be questioned about the blessings (of this life).7


Commentary

2. “(This distraction) keeps you heedless of the Hereafter, having no time for things spiritual” (Majid).

The Race for Riches

Asad writes: 'The term takathur bears the connotation of “greedily striving for an increase”, i.e., in benefits, be they tangible or intangible, real or illusory. In the above context it denotes man’s obsessive striving for more and more comforts, more material goods, greater power over his fellow-men or over nature, and unceasing technological progress. A passionate pursuit of such endeavors, to the exclusion of everything else, bars man from all spiritual insight and, hence, from the acceptance of any restrictions and inhibitions based on purely moral values - with the result that not only individuals but whole societies gradually lose all inner stability and, thus, all chance of happiness.’

Qatadah has said that the verses are referring to “the Arab tribes who used to compete with each other and claim boastfully, 'we are wealthier than you, more than you in progeny,’ and so forth. That kind of boasting even led them to fights. By God they remained in that state until they went into their graves.”

A hadith also explains takathur as race for riches (which distracts people from the Hereafter). `Abdullah ibn Shikhkhir has reported from his father that once when he visited the Prophet (saws) he found him reciting, 'The race of riches distracts you ... until you visit your graves’ and then he added:

“Son of Adam. You have no wealth but that which you consumed and destroyed, or what you wore and threw away or you gave away in charity and spent it off.” Ka`b al-Ahbar has said: “In fact, (for a long time) until surah al-Takathur was revealed, we used to consider the following words of the Prophet (saws) as part of revelation:

'If the son of Adam had two valleys of riches, he would vie for a third, while nothing will fill his stomach but dust. Allah turns in Mercy to him who turns to Him (in repentance)’” - Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi.

Ka`b’s words are in Bukhari while Ibn Shikhkhir’s narration is in Muslim, which has another report which has the following words in addition:

“And what you leave behind is for others.”

Bukhari has another hadith which says:

“Three things follow a dead man’s funeral procession. Two of them return, the third remains with him: his wealth, home-folk and deeds. Of these his wealth and home-folk return and the deeds remain.”

Another hadith in the Sahihayn says:

“Son of Adam gets old but two things remain with him: greed and hope (of a long life: Au.)” - Ibn Kathir.

Ibn al-Qayyim adds: It will be noticed that Allah did not specify what it is that distracts man from his Lord. It is indeed anything of this world that distracts, such as wealth, slaves, construction, plantation, knowledge which is not sought for Allah’s Pleasure, or a deed that does not take a man closer to Him.

3. `Umar ibn `Abdul `Aziz has said that whosever entered the grave has to be necessarily transferred either to Paradise or Hell. Hence the term “visit” (which implies a short stay) - Ibn Kathir, Alusi.

4. The allusion here is to those whom the world distracts from the remembrance of Allah until they land in their graves.

Visiting the graves is by itself a good way of softening the heart. The Prophet (saws) has said:

“I used to forbid you from visiting the graves. Lo. You might visit them now for it cures over-indulgence in the world and reminds you of the Hereafter.” Muslim has a similar report (Qurtubi).

5. The repetition is for a threat after threat (Hasan al-Busri: Ibn Kathir).

6. Everyone will behold Hell-fire since the sirat (the Bridge) will be placed over it. Allah said (19: 71):

“There is none among you but will encounter it” (Qurtubi).

7. “Blessings” of course include all that life affords of good things such as good health, security and material comforts.

Blessings of this World

According to a hadith even the so-called minor blessings are blessings of this world. So that the Prophet has, according to a hadith in Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, counted the two black items - dates and water - as blessings (Ibn Kathir).

Once (in a report by Abu Hurayrah in Muslim: Qurtubi), the Prophet saw Abu Bakr and `Umar sitting together in the mosque. He asked them what had brought them out. They said, 'Hunger.’ He said: 'By Him Who sent me with Truth, it is nothing but hunger that has brought me here too.’ They proceeded to the house of an Ansari. They enquired his wife of the whereabouts of her husband and were told that he had gone out to fetch sweet water. In time he arrived loaded with a water-skin. He said, 'Welcome. There isn’t a host more honored than me today.’ He hung up his water-skin, went out and came back with a bunch of dates. 'Why a whole bunch? You could have brought us a few,’ the Prophet remarked. He answered, 'Well. I thought you could choose any kind of it, the fully ripe as well as the half ripe ones.’ Then he picked up a knife. The Prophet told him, 'Spare the one with milk.’ He slaughtered a goat for them and when they had had their meal the Prophet told them: “You will be questioned about this on the Day of Judgment. Hunger drove you out of your homes and you did not return but you had eaten these things. These are part of the blessings (that you will be questioned about)."

Other reports name the Ansari as Abu al-Haytham ibn al-Tayyihan (Ibn Jarir).

Muslim has recorded the same report with Yezid b. Kaisan as the narrator.

According to a report in Tirmidhi and the sahih of Ibn Hibban (a sahih report: Shawkani) a man will be questioned about the blessings and told:

"Did We not give you a healthy body and sweet water!?"

Nonetheless, according to a report of Ahmad there is no harm in the blessings for him who fears Allah. `Abdullah ibn Habib reports through his father, and he through his uncle that,

Once the Prophet came out with a wet hair and signs of cheerfulness on his face. We remarked, “We see you in a cheerful state, O Apostle of Allah!?” He said: “That’s right.” Then he sat down and spoke to them about the blessings of Allah concluding: “Wealth does not harm him who fears Allah. But good health is better than wealth for him who fears Allah. And cheerfulness is a blessing.”

According to another hadith of Bukhari, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah, the Prophet (saws) said:

“There are two blessings that people generally neglect: health and leisure” (Ibn Kathir).

The Prophet (saws) has also said in a hadith:

“A man will not be able to move his feet until he has been questioned about four thing: his life-span as to how he spent it, his youth as to where he drained it, about his wealth as to how he earned it and how he dispensed with it, and his knowledge as to how much he practiced it” (Razi).